Pot Kettle Black
Coffee and brunch inside Barton Arcade, one of Manchester's most beautiful Victorian buildings. The setting alone is worth the visit.
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Pot Kettle Black sits on the upper level of Barton Arcade, a Victorian glass and iron shopping arcade on Deansgate. The building is gorgeous – ornate ironwork, a glass dome ceiling, the kind of architecture Manchester used to produce when it had cotton money and ambition. Having coffee in here feels like being in a conservatory designed by someone with serious taste.
The coffee is good. Not the best specialty coffee in the city, but well above average. Espresso drinks are reliable. They have a decent filter option. The hot chocolate is surprisingly good if that’s your thing.
The brunch menu covers the standards – avocado toast, eggs, pancakes, granola – and does them well. Nothing wildly original but everything is fresh and the presentation is clean. Lunch adds salads and sandwiches. Cakes are displayed at the counter and they’re usually worth it.
The space is the real selling point. Tables on the mezzanine level look down into the arcade. Natural light pours through the glass roof. It’s one of the most pleasant places to sit and drink coffee in Manchester, especially on a grey morning when you need all the light you can get.
Deansgate is right outside. Every tram line passes through. St Ann’s Square is a minute’s walk.
Come for the building. The coffee and food are a bonus.
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