Looking for the best cafes in Manchester to work from or cafes in Manchester to study in with good tables, sockets and plenty of room?!
The cafe scene in Manchester is brilliant! There are so many cool, independent cafes and coffee shops serving good food and most importantly good coffee, but we all know that you can’t take your laptop and work or study comfortably from all cafes!
I’ve spent my days seeking out the best cafes in Manchester City Centre to work from. Things I’ve factored into account are how big the cafe is, how good the seating is to work at for several hours, their wifi and sockets, the food and drink on offer and whether the environment is noisy or not.
Best Cafes in Manchester to Work From
It feels like Manchester thrives off people working remotely, whether for themselves or for a company and I can see that more and more cafes in Manchester are popping up offering spaces for people to work or study on their laptops for a few hours. And of course with Manchester University, there are always students looking for the best cafes in Manchester to study in!
(Unfortunately cafes close on a regular basis, or change hands so there’s always lots of changes, therefore please check opening details before you go!)
1. Department Coffee + Supplies XYZ – Spinningfields
Previously Foleys, Department Coffee + Supplies XYZ in Spinningfields is one of the amazing places to work from in Manchester because it is fully set up for digital nomads, co-working.
They have a lot of different seating from large booths, large sharing tables and smaller tables with plug sockets all around the tables and chairs. They also have a mezzanine level with 8 x 1-seater desks perfect for getting some studying in whilst overlooking the cafe.
Foley’s offers plenty of food inside with a full tea and coffee selection, pastries, a small breakfast menu of toast and porridge, sandwiches and salad boxes along with healthy snacks too so you can stay here all day and be fed well! Later on, the bar opens.
2. Ezra & Gil – Hilton Street
Ezra & Gil is a well known cafe to work from in Manchester City Centre. They have 2 locations with their other being on Peter Street close to Manchester Central Library but the Hilton Street location is my preferred co-working cafe as it’s much bigger and Peter Street had lots of no laptop signs on tables last time I went there.
Inside is a large room with lots of different types of seating. Being based in the Northern Quarter it has that cool-Northern Quarter edge to it and Ezra and Gil are known for their amazing food, especially brunch!
Come the weekend, there are queues outside the cafe for an Ezra & Gil brunch but on weekdays generally, people head their with their laptop to enjoy brunch with!
3. SEESAW – Princess Street
Tucked inside a beautifully converted Victorian cotton warehouse at 86 Princess Street, SEESAW is one of the most stylish places to work from in Manchester city centre.
It was set up by three local creatives as a home for Manchester’s creative community. It’s part café, part coworking space, and part events and exhibition space, so there’s always a buzz of people working, chatting and catching up over coffee.
The café sits at the heart of the building. It’s bright and open, with lots of natural light during the day, and it has a lovely calm feel, which makes it a great escape from the busy city streets. The coffee comes from local roastery Swansong, and they offer Korean Street Food from 11:00am everyday except Mondays.
It’s well located for getting around, just a few minutes’ walk from St Peter’s Square tram stop and Oxford Road station, and about 12 minutes from Piccadilly.
4. Nomad Coffee – Lever Street
As the name suggests, Nomad Coffee is made for digital nomads. Inside, it’s a modern café in an industrial space with a vintage feel, so it has that classic Northern Quarter look while still feeling calm enough to get your head down and work.
They have wifi, a good menu of coffee, pastries and sandwiches, and lots of vegan options and plant milks, so you won’t need to leave to find lunch. There’s also some outdoor seating for sunny days when you fancy working with a bit of fresh air.
5. The Alan – Princess Street
For something a bit different from your usual coffee shop, head to The Alan on Princess Street. It’s a stylish hotel with a café, bar and restaurant on the ground floor, and they’re open to everyone, not just hotel guests.
It’s in a beautiful Grade II listed Victorian building and it feels much more grown up and calm than a busy Northern Quarter café (although I love them too!), and thats why it makes a brilliant choice if you need somewhere quieter for a few hours of focused work, or a smart spot to meet a client.
