Federal Cafe & Bar

Another day, another brunch, am I right? I was told that Federal was a must-​try while in Manchester, and I’m so happy I made it to this Australian-​inspired eatery.
I ordered the bircher muesli and a latte. I’m not sure what I was expecting the muesli to look like when plated, but it was really quite exceptional — the muesli was surrounded by fresh fruit and a honey drizzle, and topped with a garnish. The portion looked small, but it kept me full all day. The latte was standard, and a much-​needed caffeine buzz. Both were super aesthetically pleasing, which is all I ask of my brunches, if we’re being honest.
Everything was served quickly (once I figured out how to order — which, PSA, involves going up to the till after you’ve been seated — don’t make the same mistake I did and sit waiting for service for twenty minutes). The staff were friendly, and they didn’t seem to be too judgmental of my solo-​brunch status. All in all another great brunch experience.

This is still a relaxed and chilled out place. Finally got to try my Matcha Latte (£4.00) with a slight sweetner. This is very instagramable drink but this drink is a bit powdery and for that price I wish you get a bit more, as this is similar size to a small you get from a chain coffee shop.

We’ve been here a few times and it’s probably our favourite café for breakfast in Manchester! The food is just delicious, I love the halloumi and smashed avocado with poached eggs, yum! There is sometimes a wait for a table but it’s worth it!

Federal is a great little spot just next to the Shudehill Interchange Bus Station. If you’re taking the bus to Manchester this is an excellent coffee or food spot in between travel.
The choice of food is good, more on the pricey side but portions are big so come hungry.
What did we eat:
Smashed Avocado with poached eggs, sourdough toast, and extra bacon
Halloumi and Shrooms — sourdough toast, poached eggs, halloumi, garlic and thyme mushrooms, tomato, rocket
Pressed Juice Special of the Day
PROS
Good portion sizes /​good value for money
Popular dishes like smashed avo, cream cheese bagels
Good service
Excellent presentation
Easy to find
Tasty Food
CONS
The special pressed juice didn’t taste great and didn’t look great
Peak times such as Sunday afternoon for brunch invites queues into the entrance so can get cramped
London prices
The tomato in the Halloumi and Shrroms didn’t complement the dish and was quite sweet
Great place to visit but Manchester has some other hidden brunch gems too. Due to its popularity, it may need to expand as it was quite cramped with people queuing inside the small room. Beautiful presentation and tasty food bit I think they would benefit from some more original dishes too :)
Sophie

This place is amazing
Staff friendliness ⁵⁄₅
Food quality ⁵⁄₅
Atmosphere ⁵⁄₅ for a café
I tried the Haroun and Shrooms. It was delicious.
Honestly you can’t go wrong with this place everything was good.

This has certainly become my recent go to place for brunch when in Manchester. I have been here on several occasions and haven’t really understood what all the fuss was about in previous visits… But this was my own fault due to bad menu selections. They are certainly following trends and offer both crispy bacon and sour dough toast in pretty much all the dishes. I really hate both of these, hence my lack of enthusiasm before…
However swap the sour dough for a bagel and the crunchy bacon for smoked salmon and Federal suddenly becomes my favourite brunch spot. The eggs are cooked to perfection, and my hollandaise sauce was thick and flavoursome. Amazing.
The coffees are also very good here, and although it can get busy, service is always efficient and served with a smile.
A must visit if you’re after a great breakfast but you can’t get up before noon. Brunch all day is the best way!

Federal Café has a bit of that stripped back appeal that the NQ abounds in but they haven’t gone overboard, bare wood floors, a neutral wall colour and great white tiling behind the counter and kitchen, stylish and modern.
If you love your coffee you won’t be disappointed. The Baristas here are exceptional.
Great British made coffee from Ozone coffee based in London (hopefully in time these guys will introduce some of the exceptional local roasters too such as Passion Fruit or ManCoCo).
The breakfasts are simple and unpretentious but supremely tasty.

I’m a young urban northeastern American female, so naturally, I am very into brunch. Federal satisfies perfectly. The menu isn’t extensive, but includes all of the hearty, healthy staples your heart might desire.
I had the halloumi and mushroom toast with smashed avocado, and was expecting a slice of toast on a small plate — what I got was a huge platter of food that kept me satisfied all day. My friend ordered a bagel, which was likewise delicious and was probably the best bagel I’ve tasted outside New York State. The high point of my meal was the mimosa, which was pulpy and fresh.
Star deducted because ordering is confusing (it’s set up like a full service restaurant but you order at the counter) and there’s a long wait for food when it’s busy. If you have the time to spare and love breakfast food, Federal is a great way to start a day out in Manchester.

