Federal Cafe Bar in Manchester

Best customer service and food was amazing

Even though I had egg yolk intolerance, I couldn’t resist and ordered egg benedict. It was worth it best breakfast ever.

Very nice cafe but a little cramped with tables. Service was good but the QR ordering system didn’t work for me. Food was good quality but a little overpriced. Expected though as it is city centre. We went about 11am on a Sunday and there was no queue. After we had finished and left the queue outside was massive

Always busy, but food was delightful.

Absolutely delicious breakfast and the coffee was 5 star. Friendly service and lovely vibe

An amazing, mouth watering French toast!

This place is absolutely delightful! I've been here three times already. Initially, I tried the different French toast which, honestly, weren't my cup of tea. But I returning for brunch and breakfast, I was blown away—the food is incredible! The sourdough bread is possibly the best I’ve ever tasted! And the special, fed shakshuka, was simply outstanding! I highly recommend!

Food and service great as always, the special today was really good.

First time in ! Got drenched in the rain ! Was in a bad mood ! So I treated my self to a hot chocolate! The staff great you with smiles and say good morning! They have their regular people customers coming in and it’s beautiful they know their names ! Delightful place and cozy ! Thanks for the service I will come again !

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. One of the best breakfast places I have ever been to. The staff was lovely, the atmosphere just right, and the food...oh my God, the food. The sourdough bread is out of this world, all the ingredients are fresh and the whole plate is a perfect symphony of flavours and colours. The place is very popular so be prepared to wait for a table to become free, but it will be worth it, I promise.

Highly recommended. I have reviewed this place in this way as it has given us high standard service and the staff a very kind and pleasant. To add to that what they served was delicious.

This cafe is self-service, there is no service at the table. One must register on the wifi to be able to order on the website, where you must register again and also insert a card. All of this takes you 15 minutes on your cell phone instead of enjoying your coffee. The place has terrible acoustics, you cannot converse. The noises from the kitchen are very annoying. I ordered toast with avocado and poached eggs, I paid €15 and I received ONE piece of toast with ingredients that were not specified on the menu, such as vinegar, which was all over the plate, so the whole food tasted like vinegar. I do not recommend it.

The French toast and egg steak tasted okay, but the portion didn't look big and they added a side of bacon. I thought the egg steak was a bit salty so ordered a side of bread. Because it was added later, I ordered through the front desk and was charged 4 pounds. Then came a slice of bread and a little butter. I'm a little confused about their pricing strategy 🤔 3 pounds of bacon and 4 pounds of a slice of bread. I specifically checked with the waiter and got the reply that the lone piece of bread was 4 pounds. 4 pounds is definitely not a great value, but a piece of bread is a bit of a steal.

All the food was delicious and beautifully presented. Personally, I ordered the steak sandwich, which was very juicy and tasty. The latte art on the hot drinks was stunning! They even had Milo latte, which is rare in the UK! The French toast was also delicious, the bread is very fluffy. Overall, I highly recommend it.

Top notch breakfast, service was quick despite a queue outside we got a seat in a couple of minutes. Waitress was lovely and professional.

What an incredible brunch. Silky coffees, sumptuous food and speedy service. Perfect Sunday brunch for two visitors to Manchester. Would highly recommend!!

Very good breakfast during the week. I chose the porridge and had a very nice portion. The atmosphere is nice and calm to start the day. Of course we don't forget the cappuccino

Good breakfast option, coffee was little to sauer for me

Cosy, chilled, great vibe. Had fantastic breakfast with OJ and incredible coffee.

Their brunch is really good. I recommend the French toast. It’s quite sweet, but it’s by far the best menu they have in my opinion. Halloumi and Shrooms with chorizo is my second favorite. It’s on the expensive side and the wait is always long, so be prepared. Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Freshness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️

Amazing food and lovely friendly staff. A mothers day treat from my daughters

One of the few coffee shops that offer almond milk as a dairy alternative. They also have gluten free bread and nice sandwich variety including vegan and vegetarian options. The staff are nice and the service is great. The only thing is the place can get too loud.

Great food. Hollandaise sauce is perfection. Wait times can be long and a let down.

welcoming, for a breakfast outside the English cliché. excellent combination of flavours. informal .

