Eighth Day Cafe
Did the Almighty have a hand in this? Not trying to convert anyone, but in terms of serious quality vegetarian fare, you could do a lot worse than worship at this culinary altar. Nearly a thousand organic products are on offer, and as you sit sipping your dandelion coffee you'll feel the macrobiotically controlled atmosphere infiltrate your system. You'll leave feeling healthy and full, a rare combination in the North West.
Refresh
Fresh cooked food is what we're all after, and this sandwicherie-cum-cafeteria has it in spades. Heavyweight succulent quiches, full-bodied salads bursting with crispness, this is the place for Didsbury-bound perambulators of the empty-belly variety. Fantastic cream teas - and you can take the scones and jam home with you if you're late for feeding the cat.
The Art of Tea
This is the kind of place you want to hole up for a few days and write your novel. And if it's a novel that's been taking a while to come out, don't worry, you'll have just as fruitful a time watching the world go by and loving the atmosphere. Chain cafés like Starbucks and co. may know how to make easy reliable coffee for people who have left their imagination at home, but when you visit the Art of Tea, you'll remember what going to cafes is all about. Nice drink, nice people, and a seat you'll want to make your own.
Café Muse
Visitors to Manchester nowadays rarely conceive of a visit to the Museum. It's one of the chief signs of our times. We're not interested in history, we'd rather see Ronaldo, or the pub where Frank Gallagher drinks, or the set of Coronation Street. But if by some chance you fancy getting to grips with Manchester's fascinating industrial past, or delving even further back to the discovery of the Lindow Bog Man, then make sure you plan enough time to have a Danish lunch in the café here. A perfect accompaniment to a Mancunian cultural day out.
Café Pop
Full of tacky tat and dodgy wallpaper. But the upside is that while you're wishing you'd chosen your colour scheme more carefully before heading out for a bohemian shopping spree in Oldham (note to self: next time make sure to wear polka-dot false eyelashes and chevron tights), you can thank your stars that you could never be quite so confused in your tastes as the owners of this days of happy 1950s yore eatery, and that they reliably provide good cheap food and a colourful clientele for you to ogle. Oh, and champion vege nosh to boot.