There’s free wifi in the public areas, and the hotel also has coworking spaces and meeting rooms, so it’s well set up for people working on laptops. Food is served throughout the day, from breakfast to lunch and dinner, so you can stay for the whole working day and be well fed.
The location is hard to beat too. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from St Peter’s Square, Manchester Town Hall and Piccadilly Gardens, and close to Canal Street, so it’s a handy spot whichever part of the city you’re heading to next.
6. Campfield – St John’s
If you’ve walked down Liverpool Road recently, you might have noticed the old Lower and Upper Campfield Market Halls have had a huge makeover. They’ve reopened as Campfield, a new creative and tech campus and one of the most impressive places to work from in Manchester.
It’s not your typical coffee shop. It’s a mix of workspace, café and events space, run by Department, the team behind Bonded Warehouse and the Globe Building. It’s in beautiful historic buildings with lots of light, which makes it a really inspiring place to spend the day.
At the heart of it is Campfield House, the central atrium with its own café and bar, plus a courtyard café where you can grab a coffee and get your laptop out and if you want a proper desk and some meeting space, they also offer coworking day passes.
It’s a short walk from Deansgate and Castlefield, so it’s easy to pair with lunch nearby or a walk around the canals after you finish work.
7. 92 Degrees – John Dalton Street
This Liverpool coffee shop chain has been in Manchester for a while now with 2 locations. 92 Degrees on John Dalton Street is the one I have visited the most and I enjoy working for a couple of hours from here.
It is only a small coffee shop but it has 2 floors. Downstairs has table and stool seating and a few tables and chairs but if you’re looking for somewhere quiet to work from in Manchester, upstairs is a great option because you feel out of the way and not as distracted by customers walking in.
This is very much one of the coffee shops to work from in Manchester as they serve a wide range of drinks but only pastries and cakes rather than anything substantial.
8. Bold Street Coffee – University Green
Bold Street Coffee started out in Liverpool and is now one of the most popular spots to work and study near the University of Manchester, on University Green off Oxford Road.
It’s set up really well for working, with lots of charging points and long bench style tables. That makes it great whether you’re working solo or meeting friends for a group study session. There’s wifi too, though I’d recommend sitting near the front of the café, where the signal is strongest.
The coffee is excellent, with plenty of milk alternatives, and there’s a good selection of pastries, cakes and sandwichesto keep you going. For something more filling, the soup of the day with a grilled cheese comes recommended. It’s not the cheapest café on this list, though, at around £11 for that combo.
On a rare sunny Manchester day, there’s lots of outdoor seating so you can work in the fresh air. The bench seats aren’t the comfiest for a long session, so you may want a cushion! But with the great coffee and buzzy atmosphere, it’s still easy to stay for the whole day.
9. Haunt MCR
Haunt MCR is recommended on quite a few posts of best Manchester cafes to work from so I had to check it out. It is a cafe/bar. I know some people love and thrive off that more upbeat bar energy when working whereas others don’t. It is opposite Manchester Library and therefore really close to St Peter’s Square tram stop.
One of the unique points about Haunt MCR is that it’s open from 7:30 am which is when it’ll feel most like a cafe of course and is great for those looking for cafes in Manchester to work from early in the morning!
Inside, there is a range of tables from 2-person booth seating, high stool seating and a mezzanine area at the back which I imagine is good if you want some quietness or are having a meeting, depending on who else is up there too! Serving a range of brunch and lunch options with lots of big cibatta’s on offer, you’ll get some nice food to go with your laptop session at Haunt.
10. Ditto Coffee
Ditto Coffee is highly rated on other posts as one of the best laptop-friendly cafes in Manchester! Although it doesn’t have large co-working tables, it does have plenty of 2 seater tables and it’s location means that it is popular for people to visit to have a sit down without working but it is mainly for people to visit to get a coffee-to-go and work from.
They offer plenty of food on their menu so you won’t go hungry whilst working from here and as it’s well lit with plenty of glass and views of Manchester City Hall.
