The best proper caffs in Greater Manchester

Perhaps one of the prettiest old school caffs we’ve ever laid eyes on, a trip to The Antiques Village Cafe is a whole self-contained day out. First, head down to explore rooms full of antiques, as well as curious bits and bobs for your home. When you’ve browsed to your hearts content, grab a table at the cafe and enjoy an extremely reasonably-priced fried breakfast or barm, while sitting on delightfully mismatched vintage chairs. A lovely spot you should be prepared to lose a few hours in.

The Coffee House Cafe in Withington happens to share a wall with artist Akse P19’s famous Marcus Rashford mural, but it was a popular spot long before this impressive claim to fame. We’re talking formica tables, breakfast under a fiver and nothing but positive reviews from dedicated locals. From cottage pies to cheeseburgers, you’re sure to find something warming that you fancy to eat. And if you happen to be on a student budget – as many in these parts are – you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

A proper caff within an iconic market, The Coffee Pot on the world famous Bury Market layers tradition on tradition. First, pick up your essentials: fresh produce, big pants, historic black pudding and the like – then head over to this purple-fronted cabin (which has been serving since 1973) and enjoy the homeliest of meals like corned beef hash, chunky soups, pie and chips, quiche and all manner of fried breakfast items. Basically, if your gran used to make it, they make it here, and you know it’s going to hit the spot.

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.

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.

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.

Surrounded by indie coffee spots, modern bars and shawarma spots, Chorlton’s Metro Cafe has a genuinely unique proposition – English caff classics, plus authentic-as-they-come Persian dishes too. So alongside your fry ups and fish and chips, you can enjoy the sort of Iranian recipes owners Majid and Zahra Novin grew up with in Tehran. Dishes like baghali polo, a warming lamb and broadbean dish or khoresh fesenjan, a chicken dish with saffron and walnuts. Properly homely stuff, whichever cuisine you opt for.    

While Salford’s Chapel Street is home to a crop of new food and drink spots, you can still find an unpretentious caff just around the corner on Blackfriars Road. In a tiny, stand-alone building with a wonky roof and garish signage is Ready to Eat, where you can get all day breakfasts, paninis, burgers and kebabs. The place is tiny, so we’re not entirely sure where these delightful fried and grilled goods are being produced from, but we like their style. If it’s not raining, you can eat al fresco at one of their equally garish turquoise tables – the ideal environment to wolf down a jacket spud and beans on your lunch break.

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 failsafe.

A bit of a curiosity off Albert Square 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…