The scramble for a seat at the library can be a massive pain, not to mention time-consuming, in a period where time is of the essence but studying doesn’t have to be exhausting or monotonous, so why not spruce things up this exam season with a café study crawl? Cafés can be the ultimate middle ground between hanging out with friends over good food and getting that revision or assignments done.
But how do you know where to go? Manchester certainly isn’t short for choice, but not all cafés are laptop-friendly, and not all of them have fast WiFi (or any WiFi at all). So below is a whistle-stop tour of the best spots, with all the study-friendly amenities to sustain you for a long solo session or group study date.
This guide takes a city centre and campus focus, rating places that are easily accessible from the University of Manchester.
1. Bold Street Coffee, University Green
This café rates highly on all the amenities as the ideal campus study spot. Open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, coffee lovers will be happy here with their high-quality roast, milk alternative options, and friendly staff to have a natter with on your breaks. The café offers a selection of pastries, cakes, sandwiches, and a personal recommendation for a hot food choice is the soup-of-the-day and grilled cheese for £11. The only downside to this café is the pricing of items.
If you happen to be on campus on a rare sunny day, they have lots of outdoor seating — so, if you can’t decide between sitting in the sun and revising, you can do both! In terms of amenities, there are lots of charging ports and WiFi (the signal is much better closer to the front of the shop), and long bench style tables for a solo or group study date. The seating itself on the benches isn’t the comfiest, but the good coffee and atmosphere makes it a good place to stay all day.
Atmosphere 5/5
Amenities 5/5
Size 4/5
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 8am-6pm
Sat 8am-4pm
Sun 9am-6pm
2. 200 Degrees
If you’re looking to switch it up one day for a more central location, 200 Degrees is a sound choice. Just off St Peter’s Square, the selling point of this café is its varied choice of comfy seating facing the floor-to-ceiling windows, with views and tooting sounds of the trams passing through Peter Street. The coffee roast is high quality, and there are a variety of herbal loose leaf tea options too — a personal recommendation is the red berry tea. It’s easy to stay here all day, with plenty of other people working on laptops throughout the day, this café has a studious yet relaxed social atmosphere, with sandwiches and desserts to keep you fuelled throughout your study session. Food choice recommendations: their mozzarella and tomato sandwich is a decent option which you can get warmed, and top it off at the end of the day with a brownie.
Bonus: if you’re a Go fan, they host a Go club here every Sunday.
Atmosphere 4/5
Amenities 5/5
Size 5/5
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 7am-7pm
Sat 8am-7pm
Sun 9am-7pm
3. Haunt
Tucked just off St Peter’s Square on Peter Street (other side of the library to 200°), is Haunt, a Mediterranean-inspired specialty coffee shop by day and an Italian aperitivo bar by night. This café certainly has a charm to it, with a mezzanine view of the ground floor and plug sockets galore, it’s a good spot for more creative thinking days with its elevated ceilings and opportunity for people watching. Their chai lattes are delicious (£4), but the only drawback is the size as you’ll end up drinking the entire chai within a few sips.
The WiFi here is fast, and charging ports are few and far between (the upstairs section has more), so it’s a good spot for a couple of hours for brunch or a drink but unless your laptop has exceptional battery, you might have to consider heading over to Central Library (just opposite) to recharge. Lastly, the catch is the size — seating is limited, and gets busy with remote workers and brunch goers, so it’s not a spot for a big group study session unless you get here early, but it’s perfect for a solo or pair deep-work day.
Atmosphere 4/5
Amenities 3/5
Size 3/5
Opening Times:
Mon-Tue 7:30am-8pm
Wed-Thu 7:30am-9pm
Fri-Sat 7:30am-11pm
Sun 9am-8pm
4. Christie’s Café
Christie’s is certainly a hidden gem on campus, an iykyk. Located in the Old Quadrangle, either take the stairs or the glass lift that takes you straight into the centre of the café, and you’ll find yourself in what used to be the Old Science Library — a stunning Victorian Gothic room with a fluted ceiling, and tall solarium windows. As a study setting, this place is good for a more relaxed day of reading or a break to catch up on some admin, as tables and charging ports can be limited.