11. Idle Hands Coffee
Idle Hands Coffee is one of the cafes to work from no too far from Manchester Piccadilly Station. It has a cool and cute vibe with lots of plants and paintings.
They have some window seats so you can have a view whilst you work and a range of tables too. Mid-week this cafe is full with people working from their laptops.
12. Ancoats Coffee Co
I know many people go to Ancoats Coffee Co to work on their laptops. It’s one of the good cafes in Ancoats to work from and the plus is that they offer brilliant coffee!
I did find this cafe a bit dark and mid-morning it was hard to find a seat but if you’re in the area, it’s one to visit.
13. Off The Press – Ancoats
If you’re looking for a café to work from in Ancoats, Off The Press is a great choice. It’s on the edge of Ancoats, so it’s just out of the busier city centre streets without being too far away.
It’s on the ground floor of the iconic Express Building, the famous art deco former newspaper printing works on Great Ancoats Street, which is where the name comes from! The café is Australian inspired, with lots of light and a relaxed, friendly feel that makes it an easy place to settle in with your laptop.
What makes it stand out is its in-house bakery, so the cakes and pastries are baked fresh on site. Alongside the speciality coffee, there’s a menu of healthy breakfasts and lunches, from salads, soups and wraps to toasties. I had the Kale toast and it was amazing! That means you can easily stay for a full working morning and lunch without needing to head anywhere else.
There’s indoor and outdoor seating, and plenty of people working from their laptops here although note that it isn’t huge so if you go at prime time, you might not be able to get a table.
14. Junction – Manchester Central
Junction is a bar, restaurant, café and social workspace at the front of Manchester Central, the city’s iconic events venue. It’s open to everyone, not just people attending events there.
You’ll find it under the famous arches of the old Central Station, up the podium steps by the main entrance. It’s a really stylish space to work from, with high ceilings and big windows that let in loads of natural light and give you a great view over the city while you work.
The interior is just as eye catching, decorated in pinks, jades and corals, with a central bar bathed in pink light. During the day it has a light, airy lounge feel, which makes it a nice calm spot for a laptop session.
There’s plenty to keep you fuelled through the day:
- Breakfast dishes are served until 11am.
- Coffees, pastries and brunch are on through the day.
- Small plates are served from 12pm, if you fancy a proper lunch.
It’s really easy to reach, just a few minutes’ walk from St Peter’s Square tram stop and Deansgate, and close to the Central Library.
15. House of Social – First Street
House of Social is one of Manchester’s newest openings and a bit of a wildcard on this list. It’s a food hall, not a café, but it has a brilliant upstairs study and coworking space, which makes it one of the best places to work from in this part of the city and it’s a short walk from Deansgate station and the Deansgate Castlefield tram stop.
The food hall is spread over two floors, with five independent kitchens and a central bar downstairs. Upstairs, there’s a big mix of sofas, tables and booths, so you can switch it up depending on how you like to work, plus plenty of charging points and reliable wifi. You can even reserve tables in advance if you’re coming with a group, which is perfect for a team day or a group study session.
Being a food hall, you’ll be spoilt for choice at lunchtime, with kitchens including Dough Religion for pizza, OK Taqueria for tacos, Choi Wan for Cantonese street food, Mughli for Punjabi curries and Burger & Beyond. It’s not the cheapest place to eat, but it’s a real treat compared to the usual café sandwich.
My top tip is to arrive before 12pm, so you get a good seat before the lunch rush. Also note that people say laptops are not allowed after 5pm which sounds fair enough.
I hope this list helps you find the best cafes in Manchester to work from and the best Manchester co-working cafes!
- For more of my Manchester posts see:
- BEST 10 Spots for Cherry Blossom in Manchester to Visit in Spring!
- 30+ Things To Do in Manchester In The Rain!
- 20 BEST Restaurants on Curry Mile / Wilmslow Road Manchester From Around the World!
- 14 Cafes for Halal Brunch in Manchester You HAVE to Try!
- BEST Halal Restaurants in Manchester.
- How To Get From Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly EASILY & Vice Versa!