Ezra & Gil

Ezra & Gil started on Hilton Street in the Northern Quarter and expanded because people kept coming back. It’s now got several locations across Manchester, which in the brunch world means they cracked the formula. Good food, decent coffee, consistent quality, reasonable prices.

The menu is all-day brunch and lunch. Eggs every way – poached, scrambled, baked. Shakshuka that’s properly spiced. French toast for when you want sugar for breakfast. The halloumi fries are on every table and there’s a reason for that. Lunch shifts into sandwiches, salads, and bowls.

Coffee is solid. They use good beans, the baristas know what they’re doing, and the flat whites are consistent across locations. That sounds basic but consistency across multiple sites is harder than it looks.

The original NQ spot on Hilton Street is the smallest and has the most character. Exposed brick, tight tables, the usual NQ aesthetic. Other locations – including ones on the Oxford Road corridor and in the suburbs – are bigger and easier to get a table at.

Prices sit in the eight to fourteen quid range for a main plate. Fair for what you get. No service charge forced onto you, which is increasingly rare.

Not trying to reinvent brunch. Just doing it well, repeatedly, in multiple places. Manchester’s most reliable morning option.