Eastern Bloc Records in Manchester

Great atmosphere , wonderful staff and lovely drinks, a special mention to the cheese and bacon fries.. without doubt the best loaded fries I have ever tasted

Good cocktails, but the two ladies behind the bar act like you’ve pee’d on their kids when you ask for one. Someone should tell them it’s their job to mix and serve drinks…and they are paid to do it. On 3 occasions, they have openly rolled their eyes, scoffed, and said ‘what did I just say’ to each other when we have ordered margaritas, it’s like being at a bar where the staff are moody teenagers but the drinks are really good ??? Weird vibes.

Seriously, this place is great. The coffees are well-made, sandwiches are excellent value for money and the records upstairs helped me greatly in getting into techno and jungle music a couple of years ago. The weekend events in the evenings are also great to attend, the DJs are very impressive.

lovely service, accommodated my allergies, rly friendly staff thank u sm :)

Always a place to visit in Manchester

Unfriendly, 'above their station' vibe. I've been here before during the evenings when djs are on but never in the day and would certainly not go back again. The staff were so unfriendly and unwelcoming- no smiles and everytime I asked them for something, it felt like it was a huge problem for them. The manager (?) did a huge stretching yawn when he asked for my order 😬🙈 I get it, I've worked in hospitality but don't yawn infront of guests, especially when taking their order - it's just rude! The drinks were OK but nothing amazing... to say they were 'cocktails' they were just a load of ice shoved in a plastic pint glass 👍 and to top it off the toilets were minging. I get it's a club in the evening but standards are different in the day and the client is different, I felt like they were not accommodating to day time clientelle at all. If you want somewhere friendly, laid back, good food & drink that's central NQ this was not what I experienced.

Fantastic place for breakfast, I had a full english with the extra black pudding which is worth having ! It's a lovely place to sit out on a sunny morning and enjoy your meal with a great coffee ☕

Had a coffee and sat outside on the benches which are ideal, if the sun is shining! Chunky electro playing when I made my order!

Nothing on tap and grimey glasses with hair in them….

Don’t know about vinyl shop or club. But as a breakfast place - bearable at most. There are some many nicer options around.

Great place, met loads of good people and house music great

We stumbled across this place when we were looking for breakfast during a recent trip to Manchester. It is very small - 4 tables I think - but the coffee was great and our breakfasts were cooked to perfection and came within a reasonable time.

Ebloc!! Amazing venue, ace staff, a pleasure to DJ there ✌🏼

Great vibe and cosy bar/cafe with a great atmosphere, but when busy with dancers, the heat is overwhelming.

Great old skool house, magic night

Great Sunday breakfast here, friendly staff

Visited for the vinyl selection, so can’t comment on the bar/cafe. Nice selection of electronic vinyl covering all genres. Friendly staff and offered some great advice on new music. Bought two vinyl records after listening to them on provided decks. Would visit again.

myself and my friend came to your establishment today, hoping to enjoy some of the nice weather outside. we attempted to order 2 cocktails for £15 as it stated on the menu, but when i went to order, it was argued that the deal had to be on identical drinks- not stated anywhere on the menu. the person who served me was rude while taking my order before making 2 drinks that can only be described as thimble sized, made mostly of ice. the serve then ignored me other than shoving the card machine in my direction before walking away. will not be returning.

Great choice of vinyl, really great customer service and a nice cafe to top it off

Always a great venue, no doubt. But the bouncer was hard work.

Not sure about the good reviews, it's a bit of a dive with poor service

Nice staff, great outdoor spot. Good selection of drinks. Enjoyed spending a couple of hours here.

Lovely little place was really busy. The waiter communicated that it will be a wait for the food but simple sat and enjoy the sunshine. When arrive the food was delivered it taste very good and the eggs were poached to perfection. I did ask for a takeaway as the breakfast was bigger than my belly could handle.

Terrible. Went there today with friend for breakfast. Sat down at 10.45 and we ordered two coffees and two Eastern-Bloc breakfasts by around 10.50. By 11.10 still waiting for coffee whilst many others were being served. Eventually got our coffee at 11.15 with no real explanation as to why late. People arriving now being told it’s a half hour wait for food. I complain again at 11.25 whilst at least 10 people who sat down after us are served their breakfast. Waiter disappears for a few minutes then comes out at about 11.30 apologises and says it will be five more minutes and that he would sort out our bill. A lady sat near us with her young son were waiting for about the same time as us, were not served their food and got up and left at about 11.30. The waiter who said it was 5 more minutes that we would get our food disappears then walks past us several times at around 11.37 and 11.38. My friend goes inside the cafe to complain. We then leave at about 11.40. We had sat nearly one hour with no food and hardly any communication. Pretty disgusting service. I won’t be coming back here

Overpriced food. Food not great when it arrived.

