Bowlers Cafe in Manchester

Taking back tomorrow is the best band ever, they play every Friday here!

Taking back tomorrow is the best band ever, they play every Friday here!

No draft drinks at all. All cans, very expensive but then again it is Manchester centre.

No draft drinks at all. All cans, very expensive but then again it is Manchester centre.

I was in Manchester for the day and dropped into Bowlers. I'd never been before and only heard about it online when I was looking for cafes near to where I was going. Nice place and liked the bowler hats on the table. Did try to put one on my head but it was fixed to the stand. Staff very nice and helpful. I ordered the breakfast to eat in and a Cappuccino. The Cappuccino was lovely and the breakfast was lovely as well, cooked just right. Had a lovely time there and will be dropping in next time I'm in Manchester, which happens to be in 2 weeks.

I ordered sausage on a barm and a tea. I asked for the tea with my food (so it wouldn’t go cold). I was told at ordering that the sausages would take a little longer as a new batch were being cooked. Tea came early but I thought ok as food would come soon. I reckon I got my barm after about 20 mins. I opened the barm just to check there was sauce on it and happened to touch a sausage. It was cold, as in out the fridge cold, it had been sliced. It was deffo cold to the touch. I took it back and explained why I was returning it. I also mentioned it seemed expensive for one sliced sausage. I was told it was two, not sure about that. Anyway asked for a refund, could only be refunded for the barm even though I’d not touched the tea (I was saving it for when the barm arrived). There were only 5 other people in the cafe. Without doubt I’d never go back.

the worst cafe I've ever been to! I don't know how the food tastes because I waited 40 minutes for breakfast and I gave up waiting and asked for a refund. I will mention that the cafe was completely empty and there was no crowd of people

I worked at bowlers for only a month and happily left due to the appalling management and dismissal of staff concerns. I can confidently say that this is the worst establishment I’ve ever worked for. The managers are essentially useless and serve no purpose other than to provide excuses. None of them possess any leadership qualities and failed on several occasions to support their staff regarding financial matters. I was paid days late twice and was offered no valid reason, instead I was dismissed by managers and told that they couldn’t help as it wasn’t “their problem”, I even had to go as far as threaten legal action as my queries were simply not being addressed. When I contacted the owner I was given no response which honestly didn’t surprise me as he has a reputation for ignoring clients and employees, he has no respect for his workers and I’ve witnessed him humiliate colleagues on occasion. Please save yourself the time and money of coming here, over half the menu is frozen produce yet the owner has the audacity to charge extortionate prices for mediocre quality food. The chefs have no creative freedom and focus most their energy on defrosting food rather than actually cooking anything. I cannot express how relieved I am to have finally left this place. To the managers and the owner I sincerely hope you work on your performance, you have little to no customers and nobody wants to work for you. Please take this as a sign to do better as this business is failing miserably Kind Regards Alisha

Amazing staff, super friendly and great service. Food was delicious and full of flavor. Highly recommend!!🫶🏾🫶🏾

Great place for breakfast. Staff very polite. Food great. Would go again.

I was really impressed with this place. A decent full English. A fair price. Really friendly staff. Very clean and lovely decor.

Great atmosphere. Fab Friday band . Great staff .amazing service. Made to feel special. Good prices and lovely food . went with friends had a great evening .would highly recommend. Xx

Awful! I’ve eaten breakfast all over Manchester and this has to be the worst. I chose this place and brought a number of colleagues who came on my request. I left embarrassed and full of apologies. Bacon barm was 1 piece of bacon on a small bun and took 20mins to come. My guests were left shocked and I was left to say sorry. £7 for that! I had the sausage and bacon and that was just as bad. One and a half sausages and one piece of bacon. Coffee was average but the breakfast was shocking. Wo

We went here after watching the marathon expecting to be in and out within 30 mins . But oh my word the service is bad . My brother had a hair in his drink , my cousin had the wrong order and my food was cold and took 1 hour to come . It was only fish and chips . Not good at all . Don’t deserve the 5 star hygiene

Sound spot - gave us free drinks. Active af!! Pornstar Martini banging - recommend to everyone who comes Manc. Big up the bois!

Very nice atmosphere, very nice staff, great spot that’s lowkey

Amazing caffe full of energy, they also organise very cool events we will definitely come back. Thank you guys

Good place, very good price, there were huge portions and delicious. If you are looking for a place to eat full and cheap, you are determined here. big plus- open early in the morning

Waited half a hour for a raw jacket potato worst cafe in Manchester avoid all costs

A really good bacon butty even through their renovations.

