By Jack Holmes
It’s not hard to find a list of the best places to grab a coffee in Manchester, but they tend to forget that little detail called money. You might not be too worried considering the first student loan of the year is on its way, but if you’re trying to stay awake on a budget here’s some handy spots that will keep your caffeine costs down.
One of the best kept secret coffee places and it’s only five minutes from All Saints Campus. Situated just off Oxford Road (It’s next to the Spar), the Cheeky Monkey Coffee Co. is just about the cheapest place to get your daily energy input. Don’t believe me? It’s £1.80 for a latte, bacon sandwiches are £1.50 and filled jacket potatoes for £2.75. That’s a bargain by anyone standards, but it’s truly music to a skint students ears. It’s not the prettiest décor in the city with its “modern” vibe offering up some iffy green plastic surfaces. But when prices are that low, can you really complain?
Cheeky Monkey Coffee
Whether it’s the Art School Café, Hub Café or the one situated on the ground floor of the Geoffrey Manton building, MMU respects our needs for caffeine. The cafes themselves vary from building to building, but the prices stay far lower than those of Starbucks, Prett A Manger and the various other chain coffee shops. What’s better yet is your ability to use your MMU Met Card, which everyone gets a minimum of £10 added to for FREE at the start of every year. So make the most of those freebies and maybe grab some food in those glorious mid lecture breaks.
Manchester Coffee Company (Manchester CoCo)
If you’ve entered the arty haven of the Northern Quarter and feel the need to put your feet up, try the Manchester Coffee Company. They’re the most expensive coffee company in this list and are only slightly cheaper than the mainstream chains, but the quaint atmosphere more than makes up for it. Almost always inhabited by students from Salford, Manchester or MMU Universities, it’s a nice place to take a break from the city centre rushes and enjoy some great music with a cuppa.
Manchester Coffee Co.
Have I missed a hidden gem when it comes to the best value for money coffee places in Manchester? Perhaps you think a coffee place like Oklahoma or Grindsmith is worth that little bit more money for the experience? Let us know @holmesblogs or @HumanityHallows
Featured image and gallery: Hoang Phan Notebooks were carried from one workshop to another. Writers from different generations sat around tables, sharing manuscripts and listening to each other. Outdoors, small groups strolled along Oxford Road, pausing before buildings steeped in literary history. This was the scene during the Manchester Writing School Summer Festival 2026, held…
Featured image: Katja Ogrin With many sore heads and limbs this morning after the most hardcore day of the festival taking place yesterday, many are recovering from the moshing and pit brutality of the previous day’s antics. As the tradition of a morning movie in the Serpents Lair prevails, the crowd sprawls out onto the plush,…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After an electrifying start to the weekend, with temperatures slowly climbing, many lather themselves in suncream, shed their band shirts and rise from their tents to trek towards the arena. Saturday has big things incoming for the humans of Bloodstock 2026. Some pace themselves for the day and hide from the early…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After a memorable Thursday opener, Bloodstock 2026 opens its gates once again onto the Hallowed Grounds of Catton Park, kicking off day two of its 25th-anniversary celebration of metal. As the sun rises on Catton Park, festivalgoers emerge from their tents to prepare for another day of mayhem. The morning brings…
No Comments
Good suggestions, thanks Jack. It’s only the first time you get a Met Card that the Uni puts credit on there for you – they give you £20 credit as a one off 🙂