The wait for the food wasn't great or the quality of food.. People next to waited so long for food.. But the overall vibe of the place is relaxed and comfortable.

No Place like it, one of the best venues in Manchester, on a night magic happens.

Great little brunch location. Food is good the services is friendly you get to sit outside and enjoy the sun and watch the world go by. Never any queues and is just a nice lie type place it’s not fancy but I have enjoyed it the two times I have visited

Nice place to have a breakfast or coffee. Nice staff , the coffee is really nice .

Vinyls, Good coffee and great food! What's not to love!!

Quick service and excellent vegan avocado on toast + oat milk hot chocolate!

My favorite FEB in Manchester. Sunny terrace.

Eastern blocca è Ideale per Elettronica, Dub Tecno, Casa Profondo, Underground Vinile, Acida Elettro/Tecno/casa musica etc... Fantastico tazza di Cappuccino - Bel Colazione/pranza , Utile personale disponibile. Meravigliosa. Antonio Jacqui Lucia. Futura/Tony/Gescom/Ifach/Spirit SSR/Psychotropic/The Fall/State 808 e così via.

One of the best places I've ever been, the food is amazing, the staff is great. If you're looking for records they have great suggestions and if you stay after 9pm on a weekend they have events on with live DJ. 10/10 definitely check it out.

I was in Manchester for just few days for an event at the WHP, a friend of mine recommended this place and he was absolutely right. We only got here for a quick coffee, but the atmosphere and the music was superb. Great music choice and awesome vinyl store for electronic music. Hopefully I'll be able to be back soon.

Some venues are just better for being small and intimate!

Waited almost an hour for soup and a sandwich which arrived cold. Cutlery arrived sometime after that covered in jam or something. Service was about as minimal as it could have been and the food was seriously overpriced for what it was. The first time I've felt compelled to write anything on Tripadvisor in 8 years and the only time I've written a negative review but the whole experience was terrible. My friend politely told the manager her concerns and was met with a dismissive 'okay'.

Great space based in NQ, definitely my new go to for a drink

Bril service. Great breakfast. Highly recommend .

Worst costumer service really rude to tourists and really slow with the orders.

Food nice but presentation a bit tired. Service not nice not nasty but very drained of charisma. Interior quite weathered. Coffee very nice. Overall a satisfactory visit not desperate to return. This was a 9am visit so maybe we just turned up too early. Looks built for nightlife.

Fun little music shop+bar! Great place to hangout in the sun. Especially when there is Sunday Market at Stevenson Sq.

Great breakfast and excellent coffee

Great little spot. Visited over from leeds for some crate digging and a couple of drinks. Will defo be back.

Best place for raving, coffee and records purchase in Manchester !

The food here was so good and so reasonably priced for what you got. Staff really friendly and everything came quickly despite the place being very busy. Went to overhyped Ezra and Gil the following day and so wish we’d came back here instead!

This Place Is Amazing!! Great Vinyl shop at day. Amazing dance bar at night! We had so much fun both daytime and nighttime!!!

The Welsh Dragon has landed in the Easter Bloc Bar. This new cocktail they call The Welsh Dragon is made with firey ginger beer together with Malibu and a few other ingredients known only to George the barman. It was lush. Worth a visit just for the cocktail. There is lovely food on offer. I had the calamari. Great. It has a vinyl record store upstairs with a good selection. Very friendly staff and reasonably priced. Look out for this gem in Manchester.

The Welsh Dragon has landed in the Easter Bloc Bar. This new cocktail they call The Welsh Dragon is made with firey ginger beer together with Malibu and a few other ingredients known only to George the barman. It was lush. Worth a visit just for the cocktail. There is lovely food on offer. I had the calamari. Great. It has a vinyl record store upstairs with a good selection. Very friendly staff and reasonably priced. Look out for this gem in Manchester.

Eastern Bloc don't just do food, they do tasty food! Staff were good. It just after midday on a sunny, warm Thursday and therefore a bit busy. Can't remember how long it too but it wasn't more than 15 minutes (I think) and they brought the fries that we added last minute along with our order without an issue. I had the Avocado with peaches eggs and extra bacon; delicious! There was also a salad which could have done with a bit more dressing but for that worked perfectly with some of the avocado.

