Pollen Bakery

In the pantheon of great Manchester bakeries, Pollen is right up there. It’s been doing its waterside thing in New Islington since 2018, when it upped sticks from Piccadilly and planted itself here.

It’s bakery first, café second. The space is all floor-to-ceiling glass and canal views, with seating outside the moment the sun appears. And when it does, move quick. During our visit, the place was rammed with that refined Ancoats-adjacent crowd we all know and love. 

The staff are a no-nonsense lot: friendly, confident, but with no time for faff, so decide what you want before you head to the counter. These are items made by caffeine-fuelled people, for caffeine-fuelled people. 

But when, oh when, will we get the “dumpet”?

As for the goods, Pollen built its name on sourdough and pastry, and the reputation holds. The cruffin might be the worst portmanteau since ‘staycation’, but they taste delicious. For the unawares, they’re croissant-muffin hybrids made from countless intricate layers. But when, oh when, will we get the “dumpet”? (Doughnut-meets-crumpet, of course.) 

Sticking with the croissant theme, their patented croissant butter might be a viral sensation, but lower your pitchforks, cynics, there’s no shady marketing campaign behind it. It’s successful for the good old-fashioned reason of being genuinely superb. Sweet, smooth but somehow crunchy all at the same time. Spread it on toast, give it as a gift – it’s croissantly versatile. 

Successful for the good old-fashioned reason of being genuinely superb

Croissant butter aside, is a visit to Pollen life-changing? Not quite. It’s simply a very good cafe, in a very pleasant area, run by people who know how this kind of thing should be run. And sometimes that’s all you need. 

However, what you can and should do is make a day of it. Take an afternoon trip to Islington Marina. Start at Pollen with a coffee and a pastry. Head a few doors down to Flawd for some locally sourced small plates and a glass of natural wine. Then finally, cocktails til the sun goes down at Finders Keepers. Great day done.