Manchester Press - One of The Best
Manchester Press is a spacious funky cafe that you'll want to come back to. This deserves to be a global sensation like Manchester United.
Possibly my favourite café in Melbourne - it's a great place to meet with friends. Another laneway gem where coffee meets art. Manchester Press is part of the coffee triangle (as opposed to the Bermuda Triangle) with nearby places like Brother Baba Budan and Captains of Industry.
This is a huge spacious cafe - a former gallery and named after the former printing press business. Friends of mine remember it's former life - the renovation has been impressive. The mystery is accentuated by the fact that you need to pull back the sliding door to enter.
Coffee here is amazing with highly skilled baristas that have a knack with latte art.
This place has a rustic and at times retro feel (check out the menu with old school labels on perspex). Also check out the water jars on tables (with hydrochloric acid labels). Don’t worry the coffee is acidic - but not that acidic! You can really relax here – read the paper and check your emails. Chilled! So relaxed here that a customer went to the bathroom and on passing asked me to protect his back pack and belongings. I passed the test. (I now live in Rio).
The breakfast options including the raisin bagel with jam and ricotta are outstanding – good value and huge dollops of both jam and ricotta. In fact Manchester Press does bagels really well with other options (open sandwich style) and toppings available. I was told by the waitress that all menu options were available at any time – not just divided into breakfast and lunch. And that the menu changes whenever the chef feels like it… But some bagel options are more suitable for breakfast.
The soft egg bagel with salmon breakfast option is a sensation – sounds simple and harmless but it packed a mighty punch! You crack open the top of the soft boiled egg served in a cute egg cup with oriental figurines, then smear soft egg all over your piping hot bagel. Then you place some salmon from the generous pile on the plate on top of your egg and bagel! So gooood! There’s lemon to squeeze over the salmon and a great little salad with lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber - with a killer dressing. Don’t think it’s just about the coffee and the vibe here – check out the simple but awesome food! Coffee here is sensational and of the highest quality! Creamy and comes with amazing latte art (love the coffee meets art theme here).
Check out the art on the walls by artist William Montgomery.
Came here again for breakfast with the family and we all loved it! Now thinking of bringing the mother in law! Great chorizo and peppers with bagel option – some real kick in the chutney! My wife ordered the salmon bagel option - this time even more salmon than mine from earlier in the week! My 7 year old son went the baked eggs and chorizo and absolutely loved it!
My daughter went the coco pops (great option for kids as well as kids at heart). My son ate the rest of the coco pops my daughter couldn’t eat. And I ate the rest of my wide’s salmon that she couldn’t eat. Took some happy snaps with shades of the Griswalds! Even coco pops look good on Instagram. The regular coffee is quite small so I think I’ll always go for the large in the take away cup. The kids hot chocolate had amazing latte art (except it wasn’t a latte). Hot chocolate art?
Sensational service every time with staff friendly and willing to explain stuff (interesting they place the bill in a glass on your table). We have a ritual - I keep going to the counter to pay at the end of my meal without producing the bill in the glass – so they go back and grab my bill from the table again. On leaving I noticed a mirror ball mounted high in Rankins lane casting an interesting light array down the lane. All adds to the coffee and the art experience!