It took them 15 minutes to make 2 lots of egg on toast, they didn’t even cut the toast into two pieces and the toast was more like bread. Woman at the till was just sat on FaceTime on her phone and just wondering around doing nothing. £9.50 for two pieces of bread with egg. The old bowlers was amazing, friendly and quick with their service, this has gone so down hill and we won’t be returning. If you’re going to charge £9.50 for 2 lots off egg on toast Atleast make it properly!

Food OK but very slow service. Diners have to wait too long for food to be served.

Great food and service. Staff friendly and tasty lunch.

Great food and friendly staff with reasonable prices.

Traditional cafe dining, unpretentious and a breath of fresh air after all the trendy places. Go here if you want an old fashioned English cafe experience. Gingham vinyl table clothes and everything is clean, nice and quiet. Lunch time dining with partner. Lovely cup of tea, tea bag in cup style. Also had a bacon sandwich and an sfc wrap. Both nice but my heart was set on Mac'n Cheese :-(. Excellent value for money. No customer toilets but there are facilities in the library. Would recommend.

Me and my work colleague come to Blowers every morning because the food is amazing and the staff are so friendly and welcoming I wouldn't go anywhere else 🙂

The Manager Argyro is soo lovely and welcoming , she always has a smile on her face and nothing is ever to much trouble, and the food is soo good that myself and my colleagues go back on a daily basis the adult fish finger sandwich is always sold out It’s that good Thank you for the conversations The hot chocolate see you again tomorrow Rebecca :D

I stumbled across this place by chance while passing on the street and it was really a pleasant surprise. We had a caesar salad and an omelet and it was really delicious a great value.

The staff were pleasant, and two out of four of our family enjoyed their food. The ham sandwich, and the fish finger butty was enjoyed. The other fish finger butty was sadly too greasy, felt undercooked and soggy, and the cheese sandwich was made with rubbery cheese. Such a shame. But very cheap price tag so maybe exactly what we paid for. I'd recommend going, but choosing carefully.

Good food and great service quaint little cafe deserves a great reputation

Great food and quick and friendly service 👌

Ordered a wrap and chips, as they ran out of lettuce and other items to make 30% items on the menu due to a delivery mix up. Waited 25 Minutes for uncooked chips and very bland wrap for £11. As we thought it would be easy to order an nobody was in and be on our way back to our office. We only have 30 minute lunch break so didn't manage to finish and took it for takeaway. Literally binned the chips and most of the Wrap. Service was slow and unengaging. First Time and unfortunately las time eating their for working lunch.

Good value, excellent service, tasty food

Lovely little cafe, near convention centre. Good service from chatty waitress, lovely fish finger sandwich, hit the spot nicely

I had the toasty and it was simply tuna mayo in shop sliced bread. Try the fried food I'd suggest.

Used to be ok under previous management, unfortunately not anymore. Overpriced and very disappointing quality. The worst chicken curry I've ever had 😫. Described as a big plates for £8.50, not even worth £2 - see photo.

Great little cafe in the centre, prices good food good.

Good quality food, and great service.

Excellent service Excellent staff very polite I called in earlier to get a latte and a sausage bacon egg barm very nice

Breakfast very greasy, older women behind counter very grumpy atmosphere dead not much going on.

Person behind the till needs to work on his people skills but good coffee tho lmao

Great little cafe, well situated, with great prices.

We had a delicious english breakfast there for reasonable price. The only thing to improve is the cleanliness of the toilet.

So disappointed usually not bad but this was on another level ordered burger and chips not that hard to get right but clearly not for them the burger was so grissly and rock hard and chips I think was yesterday's and had to put my own cheese on as totally not paying an extra £1 so I'm out of pocket and hungry will probably not order from these substandard people who act as a cafe again

Would avoid at all cost and never go back again.

Lovely couple who own and run the cafe.

On a busy lunch, great take away fish and chips, super hot, not at all greasy, very crispy....thank you ...will be back!

I don't normally write google reviews but this place sold me a 'steak ciabatta special' which they described as 'thin beef'. When I opened it I thought it was too greasy to be beef and boy was I right. Turned out to be donor meat (look, texture, taste everything about it was donor). I should have gotten a refund. WHO GIVES SOMEONE DONOR MEAT AND CALLS IT A STEAK SANDWICH

Very good English breakfast, served fast and very filling for the price. Thanks for having us

Mixed in with all the big name chain coffee shops and restaurants, this little corner cafe has all the charm of a homely mom and pop eatery. Excellent cafe menu with the signature Bowlers beef, egg and mushroom sandwich. Great coffee. Friendly service. Refreshing low prices for a city centre cafe. Recommended.