The atmosphere is definitely the selling point of this café, as the prices of food aren’t exactly low here either (£7.95 for a salmon bagel). But, their loose leaf teas and coffees are reasonably priced and very high quality — plus they come with a little biscuit on the side! Their menu is on the fancier end (freshly made soups, salads, sandwiches, quiches, and cake), both in terms of quality and price, but a decent campus option to switch it up for a lunchtime coffee and sweet treat.
Atmosphere 4/5
Amenities 3/5
Size 3/5
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm
Sat-Sun Closed
5. House of Social
House of Social is one of Manchester’s newer spots, and it’s a bit of a red herring on this list because it’s a food hall, rather than a café — but the upstairs study and co-working space are too good not to include. The best time to arrive is before the 12pm lunch rush, and there’s an option to reserve tables in advance for larger study groups. There’s a large mix of sofa, table, and booth seating to switch it up every day, plenty of charging ports, and reliable WiFi.
In terms of food options, you’re spoilt for choice with five different vendors. Dough Religion pizza’s and tiramisu are a first-time must have (approx £12 and £8), and full plate of nachos from OK Taqueria as a solid group snack (£11). The only downside here is the price point which isn’t very student friendly. The late closing times most days also make this a strong evening option when most cafés have already closed.
Atmosphere 5/5
Amenities 5/5
Size 5/5
Opening Times:
Mon Closed
Tue-Wed 9am-10pm
Thu 9am-11pm
Fri-Sat 9am-12pm
Sun 9am-9pm
6. 92 Degrees, Trinity Court
This Trinity Court branch near Spinningfields is a decent, quieter option for a long day of locking in. This location is small but lovely, like Haunt with a mezzanine, lots of table seating, natural light, and has banquette seating with lots of charging port options. This café is certainly a pleasant surprise since its tucked away round the corner on Quay Street, a small gem in the city centre. The staff are very lovely, and serve up some great toasties and cakes.
Atmosphere 4/5
Amenities 4/5
Size 2/5
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:30pm
Sat-Sun 9:30am-4:30pm
7. House of Books & Friends
Up at the top of King Street, House of Books & Friends is a hybrid bookshop, café, and community space set inside a Grade II listed building that used to be the old Reform Club. The high windows flood the room with light, the furniture is comfy, and hosts a few tables at the back for longer focused-study sessions. It’s not the spot if you need a place for an all-day focus session, but you can easily spend a few hours here studying with others. This café is also run as a not-for-profit with a mission to combat loneliness, and run ‘Chatter and Natter’ tables on Saturdays to meet new people. The staff here are also kind, and there are plenty of books available for you to pick up, read, and purchase, if they catch your fancy. A decent reset spot in the city centre.
Atmosphere 3/5
Amenities 3/5
Size 2/5
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm
Sun 11am-5pm
8. Ducie Street Warehouse
Another red herring, but Ducie Street is somewhat of an underrated gem in Manchester. It’s a hotel with a restaurant, bar, café, gym, and cinema all rolled into one, but the ground-floor café area works as a study or co-working spot — and lots of people don’t know it exists, and is open for the public to use. It’s a large, airy industrial space with exposed brick, plenty of comfy seating, decent WiFi, and a long opening window (7:30am most days, all the way until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays) that you could do a full day’s of revision in. Since this spot is right next to Piccadilly train station, it’s probably a better option to use as a nice, quiet place to finish off some work before you catch a train home. You can order a coffee or tea at the bar or through the QR codes on the tables, but the appeal of this location is more so the atmosphere and spatial design rather than the food and drink itself.
Atmosphere 3/5
Amenities 3/5
Size 3/5
Opening Times:
Mon-Thu 7:30am-10pm
Fri 7:30am-1am
Sat 9am-1am
Sun 9am-10pm
