Manchester city art gallery in Manchester

This cafe is in the Manchester Art Gallery. It has a nice large interior space with quite a lot of seating. It was quiet and peaceful on the day we visited. We enjoyed two flat whites which cost £6.60 and a piece of cake that was £3.50. The coffee was good but the cake was too sweet for our taste.

Charging 70p for oat milk is unacceptable. I pay the same for a litre of oat milk as I pay for cows. I will not be returning which is a real shame as I always try to spend money in this wonderful free gallery.

Disappointed with the food served and this cafe has gone downhill since my last visit in 2023. Ordered Cheese and onion toastie with dressed salad. Extremely basic and the accompanying salad was clearly out of a bag and was served without any dressing. Asked for mayonnaise and surprisingly was informed that the only sauces available were red or brown. Food poor and both the cheese and the stewed onions were not very nice tasting and better quality produce is required. Salad was left untouched. Previously there were better choices on the menu and I wont be returning anytime soon as very little to attract me back. Service also not at a high standard and pointless giving a table number if staff then struggle to locate who an order belongs too and walk around trying to locate who ordered. Don’t recall these issues during preparation visits

Totally awful experience. Arrived half hour vefore closing, told could sit in but only have paper cups as cleaning up. Ten minutes to go went to use the toilet, told not allowed as cleaning up. Outrageous staff rude, never again, there are plenty of other coffee shops in Manchester. If you want to finish earlier don't work there! By the way one if us did use the toilets earlier, dirtiest I have seen so not a great job even so!!

Lovely and busy cafe. Very buggy friendly. The food was lovely and the staff were very attentive. It does get very busy but the staff can handle it

Made our first trip to the Art Gallery and popped in for cappuccini and toast/cake. Very helpful staff. After saying we’d pop back for lunch they kindly put a reserve notice on the table. Great service, certainly would make a bee-line for the cafe for another visit!

We popped in for a coffee during a visit to the gallery, flat white and Americano coffees were lovely and service was efficient and friendly. Reasonable prices too.

Friendly intelligent service. Nice coffee and range of breakfast options. Clean airy with big windows giving lots of natural light.

Poor selection of food for mid-afternoon, and very poor service - had milk tipped down me. Stated hot food available until 3:30 on website, but they'd cut it off at 3pm. Not recommended.

Situated on the ground floor this large cafe has two good sized rooms and a variety of tables. There is a breakfast menu until 11.30am, followed by a lunch menu with a range of tasty snacks. Prices are just on the higher side of reasonable but the food is fairly decent and nicely presented.

Friendly staff, delicious food prepared- I think- in their kitchen, well- spaced tables, carafes of tap-water easily available & stylishly presented , & of course great art work on the walls. Highly rate the couscous salad bowl dish.

just stopped for a coffee before we went around the gallery a basic nice cup of coffee mid range price for a gallery

A 3inch sliver of tart , which was overcooked to a quarter inch thickness of its life , with a handful packet salad and Branston pickle blob sprinkled with chives , this was eaten in a couple of minutes and left me still hungry , over double the price of a sainsburys sandwich meal deal and no where near as satisfying. The coffee tasted stewed and was tepid . Small apple crumble slice was soggy with plastic cream on , ver sad offerings set me back nearly £15 .

Don't miss the cafe or you will miss seeing some great works of art by Carrington and Nash etc. The curators have supprising placed them there so they can display their videos in the gallery space.

A miserable member of staff served me and literally rolled her eyes when I didn't have a table number. I won't support the Gallery by visiting the cafe again. Making the ordering process more visible might stop your staff being so disappointed when people don't know what to do. No point commenting on the actual food, I didn't enjoy it because of the sour-faced service.