After seeing on instagram we thought we’d give here a try for breakfast. The seating was quite crammed in for me personally. The food was ok but we were £50 for 2 breakfasts, a coke and a coffee which I don’t think had the extra espresso requested. Turned out we had been charged for a third breakfast so lucky we asked for an itemised bill which took £8.50 off the bill. I wouldn’t rush back to pay over £40 for an average breakfast.

Massively impressed, from the moment the lady gave us an amazing welcome in the que to the moment we left it was exceptional service. The food was quick enough though it was busy and was made perfectly. One of the best brunch spots I’ve been to in the world and I’ve been to alot!

A very popular Aussie-style brunch spot that is worth the wait. Staff were extremely friendly, food quality was decent, and the coffee was great. Keep an eye out for some of the Aussie treats also in stock, including Tim Tams, Cherry Ripes, Arnott's Shapes and more.

It was my first visit to Federal. I came on a working day at around 8.30am. The coffee was brilliant and the atmosphere was great. Shame I didn’t try any food but it looked great on other guests’ plates. I’m giving 4/5 because there were couple of things that confused me slightly. There was a small info board in front of the cafe which says ‘if you’d like to be seated wait here, but come straight in if you’d like a takeaway”. I sort of waited outside but then a staff member was waving to me meaning “come in”. So not sure why they took it out maybe preparing for more people later… I had 40 minutes to drink my coffee before going to the meeting. I thought I’d quickly do a couple of things on my laptop, but lady from the staff members came to me and said that it’s “no-laptops cafe”. I understand that sometimes people could come, order one cup of coffee and sit in a cafe for 2-3 hours, but the ‘no-laptop’ wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the internet or at the entrance. I think a simple ‘we have a 1-1,5h limit on the tables’ is a better way. I took away my laptop but felt a bit unwelcome and slightly strange as though I’m breaking some rules. But these are just minor points, the main thing that the coffee was excellent, everyone was friendly and it was a great start of the day.

Delicious food and excellent service.

This federal is my favourite. The staff are so so lovely and the food always hits.

Food was lovely and I can’t wait to try the brunch menu with the cocktails! Service was great really nice people in there and would return just because of that.

Mate come on - no vegan options ( apart from bloody acai bowl) - get with the now!

Decent to good specialty coffee

Found this place on Google Maps highly rated. It deserves it. Service was amazing, coffee incredible and my eggs benny scrummy! If you like nice coffee, relaxed vibe and great (and a little special) food then head here!

Amazing coffee but can’t give a 4 or 5 star rating to a coffee shop in the heart of Manchester that is still charging extra for milk alternatives when so many others don’t. A more inclusive approach required here please! 🙏

Lovely place for brunch. Long queue during the weekend tho

what can i say about this place took my soon to be wife here for brunch to cheer her up as she had had an awful week until coming here , the two girls from oz and new zealand changed her mood as soon as we entered the restaurant with there kindness , the food was amazing , the service better than amazing , also i need to mention the nice fella on the counter who also played a part in making my mrs friday a whole lot better if only there were more staff like this in other places , so thanks to all at federal northern quarter your kindness personality service great food (shout to the chefs)hospitalty really made a difference to my mrs week thanks again and will surely be back also great coffee by the way

We had the French toast and it was worth all the positive reviews here. Personally, I would have asked for less cream and caramel as it can get too sweet . It gets packed easily so get there soon (and leave soon for others to experience this )

Only bought takeaway coffee. It was good and good coffee is important! Staff were very friendly and helpful. If we had more time we would have stopped and eaten there.

Very nice location, with tasty food 😍

My son's is the best burger in Manchester. The breads with the avocado were also extra fresh. On the other hand decaffeinated too bitter

Best brunch in town! Had the French toast and I can honestly say it's the best!

Joined the queue outside federal on deansgate on a Saturday morning - no issues with queuing - I've been to federal before and enjoyed it so thought I'd try again - wasn't too long await until we were seated - a party of two - we looked at the menu and we're left waiting - we hadn't been told to order at the counter or online - ordered our food - I had the eggs any way on sour dough and chose scrambled - I ordered extra bacon on the side - when the food arrived I had one piece of sourdough and a small portion of scrambled eggs - what a disappointment - flavourless I ordered an ice tea and received some kind of berry drink - also hugely disappointing. Service was fine but unhelpful More of an Instagram spot now than an actual restaurant Left and the queue outside was double - I do not get the hype - would not recommend

Always look forward to coming here when in Manchester.