I love grabbing breakfast at federal, it has such a great atmosphere and a real urban modern feel.
The café is a little small but I think that’s what builds the character of the place. Because of the size waiting time can be a little while but it is definatley worth the wait.
I had the haloumi with shrooms which was an amazing meal with sourdough bread, pouched eggs, with sauce haloumi and yes mushrooms. This meal was absolutely delicious would highly recommend if your feeling hungry!
If your a coffee lover like me you will not be disappointed in federal café and bar as the coffee is delicious and they have so much choice. I have a new favourite which is the piccolo.

I had the Smashed Avocado; poached eggs, bacon and avocado sitting on sourdough. It was delicious! Great combo served on superbly baked sourdough, and it goes down well with a morning latte.
The café is situated on the corner of Nicholas Croft/​High Street running along the tram line from Shudehill to Market St in the Northern Quarter. Inside, it has hard darkwood furnishings that resonates the Australian/​NZ vibe, and the size gives you are nice cosy setting.
I hope to return soon to sample more from the menu, both food and coffees.

Finishing yet another 12 hour night shift. we needed a drink and a hearty breakfast.
I had been here before for coffee but always found it too busy to order food. walking in we were met with a large queue of business men, waiting to grab their coffee and sarnies. A lady behind the counter shouted for us to grab a seat.
The tables are very small and it makes you feel like your sat down to breakfast with everybody. anyway the menu consists of eggs done any way, bacon, granola yogurts, sarnies omelettes.
After pondering a short while I settled on the smashed avocado, smoked salmon, poached eggs on sour dough bread for a tenner. My partner in crime opted for the bacon with poached eggs…
Unfortunately, despite there was a new waitress you still had to order food at the counter. which causes a little chaos from those who have to battle the flustered business men.
Finally I got to the counter and sheepishly requested a blood orange screwdriver at 8.30am.I explained we had finished a night shift. This was granted .
When the food arrived it did taste as good as it looked with perfect poached eggs and creamy avocado. I tried a little of my friends bacon which was very crispy but too salty for me.
To finish we had a coffee each after our vodka oranges which also tasted great.
Overall I think they need to divide the commuters queue from the diners by taking orders at the table. Also I found mine a tad expensive for what it was. Service was friendly. I may try again.

Although Iv only been here a couple of times, and only once to eat, I’m giving it 5 stars purely for its purpose. The fact Manchester has an Aussie themed café is amazing! About time! A place that does smashed avo with eggs and smoked salmon, sourdough toast, matcha lattes… And banana bread!
It’s clearly a close topic for me about Australian inspired food and drink. When I moved back from aus, I was shocked to see how behind Manchester was with healthy eating and just breakfast/​brunch options in general.
The food I had didn’t disappoint, and there were so many other options on the menu I can’t wait to go back and try. I’m just overly happy Iv found a place that sorts out my sourdough toast, avocado and banana bread addiction.
A great place for breakfast/​brunch /​lunch!

As it stands, my favourite breakfast/​brunch place in the city. I only say as it stands because I haven’t visited every single breakfast/​brunch establishment (2016 goal right there).
Back to the review, Federal is awesome! They have a great menu with a different twist that your regular breakie menus and some healthy options at that! A popular choice is the smashed avocado but I went for poached eggs on sourdough toast with bacon on the side — amazing — and the bacon was some of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Oh and the juices, especially the Superman juice, are fantastic. The Superman is blended fresh in the café and contains like 100 of your 5 day; Kale, Avocado, Lime juice, chia seeds and a dozen other really super über healthy ingredients. I read the ingredients before I had it and expected a horrible taste — nope — delicious!
Pretty obvious that I like this place, I’ll be back!

Last time I visited here, it was a decided 4, but upon visiting again I really have to give them an upgrade.
Yes, ordering at the counter is still something I’m not a fan of but everything else was epic, so its deserved. This time I had a milo with almond milk (served warm) which was just perfect — these folk understand the delight that is milo and how to serve it. Followed up with a massive smoked salmon bagel which was generous and delicious.
This place is super cool and located just on the corner of the NQ and is well worth a visit.

Federal was the best breakfast I had in Manchester.
A delicious Australian inspired spot, they had my favourite breakfast right now, which is smashed avocado on toast. And they do not skimp with anything, lots of bread, veggies, and when I ordered bacon they piled it on. It was massive amount of food and all delicious.
The rest of the table’s food looked great too, including the French Toast, which came as a towering artistic structure of deliciousness.
It’s a small space, but we still managed to fit 10 around one of their tables. The staff was friendly and the food came out reasonably quick for our size people.
If you’re in Manchester and looking for breakfast, this is where I tell you to go.