Visited for lunch after gallery, service was quick and friendly and food and coffee high quality, surroundings added to the experience

We used to visit the art gallery café through choice on visits to Manchester as it had a nice selection of food and cakes. We went to the Grayson Perry exhibition and looked forward to having lunch in the café. We were so disappointed. The menu is now fully vegan and vegetarian which is OK if well prepared and tasty but the mushroom tart was tasteless and miserly in size. The bean burger was dry and tasteless, a real disappointment. Of the cakes only one, the lemon slice was anything to talk about. I am slightly concerned that a public gallery does not cater for meat eaters as surely it should accept that the majority of the people who fund it's existence eat meat. Hopefully this can be sorted out and the café can once again be a place to look forward to visiting. On another note the queuing system was dangerous given the covid epidemic. The queue in front of the counter was blocked off so that people were queuing out into the tables and there was no signage to show the direction the queue should go. The service was OK.

We visited the art gallery which is fabulous however we decided to have lunch in the cafe. The staff were very helpful, food arrived quickly even though it was very busy. But I wouldn't have brother, we left it. It soup had no favour and...

A nice cafe good food nice cake friendly and helpful staff in a relaxing atmosphere plenty of tables I would recommend.

Good service, Good choice of food, great value for money. Different size of seating to suit large families, solo visitors etc.

Loved seeing the exhibition with a friend. Sadly another friend was unable to join us as she had a fall a few days ago, she was so looking forward to it. Then I had some lovely soup, and tasty pate/butter to go on the toast...

Visited Saturday 17th July, fairly empty when we arrived. Ordered at the table via the QR code. 2 teas, soy milk and 3 waters, nothing too taxing! After 20 mins my daughter went to ask about our order, the staff tried not to engage. When...

We have visited the cafe many times in the past as we are regular visitors to the gallery. We have always enjoyed the snacks and food selection. However we visited yesterday and were very disappointed. We ordered a sweet potato and chick pea slice and...

Instructions are to take a table and place your order from there - this was about 1:00 on a Wednesday afternoon. You are supposed to scan the QR code and bring up the menu. Internet service was appalling - took ages to get sight of...

We visited during the second week of Grayson’s art club and stopped by the cafe. Lovely atmosphere, books lining the walls, feels just like any other part of the galleries, calm and welcoming, really lovely.

Beautiful airy cafe with lovely decor and views. The staff are very nice and the food and drinks are excellent. There is a great selection of cakes and the decaf Americano was very good. The tea was leaf tea in a small pot also good....

A regular favourite of ours. My partner selected the vegetarian mezze which included olives, dressed root vegetables with toasted seeds and two home prepared dips with plenty of toast. I had the teriyaki pork belly that came with really tasty noodles. I had a cappuccino...

The cafe provided an pleasant ambience with friendly and helpful staff. The menu is small, but interesting, though a little overpriced.

An excellent selection of food and drink from very cheap to expensive. Set your own level or requirement All well presented at table. The coffee was extremely good and a very good strength. I was told the tea was excellent. A comfortable space even when...

Coffee and cakes after a big shopping trip. 2 Excellent coffees, large carrot cake, scone with jam and cream £12. Good value. Handy large locker to store shopping before we went into cafe. Lovely relaxed setting. Will be back.

We sat at the least offensive table and read through the menu; decided on tea and a flat white only to be told that the machine was broken! so no flat white just filter coffee. Fair enough it happens we left and fell on our...

Came for a light lunch with a friend. The staff are fabulous - nothing is too much trouble. My friend had sea bass which she very much enjoyed, and my pork belly stir fry would have been amazing had it not been so very salty...

Estuve allí con un grupo de 16 más o menos, como parte de un evento de campeón cultural. Era la hora del almuerzo,. Tuve la lubina (7. 50) estaba delicioso. La elección de postres hermosos fue increíble. . El personal era muy atento y agradable. Tuve una experiencia gastronómica encantadora y recomendaría a todos disfrutar de uno también.

We had an excellent lunch here. The menu is varied and full of surprises. Not cheap but the prices reflect the quality of the food so well worth paying a little extra. Highly recommended.

We decided to try the Art Gallery Cafe before going round the galleries and it was a good decision. The hot chocolate was lovely and perfectly presented in nice mugs. We also enjoyed a good variety of herbal teas. My wife tried the vegetarian meze and I had the ploughman's, prices reasonable, quantity of food good, and truly delicious. I have not had a nicer pork pie in years, and a couple of bottles of JW Lees pale ale finished lunch off nicely. The window tables afford good views too. There was a tempting selection of cakes but we were already full. Staff service was quick, helpful and friendly. Well worth a visit.

great tea and coffee, cakes a little on the small size but can be forgiven as they taste wonderful. A little on the expensice side but as I presume its to help with Gallery upkeep they can be forgiven.. also there is free Wi-Fi.

