Manchester’s best fry ups and full English breakfasts

In typically over the top Albert Schloss fashion, everything at Schloss has an added layer of Bavarian indulgence. The ‘Cook Haus’ breakfast comes with a cultural smorgasbord of elements, from Cumberland sausage to smoked back bacon to black pudding and potato rosti. In Schloss’s ever-welcoming Bavarian setting, this is one to soak up the sins of the previous night’s steins.

When the people behind beloved Stockport pie shop Ate Days A Week took up residency in Gorilla – under the name Blackbird Brewhouse and Kitchen – an inevitably brilliant match was made. You can still experience their show-stopping pies, but their fry up is also a thing of beauty. Everything is elevated, from the bacon chop to homemade hash browns to actual haggis. Plus, all the meat is sourced from Frost’s, widely regarded as the best butchers around. If you’re going to go big, you might as well go this big.

Sporting the kind of red-on-white signage and half net curtain look that trendy places pay a lot of money to achieve these days, The Corner Cafe is an ever-busting spot on Cross Street in Sale. Their full English is as trad as trad comes, and it goes without saying it’s pocket friendly too. Long live The Corner Cafe, and all who sail in her.

Known for their speedy, deli-style lunches and historic building on Deansgate, Katsouri’s also have an abundance of options for breakfast too. Their signature ‘Big Kat’ features all the mandatory full English ingredients, and generous helpings of them too. Plus, you’ll get change from a tenner, something you simply cannot argue with.

A community cafe in the heart of Hulme with a big focus on arts and music, Kim’s Kitchen serves up heaving, home cooked plates of British and Caribbean food. Their full English is a banger, and won’t break the bank either. If you find yourself in pursuit of brekkie in Hulme, Kim’s is the place to head to.

Immensely popular amongst almost everyone in the local area, Kingfisher is a cross between a traditional caff and a chippy. While this might sound like an unholy union to some, to others, it is a type of perfection. Simply put, you can get your full English with a side of fish and chips. Bonus points for being an excellent spot to sit and watch the world go by, too.

Understandably, this place is synonymous with fry ups in Manchester. From their humble beginnings on Stevenson Square, to their new and improved premises on Oldham Street (where they blend trad breakfasts with cool Mexican pop-ups and happy hours), Koffee Pot is many things to many people. More often than not though, it’s a sanctuary for hungover people. Their ‘KP breakfast’ is a classic of the genre: Littlewoods’ dry cured bacon, sausage, grilled tomato, buttered mushroom et al. Black pudding is free for those who ask for it too. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

While we’re as much of a sucker for an artisanal food market as the next Mancunian foodie, sometimes you have to take it back to basics. Lynn’s Cafe, inside Stockport Market comes complete with hatch service, old school handpainted signage and ever older school prices (50p for a brew or a teacake). Celebrated for its comforting feel and incredibly friendly staff, head down here for an unapologetically trad full breakfast and grab yourself a prime spot from which to watch the world go by. Find them at the ‘pointy end’ of the market house.

Playfoots has played a big part in Monton’s foodie reinvention, having set up shop here over a decade ago. And trust us, the locals rave about this place. While they’ve come to be known for their colourful sweet and savoury brunch dishes featuring outré ingredients like crispy sage and brown butter, sometimes you simply can’t go wrong with a classic breakfast. Lincolnshire sausage, Bury black pudding, Swaledale bacon, and crucially the overlooked roasted tomato, plus all your assorted carbs and sauces. Montonites, you’re a lucky bunch. 

Like a relic from an entirely different era, Rowntree’s, on that High Street side of The Arndale predates even the 1996 IRA bombing of the shopping centre (it temporarily moved to Bury in the aftermath). Menu-wise, they’re an unholy amalgamation of a chippy, a kebab shop and a Wetherspoons, but if you’re after a huge breakfast, in the city centre, with decent change from a tenner, then Rowntree’s is your new failsafe.

A bit of a curiosity off Albert Square Shirley’s Sandwich Bar on Brazennose Street, Shirley’s feels like a relic from a bygone era. Surrounded by swanky new eateries and the soon-to-be-refurbished Town Hall, Shirley’s keeps it real with butties, jacket potatoes and, of course, a seriously decent fry up. As they say, if it ain’t broke…

With a prime location on pedestrianised Thomas Street, and a low key day-to-night menu, Smithfield Social has been the saviour of many an indecisive group excursion. Their full English is a total crowd-pleaser, with a good mix of trad and elevated elements. The house beans and truffle and pecorino hash brown are particular stand-outs. 

Trof. We love you. We’ve always loved you. A cool NQ hangout since before Thomas Street was the destination it is today, but they’ve always delivered when it comes to tasty, dependable, mostly unpretentious grub. Their full English features exactly what you’d want it to, including field mushrooms, and a generous portion of Bury black pudding. All for under £13, which, in the grand scheme of upmarket brunch joints, is incredibly good value. Trof – never, ever abandon us.