Pot Kettle Black Angel Gardens

Central Manchester has undergone seismic change during the first quarter of the 21st Century, and there are few corners this is more visible than NOMA. A portmanteau of “North and Manchester”, this 8 hectare, £800 million redevelopment area is the brainchild of the Co-Operative Group, which commissioned the neighbourhood’s first landmark building, One Angel Square. It’s among all this glass and steel that Pot Kettle Black can be found doing its thing. 

The company’s second site in the city, with the flagship operation over at the beautiful Victorian-era Barton Arcade, as the name suggests Pot Kettle Black is all about excellent coffee and laid back brunches, and in town its reputation is huge. Founded in 2013 by Jon Wilkin and Mark Flanagan, these two former pro-rugby players spent some time in Australia where they quickly fell in love with the bean scene Down Under. Looking to import some of this back to the UK, chance and coincidence brought them to legendary barista Goncalo Cid, who helped set standards impeccably high and is still with the business today. 

Situated at the ground floor of the towering Moda building – one of the tallest in this part of Manchester —. food is served from open to 4PM daily, and the menu is split across weekday and weekend. The former includes an entire Benny Bar, with every possible variation on eggs benedict you can think of, alongside full breakfasts, halloumi toast, granola bowls, and even steak & eggs. The latter strips the choice down to focus on firm favourites, offering a smaller selection of bennies, alongside Banana Bread French Toast, Brekkie Bun (sausage, egg, streaky bacon, Emmental cheese, house brown sauce), Poached Eggs, Feta and Avocado, to name but a few. All that aside, the coffee is excellent and only uses Hasbean produce, while the Blood Mary, if that’s your thing, is hard to beat.