Lively open cafe with nice modern ambiance. Delicious cakes and scones made in house, with above average teas and coffees. Prices reasonable but not cheap, although consistent with quality and experience. food friendly service.

We popped in for a drink & the selection of teas was a pleasant surprise. Although busy the place was clean and there we plenty if different types of seating arrangements available. Food was reasonably priced - around £5-7 for a lunch offering. Pleasant surroundings.

Too expensive and disgistang food. 10/10 would not recommend. Scones were £4 and were dry and tasted like flour.

Great wee cafe. My husband and I enjoyed this very much. Staff were helpful and the food was great. A fine selection of tea too!

Paré allí para un lugar de almuerzo del sábado. Usualmente hago eso cuando estoy en la ciudad ya que tienen especiales muy creativos a muy buen precio.

While vacationing in Manchester, I visited the well-known Manchester Art Gallery, which is a varied collection in an atmospheric old building. Surprisingly, one of the highlights was a lovely and reasonably priced lunch in the brightly lit and casual but comfortable cafe there. The staff was helpful and friendly, and the soups, sandwiches, tea, and sweets all delicious. I predict you will not be disappointed if you drop in here for a bite! And the museum itself is free . . .

I’ve visited a few times now and every experience has been excellent. Bustling and busy cafe, service is great considering how few staff members there seem to be.

The food was lovely. The room, decor, tables and chairs, cutlery, glasses, all beautiful. But.

We had factored in lunch in the cafe at the art gallery before th Martin Parr exhibition as the last few times we have visited we have enjoyed an excellent choice at the cafe. This is now a sad shade of how things used to be. Much reduced choice. There used to be an excellent salad bar and a choice of hot dishes. Not at all impressed.

I have been a regular here for some time now and have built up good relations with the staff particularly the cake chef, she would explain ingredients and Tastes to me on what she had made that day and it was always great. For the past two weeks now the cakes have not been the same dry and flavourless I have since found out that this lady had left due to being bullied out by another cake chef I quote directly from the staff ' she was always belittling her and constantly putting down.' which I think is outrageous in any company. I would visit 3/4 times a week bringing friends for cake and tea, safe to say I won't be returning or advising anyone to go here. The cakes are not what they were and I will not be a part of this bulling mentality in a work place.

breakfast for two ... two plates of vegetarian food - spinach, avocado and two others (my shame that three days later I do not remember) but I do remember that both of us thought that each was perfectly cooked - and I don't think I have ever enjoyed such wonderful tasting spinach .... all together with friendly attentive service, and lovely surroundings including different paintings to discuss. thank you

Could be my favourite cafe. Service lovely again. Cake was amazing - Mum had coconut cake with berries. I had the incredible peanut butter brownie. Coffee good as well. All in very agreeable surroundings. Love it.

Vinimos aquí para tomar una copa. La persona que me servía luchaba por entender lo que estaba diciendo y lo que estaba pidiendo. Mi esposa y mi hijo compartieron una generosa taza de té. Tuve un té de menta encantador. Esta cafetería está en un entorno encantador. Vale la pena una visita.

It’s a good cafe in the main. Good choice of food and reasonable prices. Spoiled by the usual problem of too few people serving and hence queues and cluttered tables

Descubrí este café por primera vez mientras visitaba la galería de arte. Ahora siempre paro aquí para tomar un café y un pastel cuando visito la galería. La sala principal es grande, luminosa y espaciosa, con muchos asientos. El personal es educado y amable. El café es bueno y siempre hay una excelente selección de tartas.

Really enjoyed the cakes and excellent quality tea but the savoury food was very disappointing. The veggie mezzi was swimming in oil and very pricey.

The Manchester Art gallery is well worth a visit and I fist visited the café for convenience. However, the café has now become a first port of call even if I am not going in the gallery itself. I'm coeliac so the excellent GF soups and cakes, combined with friendly and efficient service, make it stand out for a quick tasty lunch.

