Everything is made fresh in Marsden Yard every morning. We open at 8am, and when the bread runs out, we pack up and go home. That is usually by 1:30pm. If you want lunch, don't dilly-dally.
We are a tiny, back-street hole-in-the-wall cafe serving the busy folks of Manchester's Northern Quarter. We don't do stock latte art, we don't call ourselves artisanal, and we don't have twenty seating tables. We have four wooden stools, a very hot sandwich press, and a burning desire to toast sourdough to absolute perfection.
If you've got forty minutes for lunch, you can grab a brew, squeeze inside or stand in the yard, and eat a sandwich that was assembled three hours ago using cheese aged just down the road.
Read our short storyWe make everything in small batches. Once a component sells out, we swap to a simple backup or close the hatch. Here is what Nia made at sunrise.
A rich, warming tomato soup with caramelized fennel seeds and a dash of local cream. Served with a thick wedge of toasted sourdough.
Mature Lancashire Cheddar, house-fermented kimchi, and spring onions pressed between two slices of fermented white sourdough.
Thick-cut smoked ham, Swiss Gruyère, and a light smear of hot English mustard. Crunchy, gooey, and slightly spicy.
We asked people who eat here regularly for reviews. They were surprisingly nice about the toasties, though a few complained about the stools.
"Look, the alleyway smells like a damp cellar and I had to eat standing up because some bloke was occupying the only stool, but the Kimchi toastie cured my hangover instantly. 5 stars."
"Nia makes the best flat white in Manchester. No pretentious latte art drawings of swans or ferns, just hot, rich coffee. The ham toastie is dangerously addictive."