To say Foundation Coffee is a Manchester institution would be like saying the city has a penchant for red brick buildings. Proudly homegrown, the company started out with a single site in the Northern Quarter, and has gradually and thoughtfully grown to incorporate a number of locations across town. It’s hard to say, but Whitworth Street might be our favourite of the lot — a branch that invites you to “come for the third-wave coffee” and then “stay for brunch, lunch or a few espresso martinis.”
Opened in partnership with the Whitworth Locke aparthotel, this is the second spot Foundation secured and is now well-known for its design-led interiors and packed social programme. That’s in addition to the coffee, of course. Which is top drawer, origin sourced — meaning suppliers deal directly with growers and pay properly for the produce — and used for a wide variety of drinks. Macchiato, americano, and cappuccino represent the old guard, while Vietnamese, pourovers, cortado, ristretto and kevlar betray a forward thinking menu which isn’t just bang on trend: it leads the pack.
We’re just as impressed with the hot chocolate here, too, mainly because you get to pick your cocoa. São Tomé, Ecuador, Dark Madagascar or Ivory Coast White. Smoothies and milkshakes are similarly refined, and the food keep standards high. Simple and light dishes run from pastries to sea salt & dark chocolate granola, while all day brunch includes the signature MancMuffin — loaded with quality bacon, sausage, egg, cheese and more — eggs your way, Foundation florentine and the classic breakfast. Fresh focaccia, either tofu & aubergine or chicken with pesto and baby gem, are also well worth considering. Finally, like we mentioned before, this edition of Foundation also encourages after work drinks. And yes, the espresso martinis are exactly as you would hope. That means strong but well-balanced and extremely moreish.