What this is
Crema & Compass is a small site about drinking coffee in Manchester. We go to cafés, we take notes, and we write up what's actually there rather than what a press release says.
It started as a way to keep track of the places we kept coming back to. It grew because the city has more of them than anyone could hold in their head.
What we cover
We work by neighbourhood, because that's how people actually plan a day. So far that means:
- The Northern Quarter and Ancoats, where most of the city's coffee story is told
- Altrincham, and what its market crowd wants from a flat white
- Didsbury, which takes its coffee seriously and slowly
- Stockport's independents and the slow comeback of the Underbanks
- Chorlton, one cup at a time
How we write it
We pay for our own coffee and we don't run sponsored entries. If a place is in here, it's because we'd send a friend.
We try to be specific. A café isn't just "cosy" — we'll tell you whether there's a table for working, whether the espresso is bright or heavy, whether you can hear yourself think.
Who it's for and getting in touch
It's for anyone working out where to go, whether you live here or you're down for the weekend. Locals correct us, which we like.
About the area
Manchester, in Greater Manchester, has plenty of history of its own. For background on the town itself, its Wikipedia page is a good place to start.