It’s well worth trying, and it’s better than the same industry. Well maintained filtered drinking water. Gentle spices, quality ingredients.

Been a few times now and the food is delicious! Nice atmosphere but a booking system might help with the long queues at certain times

edit 2022: was asked to leave for the crime of working on my laptop despite buying numerous drinks and food for the time i was there. wont be back and have amended the review to reflect.

This was by far the best place we visited to eat on our trip to England. I got the turkish eggs and a matcha latte, and it was unmatched. The service was also excellent!

The food was great. We had breakfast there and the food was fantastic very delicious.

The banana bread here is one of the best I have ever had. The steak sandwich was so so good, too. Great breakfast spot, if you don't mind a bit of a wait for a seat.

Always go in on my weekends - such lovely people, always smiling

The staff were excellent very welcoming and friendly. The food was delicious however the cafe is very popular so busy but worth the wait

1st time in Manchester and we were told to go here by 3 different friends.. Food was so nice and the staff were super friendly...Your waitress Lucy is a little diamond and was so friendly and helpful to us all... She is a credit ro your business.. Happy new year and thanks again

After enjoying an exceptional experience at a different branch of this chain, we decided to explore this one for coffee. Just like our previous encounter, the coffee lived up to its high standard. We also indulged in the brownies, which were pleasant. Highly recommend this place for a delightful coffee experience.

الاكل كان جميل والطاقم سريع ومتعاون التجربة بشكل عام ممتاز وانصح فيه 👌🏻

Delicious food, good coffee and very friendly staff.

Ottimo service with the speed of light.

Long queue but worth waiting. Love the coffee and food here.

ممتع ومريح وكل حاجةتخص العطوروالملابس والشنط والأحذيةوالأجبان والمربيات يعني كل شيئ يخص ماهوةمنتج ومعروف في بريطانيا وموجود بلندن وماسيتشر

Absolutely worth the waiting!!!

for sure the most cool place I´ve been in MCR this weekend. But the best, is not the cool vibe, its the food.

Worth the wait!!! The Turkish eggs were some of the best I’ve ever had. The staff were so friendly and the interior is pretty

Atendimento muito bom! Pratos 😋

Food and coffee were absolutely delicious. The staff were amazing, and had an allergen menu ready to go which was very helpful. Atmosphere was great, I would definitely reccomend this place for breakfast/brunch hunters.

Their staffs are nice and friendly. Their toilet is really clean and also they put tampons and pads for women who is on their period. Design and decoration are pretty warm.

Looks interesting inside but didn’t managed to dine in Got a take away coffee. Nice blend

I don’t usually write reviews here but the staff here was just outstanding that I have to. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, they even gave small hot chocolate for the people queuing outside (it was around 1° when I went there). Elite staff really! And of course the food was delicious, even the porridge I got was great! I’ll certainly come back once I visit Manchester again.

맛있어요. 직원분들 친절하고 재료 신선하고 아침에 정말 배불리먹었어요!

I had nutty granola and yoghurt and my partner had apple and biscoff French toast. We also had a mocha and dirty chai latte. Everything was tasty. Staff were friendly and service was quick.

The best brunch spot in Manchester, visited the Deansgate store a couple of months ago. Always a long queue after 12:00, so better get up early! The french toast is definitely a to-order dish, the steak and eggs as well.

Always amazing! Staff are super friendly and the breakfast dishes are all fabulous. If there's a queue, it's definitely worth the wait!

Terrible. I don’t know why they mixed table number and just give dishes to us from other table directly. And they refused to make new dishes for us. Terrible

Gemütliches Café mit für England erstaunlich leckeren Speisen.

BEST BRUNCH IN MANCHESTER. This is the third brunch we've had in Manchester this week and it is the best by MILES. I ordered the weekly special shakshuka and my partner ordered eggs benedict. Both were fantastic. The bacon was so flavourful and the shakshuka had the perfect spice. Coffee is lovely too. This place was really busy on Saturday but they had an efficient queue system, asked for your name and gave an ETA for a table which took less than they estimated. Make sure you come here!