Good food but a bit on the expensive side

You call this a chicken Tikka wrap , more like it's a "wrap" for your business- But carrot cake was peng tbf

Lovely breakfast and lots of choice. Opted for American breakfast of pancakes, bacon and poached eggs with maple syrup for a change . Really nice and would recommend if staying locally. Be warned it closes at 2pm

LOVE THE FOODS HERE! I'd say this is the place for you to have a quick meal. Affordable price & quick service. We've been there couple times, never wait too long for our foods. English breakfast was very basic but tasty (as you can see in the pic). It's pitty there's kind of too many tables inside, and it's a bit crowded. For few times, there's no space between my seat and another customer who sit behind our table (this is before covid, not sure how's it now). Overall, they have homemade style foods (brunch) you can give them a try. Nice price & quality.

Top breakfast. Just get here before the queue!

Just had a brilliant full breakfast cooked perfect and hot my wife had vegetarian breakfast that was as good well done ive gave it 5 stars

Wonderful breakfast, lovely service and nice music make this cafe a real hidden gem of a place in mcr, highly recommended

Excellent food and service as always, decent size portions and decent prices 👌

Ordered bacon and sausage on toast, could have been nice if it wasnt for the Aenemic sausages and couldn't even taste the minuscule drop of brown sauce,,, won't go again

Food wasn't the best. Had the full english and wished I'd gone somewhere else instead.

Great food and good value for money

Excellent full English breakfast - reasonably priced and lovely tasting. Certainly set me up for the day. Have some interesting Indian dishes on the menu as well Highly recommended.

Great place eith plenty of room, disabled toilets had good access. Loved the bar area upstairs. Will definitely be going back

Quaint, good service, clean and reasonable prices. I just stopped into Bowlers for a bite while I was waiting for my Hop-On Sightseeing bus. I had a tuna melt that came with crisps and a soda - all for under 5$. The bread wasn't as toasty as I like, but otherwise, I think this is a perfect little lunch spot.

I had a chicken curry on tuesdays, since then i have been in hospital with food poisening. I will be taking matters further.

Stumbled upon this little gem with my son this morning....we had the curry...just beautiful...compliments to the chef! We shall return 😊

First time for breakfast and for £5 it was gorgeous. Wetherspoons need to take note! Definitely go there now for my breakfasts!

No waiter service stopped serving food to busy should have put on extra staff

Very good but prices have gone up and up

Nice place good food, all day breakfast was lush.

Nice small simple place. Just what I was looking for lunch. Our office just moved to the area recently, so was looking for something tasty and not overpriced like everything else around Spinningfields... The choice is pretty big. The board said real Indian taste and since I like Indian food, I have ordered chicken curry. It was a nice treat I was looking for! Like a homemade curry made by a friend! Not greasy, not too rich, just right! Definitely will be back. The place also offer takeaways, which is a great option sometimes.

The panini I got had mould on the bread.

Excellent food, Excellent service, very reasonable prices very clean place. Staff very friendly will be eating there next time i visit mancheter.

Bowler's is a great traditional cafe in the centre of Manchester, good value for money, with friendly service, a variety of options, and an interesting range of customers.They're now opening in the evenings too, as Square Chili, a lovely Indian restaurant serving South Asian and European specialities, including takeaway dishes - good value, friendly service, authentic recipes.

Just stopped in for a coffee but had a good stop off; decent coffee, cheaper than many local alternatives and friendly service. What more could you ask for.

Nice place and lovely people ❤️

Great cafe, helpful staff and the owners.

Zijn vanwege de regen met z’n tweeën gaan Bowlen. Je betaald niet per uur maar per potje wat het gelijk wat duurder maakt. De baan is prima, de bediening mag wat oplettender zijn maar prima activiteit.

Nice pleasant inner city reasonably priced place, had a pancake and eggs and bacon brekkie which was superb for the price.....

Cheap and cheerful. Great value for money.

Great food good value quick service

Cheap and cheerful. Great value.

Best coffee ever - full English breakfast was amazing and staff were lovely 😊 Traditional type of cafe offering a great service

We stumbled across Bowlers looking for somewhere to have breakfast. So glad we did. Our breakfast arrived very quickly indeed and was fresh and hot.

The food was presented well and served quickly also very good value for breakfast with homemade pancakes.