Food is awful and service is pretty bad too.

Had heard great things about this cafe that the cakes/treats were amazing. I have never had a more dry and tasteless banana bread, glad I had a cup of tea to wash it down as it wasn't for shifting out my throat! My partner on the other hand had a lovely moist Victoria sponge cake slice! Consistency is needed, more cakes like the Victoria sponge please!!

I avoid chain cafés and on our visit to Manchester went for coffee and cake here. Comfortable and nice atmosphere with a very good selection of cakes. Most are as in most places too big, but the chocolate and hazelnut tart was the right size to go with a good cup of coffee.

Perfect lively place to meet people in town for coffee or lunch with good food. And the best cakes in the city by far!

Visitamos para tomar un café antes de nuestro último viaje alrededor de las exposiciones especiales. El sistema ha cambiado desde nuestra última visita y parecía funcionar, aunque otros revisores nos hicieron preguntarnos si habíamos tenido suerte.

El servicio fue amable y servicial, pero desafortunadamente eso no compensa la comida menos que mediocre.

But.. Was left disappointed. Menu is limited and food was expensive for what it was. The coffee was fairly decent though, decent seating, staff friendly, and the desserts looked great but didnt have one.

Went to Manchester for a birthday treat and to explore the various galleries and museums. Ordered mackerel, price £6.00, from the "light bite" menu because we didn't feel we had the time for a full scale lunch. What turned up was a sliver of fish, approximately 6 ins long, just over an inch wide, and about half an inch deep. The teaspoon gives an idea of scale. So this works out at approximately £1 per inch of mackerel. "Light bite?" - it certainly lightened my wallet!

We ordered four mushroom soups. When they arrived, they were accompanied by delicious sourdough bread. The soup, however, was inedible. It was a tasteless consommé heavy on the garlic and mushrooms and light on flavour. We returned them and ordered toasted sandwiches. This was all handled well and they were happy to subsitute the sandwiches free of charge, although it cost us more than it should have.

I waited 20 minutes for an Americano coffee which I was told would be brought to my table, in the end after what should have been a 45 second wait I had to collect if from the counter. I then waited another 25 minutes for the breakfast roll I had ordered only to learn that it had been eaten by someone else in the cafe and sent to a different table! I had given a table number to the server but and was given a full refund but the operation is a shambles. Much like the nearby Whitworth, the space looks really great and the food is above par but the serving system doesn’t work and needs rethinking. Keep the art, new management required!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Este fue un café muy impresionante, con un montón de espacio y más de una habitación. Había agua gratis. Los precios eran razonables £2. 10 para un té verde y 2 libras. 40 para una pantalla blanca. La calidad del café era bueno.

Me detuve para tomar una taza de té y un aperitivo después de explorar la galería de arte.

I accidentally ordered a kids meal and pot of tea! Cumberland sausage and mash. Tasted brilliant and enough to feed 3 children. Tea very good. Lovey painting just above my table to enjoy while savouring the meal!

Este café tiene una amplia gama de pasteles y ofertas de almuerzo. He pedido la sopa, que viene con un trozo de pan con mantequilla, y es delicioso. Botellas y vasos de agua fría en el lado. Mi pedido es llevado a mi mesa. Wc están cerca. Este es un buen lugar para tomar un descanso antes o después de ver el arte en la galería.

Stumbled on this place when we visited the art gallery but can't believe I lived in Manchester for years and didn't know it existed. Specials of tarts and soup of the day, churned, whipped butter with the bread and soup..delicious. We had the butternut squash soup with toasted pumpkin seeds followed by gluten free brownie with big chunks of hazelnuts. Cool space to be in, lovely airy decor and somewhere I'd make a point of eating in if I was in the centre in future. Try it.

Nuestro grupo de 6, incluyendo uno en una dieta sin gluten, nos cuidaron muy bien por el equipo de personal muy trabajador.

The coffee’s good, the service friendly and offering little bite-size cakes for £1 is a touch of genius. Recommended.