Oatmeal with lemon curd- addicting Black americanos- amazing I will definitely continue visiting on my way to the office. Unfortunately, I don’t know the staff’s names, but whoever was on the morning shifts this week- thank you, thank you, thank you, you make my day every single time :)

Never have I ever stood in line waiting to enter a restaurant, but I’m so glad I did! I get the hype, it’s worth the wait! I visited Federal Cafe on Deansgate for the first time and I was not disappointed. The food is amazing and freshly made. Only thing I would suggest is having a bigger gap between tables as some people (me) may have difficulty squeezing in to sit down.

Popped into the federal cafe for breakfast whilst staying in Manchester. Ordered the Granola, and I haven’t tasted anything like it! Great atmosphere, friendly staff, great food making it good value. 👍

Very busy, queued for about ten minutes, lovely friendly staff and great food, can see why it’s popular!

Not very specious. Food is good but a bit pricy

would recommend for food but avoid the coffees

Yes, yes, yes! The only downside are massive queues as it's a small place with a good food.. book in advance if you can!

I visit here all the time, always great food. coffee and service. Tasty food and an awesome location.

First of all expect to queue up to this place regardless of the weather so if you're planning on going make sure to grab an umbrella as you'll need it. Also be prepared to see people completely ignoring the line of 10+ people standing and walk up to the door asking for a table just to be told to queue up. But I would say for our occasion we only waited about 10-15 minutes and was promptly seated. The food, I mean the pictures sell itself the french toast was mine and the berries, the sauce, the toast and the mascarpone cream was absolutely perfect and really worked well together definitely the best french toast I've had. My fiance's eggs benedict with smashed avocado was perfect too, everything on this menu looked amazing and I'm sure everything is equally as nice as eachother. Having Milo on the menu is also such a unique thing to do and I definitely wasn't expecting to see it so I had to get it, was amazing. This is one of those few places that you see online trending that is actually good and not just fake hype.

One of the best cafes near here to enjoy the breakfast.

Was a bit crowded but the service was nice and the coffee was good as well

Had the steak with eggs. It was alright not too bad, it wasn't the worst steak but wouldn't be the best either.

Federal is the best brunch spot in Manchester! The food is delicious, and the menu has a variety of options to choose from. The cozy ambiance and friendly staff make it a great place to start your day. Prices are reasonable, making it a top choice for a satisfying brunch experience. The coffee is great as well.

Love the Deansgate Federal. As soon as you walk the whole staff are smiling and it doesn't even feel forced. Really have set the standards in customer service in a cafe. The drinks are superb, I'm a regular for the mocha and the turmeric latte is unique. Always on point with the food, tried the black forest french toast when it was out but you really can't go wrong here.

I love this place! Best brunch and coffee in town!

Really great coffee and atmosphere. Haven’t eaten here, only feedback would be the tables are a bit tightly packed but definitely worth stopping off here

The Benedict is delightful, but the smoked salmon was too salty for me. The coffee is just average. The waiter is really friendly!

The service here is amazing all the staff are super friendly and welcoming. Both food and coffee are extremely tasty, highly recommended the Turkish eggs!

This place is popular, we had to wait 20 minutes to get a table, we didn't have to queue, just gave our names, had a stroll and came back. We then had a great and filling brunch, the Turkish eggs were particularly good and we had a very decent pot of tea. The service was friendly and efficient. Set us up well for our day trip to Manchester.

Really good food and coffee in a nice ambience. Food was quick and staff were friendly. Main pain was it was a faff to order. You had to order by app and out all your details in and borderline set up an account. Massive overkill for ordering 2 coffees and bits of breakfast. Would be easier to go to the till… lost a star for that.

The iced latte was incredible! But it was very busy so our table was a bit cramped. Would perhaps get takeaway next time!

A bit overrated if you tell me! Don't get me wrong, I find Federal Cafe Bar's food and coffee very tasty but simply not worth the long lines to sit down. Especially on the weekend. If you want to see what all the hype is about, order for take away and save yourself the waiting around. Trust me, you will enjoy it and have more time to enjoy the city.