Great food, great cakes, shindigger beer... Lovely staff and a brilliant selection of records uostairs in the store

nice vibe, good food, good people, not pretentious and the coffee is nice. I highly recommend the vegan full English :)

Lovely coconut milk latte, and the vegan pecan muffin was first class!

Currently sat here, having ordered a couple of sandwiches over an hour ago. Enquired multiple times about our food, and got assured twice it was being plated and brought out this very minute.. That was 20 minutes ago now. I wish I could review the food but at this rate I'm doubtful ill actually eat anything here. There are plenty of other cafes around that seem to be actually serving their customers so I'd recommend literally any other one.

I didn't realise this was a record shop, we came in for food and a drink - the pastrami toastie was so good I was gobsmacked. Quality ingredients put together with artistry.

5 quid for a sandwich and crisps and I get to dig fresh vinyl and rare grooves while they make it? Yes please!

Great recommendations from the guy at the record store

Breakfast was good but easily took almost an hour and a half to come. The staff were nice but it wasn't worth the wait.

Food was okay. Ordered French Toast and Eggs Benedict - well seasoned but the English muffin was burnt and so tough that I couldn't cut it. Service was extremely slow but the waiter was friendly enough.

Sunday midday visit, party of two. Hour wait from arriving to getting our food, and part of the order had been forgotten (would have been another lengthy wait to make the missing food). The guy that took our order was very nice though, and the food was decent. Can't say I'll be going back though.

Sat outside for breakfast a few weekends ago. Plenty of choice on the menu depending on how hungry you are! I had the eggs benedict which was really nice, and the full English looked good too. Friendly staff. Prices average for NQ.

Worst breakfast eating experience. First, got served second to a group of 25 lads who we had arrived before, so had to wait lengths for simple coffee and water order. Second, food and smoothies were dreadful. Egg's Benedict: Tough bread, dry bacon, overcooked egg Smoothie: Flavourless with a hint of coconut milk Third, London prices. Kitchen staff need an upgrade.

Good outside seating and that's it. The toilets are tiny, stink awful and really need cleaning and redecorating, they remind me of something from Trainspotting. The waitress (I only saw one) is the most miserable, rude woman I've ever met. We had 2 drinks and both times she brought them to our table, waved a card machine in our face then walked off without so much as a thank you or a smile! The menu has a variety of cocktails but none of them are available. The coffee machine was off so I couldn't have a Martini Espresso, something else was missing (I think it was some kind of syrup) so my girlfriend couldn't have what she wanted, so we ended up with pretty much the only cocktail they had the ingredients for! Plenty of bars in the area that are much better and more cheerful than this.

Good beer selection and great outdoor space for when it's sunny but Christ alive the waitress really should find a different job... Service with a smile this wasn't!

Great selection of beers, food is ace and the record shop has a great selection

Really nice location in northern quarter, staff have a really nice energy to them and food is great. The bread they get in is really nice whether your having a bagel, toast or whatever quality ingredients 💕

Super delicious food & absolutely lovely staff 😍

The customer service I received from this place is awful, I ordered a tuna melt panini and when it came, the cheese wasn't properly melted. My auntie who was with me then politely asked for them to toast the panini so that the cheese was melted, which they were very rude about. The panini came back and the server slammed the plate down and asked if the panini was okay without acknowledging me or even waiting for my response to the question. I asked for a refund as the panini wasn't satisfactory enough and we started to receive dirty looks from the server as we were waiting for the refund.

Only been In Manchester for about 3 hours and this place has made me wanna live here fr !! Most friendly and nice and cool staff, very pleasing on the eye 😉. Could not recommend any more.

Amazing DJ, terrible waiter. Surly, inattentive and rude. Food orders forgotten and food served cold.

Best brunch I've had in a while ! Loved the Smashed Avo and portion sizes were just right! Also helps you can enjoy the seating outside (glad they have pedestrianed it) Hopefully we can get the music back soon !

