Mancoco Coffee Bar, Roastery & Barista Training School — Restaurant in Manchester

Independent coffee roasters with a coffee shop located under a railway arch near the canal, Castlefield.

The place is very small but bright. It offers three tables for four persons and a bar table for three. The interior is done in an industrial style, which compliments the location and the city's heritage. Left side of ManCoCo is a designated roastery space, while the right side is made as a coffee shop. Some reviews are saying that it is a great place to work, but I did not see it that way. The working space would be pretty small, because it is located under a railway arch there is a loud noise of passing trains every couple of minutes, plus the coffee roasting equipment is creating a constant hum. The place does not have air conditioning, so it gets very hot on a warm day. Another drawback of the coffee shop is that to get to the counter you have to climb a couple of stairs, which makes does make it accessible by a wheelchair.

The barista was very friendly, prepared my order of a flat white with a short bread very quickly. He also provided me with the list of their coffee beans to takeaway after I had asked for one. I ordered two different blends and they were ready five minutes later.

The flat white I ordered was very good. It might be a rare place that actually makes it from two espresso shots. Ideal for mornings or a midday boost. They also offer a large variety of other coffee based drinks. The salted caramel shortbread was also great. However, overall, the selection of bakes and cakes is limited. For the quality of the coffee, the prices are surprising as they are slightly cheaper than the Manchester average. Aside from coffee beans, ManCoCo is also selling a large selection of coffee brewing equipment.

Overall, I would say that ManCoCo is great place to get you freshly roasted beans or a takeaway coffee in Manchester. However, I do not think it is a great place for sitting in, especially for...

Pros: Great customer service. Love the staff. The coffee is easily one of the best in Manchester. It's my favourite cafe for coffee but less so for a sit-in experience.

Con: The main issue lies in seating. Half the time I come here, I can't get a seat. There are a lot of people on laptops that buy one coffee and stay for 4-5 hours. I often see people walk in, look for a table and walk out. If they imposed a laptop-free rule between 12-2pm, it would deter students from coming in and spending all day there with one coffee and a glass of water and eating biscuits out of their bags. The girl currently sat beside me has been here for almost two hours with a glass of water. She hasn't even bought anything and she's using the space. I've been going to Foundation Coffee on Whitworth Street which is equally as good and I know I'll get a seat. I used to spend £100 a month in Mancoco. I spend between £20-30 currently. I've had to look for alternatives when I can't get seating which is a pity as it's only 15 minutes from...

A totally frustrating experience for me today. I ordered an iced long black, but at the counter, they said I had ordered an iced latte. I was already surprised because no one repeated the order back to me. (The lady who took it said she did, but I honestly don’t remember😂 maybe my bad lol)

I figured, whatever, iced latte is more expensive than iced long black anyway, so I just accepted it and moved on. But guess what? They actually gave me an iced long black in the end lmaoooo

At that point, I was already exhausted from carrying my ridiculously freaking heavy groceries and didn’t have the energy to go back and ask for a remake or clarify anything. Then, as I started walking home, the coffee exploded😂😂😂 It stared leaking and dripping all over my clothes and bag.

What a lucky day for me, huh😂

Mancoco used to be one of my favorite local spots since I live nearby…but not anymore, starting today.

Still cleaning my bag and clothes thanks to...