The Whitworth Cafe

The Whitworth Cafe has to be one of the most architecturally pleasing art gallery cafes anywhere in the world. It’s a light and airy space in The Whitworth’s contemporary extension: an elegant glass box among the trees of Whitworth Park.

The cafe is run by the University of Manchester’s hospitality team and offers locally-sourced, seasonal light bites in a serene environment.

It’s counter service and the food offering is largely sandwiches, salads, soups and simple one-pot dishes.

Although the menu is limited to lunchtime snacks and a few breakfast barms, everything is done well with the quality of the ingredients immediately obvious.

On a typical day you might find pastrami and horseradish sandwich on foccaccia, a salmon and cream cheese bagel or a stilton and pear salad with candied walnuts.