Great location (the museum offers a great variety of artworks and the shop sells a wide range from books to jewelry) and the carrot cake and coffee were absolutely fantastic. A very quiet spot for a lunch break 👌🏻

As a patron of Manchester Art Gallery’s cafe for many years I was looking forward to trying out the new format today. Dismayed to pay £6.50 for a ‘Breville Toastie’ allegedly filled with home cured ham and Sparkenhoe Red Leicester. Instead I received a mere sliver of anaemic ham and a single piece of non-descript cheese between two slices of greasy loaf that had been nowhere near a Breville. Very disappointing.

Gran ambiente y ubicación, pero yo estaba muy decepcionado con la comida y el servicio. Pagué £9. 00 para una taza de café, dos rodajas secas de pan sin gluten, huevo frito y uno duro de una porción grande de tocino seco duro. Pregunté a la mantequilla y tardó mucho tiempo en llegar. Dijeron que tenían que microondas porque estaba fría. Me dijo que la comida estaba fría, así que él dijo lo siento y se fue. Oí otro cliente diciendo su café estaba frío y otra vez el miembro del personal perdón y se fue. Me llena en un formulario de reclamación con los datos de mi contacto, pero dos semanas más tarde, todavía sin respuesta.

Loved the food here. Stilton tart was sublime and gorgeous moist lemon cake much enjoyed. Only grumble was small size of coffee cup and very small size of goat’s cheese and fennel salad.

We stopped in the cafe after visiting the art gallery. It was a beautiful space to enjoy a cup of tea!

three hours later and I am still thinking of the taste of my lunch here - I had Glamorgan sausage (I think) that means special mushrooms, small very dark crisp salad leaves, mash and beans covered with a fantastic gravy that has stayed with me for hours. This café seems to offer nice things in small luxury packets - soups, mains, and cakes. very special sides of breads. rye, soda come to mind....... many congratulations for offering something so good in a completely free venue.

The cafe has been redecorated since my last visit..gone is the clinical white and a warm, muted green has replaced it..rather nice. The coffee was very good and the coconut and raspberry cake moist and tasty. Selected art on the walls and pleasant, prompt service. Lovely.

Visited this week, really impressed by the new menu: it's light informal food, but it's fine dining quality- best of both worlds. And not too pricey- had one of the best soups I've ever had, artisan bread, plus haddock brandade, £12.

We had breakfast in this cafe. I had the porridge with prunes which was lovely. Very informal and they do great cappucinos. Great to place to pop in to get away from the hustle and bustle. I look forward to returning and trying the lunch menu.

A very busy Saturday and the cafe was very full but luckily found a table. The food was ordered - excellent and pleasant staff and withing minutes excedllent soup, food and coffees arrived. All can only be described as excellent. Coffee good and strong - not of your wishy washy rubbish here. Its a cafe and the food refelcted that but would have sat well in a good restaurant. A very nice space - a little busy but it was Saturday and the number of people there speaks volumes - great

This is a well-furbished place to sit and have coffee and cakes or sandwiches - or something more substantial. Good place to sit and relax and chat after going round the galleries.

A spacious café offering food and drinks. There are a few very comfy chairs to relax in while having tea, as well as tables if you want a meal. There's an excellent choice of teas and coffees. Reasonable prices. Friendly service. Only downside is the cakes, which look divine, but they are left out uncovered near the tills. Cakes tend to dry out when left uncovered, and it is also not very hygienic.

The food here is lovely and seems to be locally/ ethically sourced. simple and well prepared - I was pretty impressed. The setting is lovely, lots of light and lovely exteriors to gaze at through the big windows,

Art galleries have cafe's and I often use them to provide a break from the pictures. At least it's a good place to sit down.

La cafetería tenía una apariencia limpia, pero austera y el mobiliario era austero e incómodas. Decidí tomar una bebida de chocolate que era probablemente el peor que he probado. Mi amigo tenía un café que ella también pareció poco apetecibles. Mi consejo a los propietarios de la cafetería es ir y comprar chocolate Cadbury y bebiendo unas nescafé café instantáneo y dejar de tratar de ser inteligentes. Fue una cara error.

