Night & Day Cafe

Without Night & Day Cafe, the Northern Quarter as we know it probably wouldn’t exist. It was places like this, jazz club Matt and Phreds, and Factory Records-owned Dry Bar that kickstarted the area’s reputation for art, music, and banging nights out – and the apartment boom that followed.

So it was ironic when its very existence was threatened by the property developers who capitalised on the culture it created. Noise abatement orders have been made against Night & Day several times since the pandemic; the people who bought apartments next door don’t like the loud music apparently. Which makes you question whether they did even the most basic research before purchasing.

It’s certainly no secret that this is a gig venue – and an iconic one at that. Stadium-filling acts who have played here early in their career include Ed Sheeran, Elbow, Manic Street Preachers, and the Arctic Monkeys.

If you got to see any of them at Night & Day, you witnessed something special. It’s a small, 250-capacity venue so everyone is close to the stage. Whether you’re watching a wispy folk singer or a raucous speed metal trio, it’s an intense experience.

There are gigs, DJs or both on most nights from Wednesday through to Saturday, with Sunday to Tuesday typically being quieter nights. And as the name suggests, it’s not just an evening venue.

Head there in the day for coffee, breakfast, brunch, and handmade Neapolitan pizza. It’s a beautiful space, thoughtfully designed and lovingly maintained, with regularly changing exhibitions and a long, enticing bar that looks like a work of art in itself.