Another day, another breakfast, but another great breakfast. I really liked Federal, the portions were large and the coffee was strong. Coffee wise it really feels like these guys know what they are doing — as soon as you walk in the door you are hit with the waft of roasting beans.
It was really hard to choose what to eat from the menu, in no way is this a criticism, what I mean is that nearly every option sounded mouth watering. I eventually opted for the tried and tested Eggs Benedict although I knew that in the next 30 minutes I was going to experience some pangs of food envy.
That prophecy came true when Jonny Q’s french toast came out piled on his plate and topped with clotted cream. Mine by comparison looked truly boring. Have you ever hear the phrase ‘empty cans make the most noise’? Well in this case I think my eggs benedict spoke for itself. The bacon was incredibly morish, to the point that as I ate my last rasher I started ripping tiny bits off so it would last longer.
The vibe is most definitely hipster but don’t let that put you off — they’re a cheery bunch in here! Easy 5 stars — one of my many Manc highlights.

Having taken a Friday off work I decided to get up bright and early to head for a spot of breakfast before taking to the shops to finish some of my Christmas buys.
Wanting to start in the Arndale Federal was the perfect location to meet given the weather was a bit hit and miss. This place is tiny inside with only a handful of tables I’m glad I gave it a go mid-​week to ensure I snagged a table!
I was stuck between the eggs benedict and hallomi and shrooms on toast. After much deliberation I opted for the benedict to pitch it against other cafes in the NQ and I wasn’t disappointed. Served with smoked salmon, buttered spinach and lashing of hollandaise sauce — just what I needed to set me up for the day.
I then saw a number of hallomi dishes being served and I will now NEED to return to taste test something a little different for breakfast.

If you believe what people say then breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Yesterday my friend Beth and I visited Federal in Manchester’s northern quarter to get our morning food and beverages.
We walked in and were told we can order at the bar when we are ready, personally I am a fan of these relaxed café’s and restaurants… especially at breakfast time. I cant stand being fussed over too much before I have had at least one caffeinated beverage. We both ordered the eggs Benedict which was fantastic both in presentation and taste. It was brought over to our table quickly and was eaten in exactly the same way… fast!
This is a really great place, relaxed vibe, fantastic food and someone working who has great taste in music. Bravo Federal.

Breakfast time was here again and although I could have easily gone for the Teacup staple I love and know so well it seemed only right, being my first week at Unilocal,that I open my trusty app to check out the new breakfast spots in the area and give one a whirl. So off Dan and I went to Federal Café and Bar, a New Zealand and Australian inspired Café.
And what can I say, Unilocal,you’ve done it again! Federal is a real find. Located on the edge of the Northern Quarter, this little gem is a standout breakfast bar with fantastic food, fantastic staff and a brilliant overall theme that JUST WORKS.
It’s the attention to detail that really sold this place for me: water served in empty milk bottles, condiments provided to you in a tin food tray, pretty flowers in unique empty beer bottles — everything screamed simple yet effective!
And the food, oh the food! I opted for my old faithful — eggs benedict with bacon. The eggs were poached beautifully, the spinach was a nice added bonus, the bacon was slightly crisper than I’d like it usually but I still gobbled it all up, the sourdough bread was crunchy on the outside and perfectly light and bouncy on the inside and the hollandaise, well, it was the thick and creamy and the perfect amount to bring everything together! As you can probably tell I was in breakfast heaven and I just did not want it to end!
TO NOTE:
They also serve cakes and as its a bar, so alcohol is readily available. If you weren’t aware of this they remind you via their wifi password: wesellbooze — just brilliant!

Solid Sunday Brunch spot — this was my first time here and I already know I’ll be coming back soon. On the edge of the NQ and in a very nice rustic bar-​like establishment.
Gets very busy during weekend ‘brunch’ hours so be ready to wait 20 – 25 mins for a spot for 2 during peak times. Helps if you’re waiting with someone who has top chat to pass the time by ;) But the food was definitely worth it.
Some advice: sharing plates are definitely recommended esp. if you’re with your significant other. My friend got the Smashed Avocado on Toast the bacon and I ordered the French Toast. Both came with generous portions of toppings so it may be a bit hard to wolf down on your own. Instead we just shared both and that meant double the goodness.
Price range is reasonable — was around £8 for each of our dishes.
Huge plus, the bacon here is crispy salty and loaded with flavour. I think after a bite of this I knew this place had a special spot in my heart.