Federal Manchester Deansgate

After keeping the Northern Quarter fed and watered since 2014, Federal claimed another foothole, this time on Deansgate. Dishing up brunch favourites such as French toast and eggs on sourdough, plus bigger plates such as the hummus and sweetcorn falafel sandwich and steak and eggs, it’ll set you up alright.

Fans of the laidback atmosphere but best possible customer service of the coffee shops they came across while travelling in Australia and New Zealand, owners Claudio and Emily wanted to create “a little slice of Antipodean happiness” here in the heart of Manchester, so “come rain or shine, we offer the city’s sunniest welcome”. They must be doing something right, having branched out again with a Federal Coffee Cart at Altrincham Market and another coffee shop on Oxford Road.

The coffee at Federal is a big deal, also influenced by Claudio and Emily’s time down under. If you like strong coffee, this is the place to come, with robust beans courtesy OZONE, one of New Zealand’s largest provincial coffee roasteries. There’s also a selection of tea, plus local and Oz brews of the beery variety. A couple of natural wines, fizz and two-for-£12 cocktails such as Mimosas and Bellinis also compliment the food, of which everything is made fresh on the premises using the best ingredients sourced from sustainable indies. Fed (we just got it) and watered, indeed.