Allpress Coffee Roasters Manchester doesn’t disappoint.
It’s tucked away on Dantzic Street, a place you have to seek out. My partner and I walked in on a Sunday at 10am, early enough we thought no one would be here.
We were dead wrong.
One seat left in the corner. Which worked out perfectly.
The space is bright and open, big windows pulling in the light, everything leaning toward a clean minimal style. Beech wood, simple lines, slightly odd stools, exposed vents overhead. The kind of space that tells you it takes coffee seriously before you’ve even ordered.
We’d planned on breakfast, but it’s not served on Sundays, so we kept it simple. A cheese and tomato croissant, a mortadella sandwich, and a V60 of their Gui Ben, a Chinese coffee, lightly roasted.
The coffee arrived first. Poured into a small jug and set on a wooden tray, alongside a green mug and a square card detailing the origin, roast and variables. It’s a small thing, but it’s exactly the kind of detail you expect from a place like this.
The only issue was the jug. Smeared and in need of a polish. In a space this considered it was the one thing that felt out of place.
This was my first time trying a honey-processed coffee. It sits somewhere between a natural and a washed, less fruit-forward and a bit more rounded. Light strawberry notes at first, moving into caramel and cacao. Easy to drink. Approachable. The kind of coffee you can just enjoy slowly.
The sandwich and croissant arrived next.
There’s something about a sandwich wrapped in paper, where you can see all the layers held together properly, that just works.
This was a big one. Served warm, filled with peppers, mortadella and spinach, pressed between two crisp pieces of bread. The first bite hits everything at once. The salt from the meat, the sweetness of the peppers, the softness of the filling, the crunch of the bread. Balanced without trying too hard.
And because of the size, it sticks with you for a while.
The croissant was simpler. Cheese and tomato, done properly. Flaky, warm, exactly what you expect it to be.
Allpress was always going to get the coffee right.
But the food holds its own.
Which isn’t always the case in places like this.