Always come here if I'm working in Manchester. Great cafe lovely food and surpurb staff specially the blonde girl that works on Friday hot hot

The best breakfast in Manchester

Good breakfast and staff are frendly!

Pleasant employees doing their best to make things work.

Nice place. Cheap prices, compared to else where. 5 pound for a full English. Ordered a brew and food. Brew was in a large mug, got brought to table by waitress. Service and food was fine, no dramas which other reviewers spoke of. No complaints from me.

Tenía que ser en Manchester temprano, así que la junta de bolos vió británicos el desayuno así que decidimos probarlo. El lugar estaba lleno con constructores en Hi-Tops vis, lo que pensamos que este debe ser un buen lugar como constructores siempre encontrar el mejor lugar para ir, (o quizás el único lugar)se unió a una larga cola hacia el mostrador, mi amigo agarramos una mesa que estaba vacía. Porque la cola cambiaron lentamente vi un cartel por el hasta con una flecha apuntando hacia la izquierda, diciendo que los pedidos en el mostrador de la comida. Pensando que se han unido a una cola para pagar dejé la cola para ir a la barra de comida, sólo para ser roto en mí, pedidos de aquí, señalando volver al hasta y la cola que tenía justo a la izquierda.Uniéndose a la parte trasera de la cola de nuevo (Soy discapacitado) estaba listo para caerse por el tiempo que me dieron en el frente.Pedí dos desayunos con café, el hombre de, y a la izquierda, al final me dejó una agradable señora se acercó y dijo, ¿a qué estás esperando! !He dicho 2 desayuno y 2 café, ella tomó el dinero y me senté en el último.No hay sistema, no hay números de mesa, nombres, impresora, así como llevando los desayunos con ni idea que había pedido que, más parecen estar mal el desayuno, llamadas no, no hongos, tomate con patatas fritas, etc. qué fiasco, después de unos 20 minutos que creo que nos dieron nuestros desayunos. (no era el mismo)terrible, huevos, frijoles fríos, una seta difícil, tocino quemado y algo que supongo que debe haber sido lo que llaman salchichas. La patata era buena.Tener casi terminado el desayuno, me preguntó a qué hora era el café, las bebidas debido llegó, café estaba bien y agradable.No hay aseos en la cafetería, que puede esperar estos días, sé que no tienen.Que realmente necesitas actualizar este café, podría ser tan bueno en una gran ubicación, quizás camarero del 70 pastillas, con números, números de mesa, o incluso una impresora cocina ayudaría.Tome un cartel por si da información equivocada, que es injusto, cómo me han comentado en el cartel hasta sobre el pero aunque que pueden afectar mi desayuno! ! Pero no podría haber sido peor.Por desgracia no volvería a menos que cambie de manos.

I really enjoyed this great little find, owner was very friendly I only had a coffee, as colleagues and I used this as a meeting point prior to a conference at the Gmex. Had a nice old school feel rather than the non-descript atmosphere of the major coffee shop chains.

Extremely disappointing. Prices are listed without VAT (who does that these days?) so ends up overpriced at £2 for the smallest orange juice going. Sandwiches were poor quality and were filled by hand without gloves by the same guy then using the till - unhygienic. Felt like we'd caused inconvenience to the owner/manager just by going in judging from the service - they were generally short and impatient with us. I know other reviewers are describing this as a greasy spoon and I'm not expecting restaurant service, but there are plenty of greasy spoons out there that are fantastic and provide much better food and service than this place. Avoid.

Ok- so if you went to this place you’d probably think why have I rated this a 5 star.... no heating in the winter, order is taken at the till, so no table service ... need to grab your own knife and fork.... etc ... but !!! This cafe is great at what it’s trying to be ... central Manchester location, selling very well priced food-

Really poor customer service, food quality not great. Much better places to eat. My friend was communicated to in a very rude manner, and it left a very sour taste in the mouth. We both left the place in a bad mood. 3* food and 1* service.

Service and the food quality extremely poor. I can get better food in the prison

Excelente comida y precios muy razonables. Exactamente lo que esperas de un café. Creo que muchos de los comentarios negativos están esperando con calidad de restaurante en un barrio de la cuesta.

Great food, and very reasonable prices. Exactly what you expect from a cafe. I think a lot of the negative reviews are expecting restaurant quality at a quarter of the cost. Use it regularly as work very close by. Really pleasant staff and super quick service.

Great breakfast and cheap for city centre

Had a baked potato with beans & cheese, it was delicious. Great place to have lunch & a drink within an hour.