Takk, an Icelandic inspired coffee shop tucked away on a quiet side street 2 minutes’ walk from Piccadilly Gardens is about as cool as it gets in Manchester. The coffee here is serious business and this is accentuated by a vibe that’s more akin to a library than a buzzing coffee shop. It's the perfect environment to spend some quiet time savouring the best coffee Manchester has to offer.
The only slight downside is that they tend to have a lot of regulars using the shop as an office or place to study during the day (and who could blame them); as a result it can often be a bit of a struggle for a table.
The coffee shop itself is very uncluttered, with carefully collated and extremely tasteful framed throughout by the white walls. The exposed wooden tables, rustic non-matching chairs and old school desk tables all add to what appears relaxed but clearly very deliberate interior style. The pillar cluttered with guady fliers is a real eye-sore and looks completely out of place.
Lunch options are typically sandwich based (options change regularly), with a soup (vegetable and lentil on this occasion) and various cakes available on this particular visit.
The only slight downside is that they tend to have a lot of regulars using the shop as an office or place to study during the day (and who could blame them); as a result it can often be a bit of a struggle for a table.
The coffee shop itself is very uncluttered, with carefully collated and extremely tasteful framed throughout by the white walls. The exposed wooden tables, rustic non-matching chairs and old school desk tables all add to what appears relaxed but clearly very deliberate interior style. The pillar cluttered with guady fliers is a real eye-sore and looks completely out of place.
Lunch options are typically sandwich based (options change regularly), with a soup (vegetable and lentil on this occasion) and various cakes available on this particular visit.
I got stuck into two sandwiches this time (shared, I wasn't that greedy) - first up was roast beef, pecorino and sun blush tomato on ciabatta. Packed with a nice thick slide of beef with a hefty wedge of cheese giving the sandwich real bite.
I only had a bite but the Chorizo, manchego and red pesto was even better, immediately making me wish i'd had one of those instead. Similarly generous with the fillings but that red pesto paste was delicious.
The Ciabatta loaves are sourced from the Barbakan deli in Chorlton and are fantastic, tasting very fresh and resulting in a really substantial sandwich. Plenty of carbs to keep you ticking over until tea.
The poppy seed loaf (also from Barbakan) also caught my eye for dessert and was like the best breakfast pastry I’d never had before. Lovely sweet pastry with a layer of custard and chocolate on the inside and white icing, almonds, glace cherry and walnuts sprinkled on top.
Whilst the sandwiches and cakes are great as I mentioned they take coffee here very seriously and the black stuff is the real highlight. On this occasion they were serving a Sitio Canaa Brazilian roast from the Barn in Berlin – the best coffee I’ve had so far in Manchester. They regularly have different guest roasts on and i've never had one I didn't enjoy - whoever is doing the sourcing is doing a fantastic job.
£4 for the sandwiches, £2.40 for an excellent coffee and £1.60 for the poppy seed loaf.
I’ll put together a post ranking the coffee shops up here once I’ve visited them all a few more times but as things stand Takk stands head and shoulders above the rest, especially if you can get a precious seat.
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