I've been here a few times now and the service is always excellent! I'm greated by the smiling faces of helpful and knowledgeable staff. Both the coffee and the food are of very high quality. Things sometimes take a bit of time to arrive at the table, but with a place this busy it's completely understandable!

I love this art gallery in my home city. I love it's cafe and food too. It has a new system of waitress service, which took some time. I prefer self service in a busy place such as this. I have only given 4 star as apparently there is no soup available unless you order between 12 and 2. It was a bitterly cold day if sunny and I was looking forward to soup- as were others. No soup? Really? - it's a winter snack staple surely. Hope they bring back the soup.

Had a delicious set lunch at The Gallery Cafe today. Reasonably priced and tasty food with friendly service.

I ordered lunch for my wife and myself. My wife's lunch turned up with our drinks but my lunch never appeared despite bringing it to the staff's attention numerous times. In the end after my wife had finished her meal and drink I gave up accepted a reduction in the bill and left without ever seeing my lunch.

Arranged to meet up with family who work nearby and came recommended. So, so disappointed.

Saw a nice coffee shop opposite the gallery, but chose the gallery cafe instead, expecting something nice but was disappointed. The cafe was cold in temperature and cold in atmosphere. It lacked any warmth or depth with hard wooden chairs and small tables. We didn't eat, but the menu showed bacon rolls at £6 each and cakes were about £4 each. The cappucino (£2.50) was served a very small cup (probably about 4 mouth fulls) and was barely luke warm. I was told that was how they make it as any hotter and it burns the milk. They were moderately busy, so people must like it but I won't be going back again - sorry.

Estoy muy decepcionado con este lugar, fui con mi amigo y les dijo a los miembros del personal a tomar asiento ese orden será tomado en la mesa. esperamos 20 minutos, nadie vino, las mesas estaban sucias. . . No había mucha gente ya que la misma persona que hablé anteriormente tuvieron tiempo de parada por la chef y charlar con él durante bastante tiempo. Es una pena porque este lugar es precioso. Fuego el personal y encontrar a alguien que tiene una idea de lo que hacer

When we arrived the cafe was just filling up for lunch. A waitress came to our table right away and brought our drinks quickly. However, we had to wait over an hour for our sandwiches. She noticed before we complained and seemed angry at the kitchen staff. Said our order had disappeared. She put it in again and the sandwiches were delicious. We were not charged for this lunch, so the cafe did try to make it right. If this is a one-off, ok. This experience makes it difficult to rate the cafe overall.

I had lunch in the cafe of the Art Gallery before going through exhibitions. I ordered some carrot soup, goat cheese pie and earl grey tea. They seated me and brought the food not more than in 5 minutes which was very useful when you're starving. The dishes were delicious and garnished. I enjoyed the food and the time I spent there.

Nice to have some rest here after a walk around the exhibition. You are in friendly environment with the opportunity to order good drinks or feed. Not expensive.

I very much enjoyed the food and service here yesterday. I had the three-course lunch for £15 (two-course £12) and an excellent 2-cup pot of Earl Grey tea. The food was all quite delicious, butternut squash and stand-out bread and churned butter, heritage carrot and goats cheese main, and superb crumble for dessert. I would certainly return and recommend to others. Portions a bit on the small side, which is purely why my rating is a 4 and not a 5. Yummy.

I went there for lunch on my break and ordered just a simple soup. I ordered butternut squash soup and they bought parsnip soup.The menu said it was served with sourdough bread from Pollen Bakery and what I got was 2 pieces of burnt bread, hard as hell that even dipping it in the soup would not be eatable. The churned butter was good though. I don't think I will come back for lunch.

Four of us went for the two-course lunch. At £12 this is tremendous value given the high quality of the ingredients and the skilful cooking. Celeriac soup with truffle oil was outstanding. Roast goat belly was quite sublime with goose fat chips, lemon sole fillets and a homemade cheese tart were delicious. Where else in Manchester will you find such brilliant cuisine at rock bottom prices. Ignore the moaners and try the food for yourselves.

Cakes a bit pricey compared to local shops but very tasty Like the outside seating when the weather is reasonable as this is Manchester. Ideally located just off the main shopping area