To whomever owns Eastern Bloc, you really need to have better staff because the people you currently have are hurting your business. We passed by here on Saturday after having brunch elsewhere where the service was exemplary.....friendly, helpful and always delivered with a smile on every single staff members' faces (Koffee Pot......HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend). As soon as we arrived, we quickly managed to find a free table as the previous occupants were just leaving. I spoke with them to confirm this and, as we were about to sit down, we were greeted by a surly guy telling us that we weren't able to have the table as other people were sitting there. I proceeded to tell him that they'd just left, at which point he continued to tell me they were elsewhere and would be coming back. I again told him they had left and this time I made it clear we had had a conversation with them. He seemed a bit put out but came back shortly afterwards, slapping some menus on the table. It felt from the get go that we were not welcome AT ALL. I asked him to clarify what an item on the menu was. He said he wasn't sure and would find out. Instead, he just bought the item I was querying. He then rudely asked "do you want it or not"?! Not wanting to make a fuss, I accepted it. Other items we'd ordered then arrived.......my son's frappe had no coffee in it so was effectively a milkshake! The tuna melt we'd ordered contained no melted cheese (the whole point of a melt!). When I took it back to the bar, I then had the pleasure of dealing with a different guy who was giving out a whole other level of attitude. He looked as though I had personally insulted his mother by my stating there was no melt in the cheese so could they perhaps put it back into the press so it could melt. A few minutes later, he then brought it back outside, slammed it down onto the table and rudely / sarcastically asked "is that better?" but immediately walked away without awaiting a response or even looking at me. When I then pulled him up and asked what the point was of asking a question, the answer to which he had no interest in hearing, he gave me such a filthy look of disgust, my son was so shocked and angry by this guy's brazen demeanour, he felt he had to step in. At every point of dealing with the staff here, we were greeted with discourteous, rude, dismissive, disrespectful attitudes. The food and drink were sloppily made so the staff clearly can't be bothered. The only decent server was a guy with a big mop of curly hair and a big smile. The others are a waste of time. Why work in the service industry if you can't be bothered to smile or deal with actual people? Honestly, if you value your hard earned money, I urge you not to spend it here because they don't respect you or your business. And, sadly, when we looked around, no-one else was being treated in the way we were. The only difference....all other customers were white, whereas we were black and mixed so what other conclusion can we come to? There was no need for such treatment.

Great staff. Tom the new guy is cool and the door guy from Blackpool is a geezer

Waiting 45 minutes for breakfast as soon it came out it started raining and no covers so we could eat breakfast terrible

Our waiter Luke was nothing but friendly and accommodating. 5/5. An amazing experience, despite the anxiety that comes with a pandemic, he made us feel like everything was normal ❤

Best record shop around. The owner is so friendly and gives you great recommendations based on other artists you like. Really relaxing atmosphere. Went away with amazing records I would never have even heard about. Will be visiting everytime I'm shopping in Manchester!

The man was very helpful and gave me some talcum powder 👍

I visit every Saturday and order a bacon and brie sandwich, that is lovely and consistently good.

Favourite record shop in Manchester

Great plant based breakfast, and I've always enjoyed a beer here too.

Mocha and turmeric latte were both absolutely cracking. One of the best we've had. Plenty of seating outside. Excellent to chill on a non rainy day

Plenty of outside seating, staff were attentive even though it was busy

Nice place in the middle of Northern Quarter, having a terrace is the best. Nice desserts as well!!!

Nice choice shop with limited beers but great outdoor seating in the sun. NQ prices expected

Hard working staff. Nice lunch menu. Outdoor seating!

We popped here for lunch after baby photoshoot in the building above with our 1 year old. The server was very friendly and and the food was delicious. But I am leaving a review as my son is still so young and they catered to our needs for some lunch for him. It was no problem to ask for no salt etc and they were more than happy to make a small alternative for him. Thank you!!!

We had a delightful time at Eastern Bloc. Although the barista wore a mask we could sense the joy behind his eyes. The food was excellent from the sweet treats to the TWO EGGS on smashed avocado. I highly recommend this fine establishment.

Great flat white and a lovely bit of muffin

Lovely place for food and great atmosphere

Amazing selection of underground dance records, exclusive vinyl and rare gems.

Great place to be. very nice barman gave us the grand tour and a quick history lesson on the building just wow thank you

Cosy little place with great sandwiches. Coffee could be served a little hotter though!

Amazing flavours, everything is homemade and great value. Very reasonable portions and would definitely recommend for breakfast. Also plays great music!

Super friendly gents, and the best veg breakfast I have ever had!

Went here on a night out just before Xmas, we’d been to a few bars beforehand but this was the best one of the night, great cocktails, great atmosphere, and great beats. Will definitely be back.

So glad I stumbled across this place when seeking great coffee and service in this part of town. I remember the old record shop in Afflecks Palace and it's very good to know that its heritage is being maintained.

Unreal! This is one of the best breakfasts I have had in Manchester. No complaints at all and nothing to improve on, everything is so fresh and tasty

Lovely menu, great atmosphere, staff super friendly and very into their music. Shame I don't live closer or I would love to go to their life events to discover great new artists

For a record shop it does a great full english breakfast.

Amazing breakfast. Worth every penny. Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff