Takk

On my amazing food-​crawl through Manchester (see also: Northern Soul Grilled Cheese and Federal Café) last weekend, I stopped by Takk to get a mid-​afternoon coffee and kill time before my train arrived. I’m so happy I picked this «Scandinavian-​ish» café to hang out in!
The vibe was very pleasant and warm. Though I sat in the front at one of the stools by the window (to watch the Manchester rain pour down, naturally) the shop seemed pretty expansive, with lots of seating and varying levels of space/​privacy.
Had I not still been in a solid food coma from Northern Soul, I would have tried their pastries, but I did order a flat white, and was utterly impressed. It was pricey (especially for how small it was), but worth it!

Had an enjoyable espresso and ginger flapjack at Takk on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I was only here briefly but I intend to visit again. The WiFi was free and easy to use.

The only thing I liked about this place was the art work and the cups. The coffee was mediocre and the shop felt anything but Scandinavian. Service was fairly slow and probably won’t be paying them another visit. Nej takk!

The best coffee in Manchester.
Taak is one of the few coffee shops to serve filter coffee. They always have a couple of single origin coffees to choose from for those of us who prefer filter to espresso.
They also have regular coffee tasting events which allow you to try different coffees and brewing methods.

I always like it when a coffee shop has some take home stock like bags of beans from their coffee supplier or some kit (aeropress, v60 etc) I find it is a very good indicator of a place that has a passion for their industry and therefore make a decent drop.
A very comfy coffee shop with edison bulbs which give that warm golden glow, floor boards and brick walls add to the place making it modern yet relaxed. With the businesses around it’s not surprisingly to see lots of people on laptops sending emails or finishing off reports.
There’s a bookshelf at the back of the coffee shops filled with an assortment in case you walk in without any reading material.
I’ve stopped in several times on my way to and from other places and always found the staff pleasant though not as talkative as some coffee joints around MCR and the flat white is very tasty. I will have to drop in for some of their food in future.

A great coffee shop with a relaxed cool vibe. There are always a sea of people on their various apple devices, so its very Northern Quarter and a great afternoon creative time place to be. As a fellow bearded gent, I love the bare bricks, but all the attention should be placed onto the coffee and cakes which are always an absolute treat. A welcome change from a chain, and a great place for a relaxed meeting.

One of those unusual stylish places that I’m not sure if I like or not. It’s all very hipster, the bench sharing seats and old school desks still with school days graffiti.
This doesn’t create the most comfortable seating to be honest, but the coffee is exceptional with a perfect balanced blend that isn’t one for ass kicking strength… This coffee is about taste rather than kick.
Like most independent coffee houses, the prices are pretty high. The reason to be here is to enjoy a great coffee and hang out with friends, it’s got a decent vibe and the staff are helpful. Good place to pick up some coffee for your home machine to boot :)

Wannabe hip in a developing area, and doing it well. Very good cappuccino. Tasty peanut butter brownie. Nice looking lunch menu though we were not game for lunch. If consistent, could be five stars.

Talk coffee shop is situated in the Northern Quarter. You order your food at the counter, which I ordered toast, and you get a choice of bread and tea, which were served in a cup. It was priced at £2.50, which I think is a little expensive for a cup and not a pot, but the experience is very nice and they have a lot of very nice home-​made cakes for you to choose from.

This place has so many memories. It’s fab, having been since it opened several years ago I’ve watched it evolve from just coffee to cakes /​sandwiches and be full with no where to work.
I love it here and am super proud of how they have grown.
When I have meetings I take people here, super cool Icelandic coffee shop on Tarriff street.
Love

Currently my favourite place to get coffee in the city. Unmistakably in the Northern Quarter, as the beards, brickwork and bare lightbulbs quickly indicate, Takk is a place you can come to spend alone with a cup of coffee and a book; for a quick coffee date with a friend (or laptop!), at one of the school tables along the wall; or in a large group, huddled round the beautiful new bespoke long table.
They serve excellent espresso-​based coffees, as well as a rapidly rotating selection of longer coffees made with either V60 or Aeropress. In summer, their cold-​brewed coffee over ice is just the ticket. The quality and variety of their coffee is easily among the very best in town. A selection of moreish cakes complements your caffeine hit well.
Their sandwiches always look appetising, though I can’t comment from experience. I’ve stuck with their weekend brunch menu, where the fine-​dining background of the kitchen staff shines through in plates with levels of craft and flavour above those of your typical coffee house. Their huevos — spiced beans, black pudding and poached egg piled high on a sourdough base and accented with herb oil — is a particular favourite, as is their bacon, avocado and chipotle ketchup sandwich. If you’re after something lighter, the baked egg with salmon or the granola will serve you well. Repeat visits to explore the menu are well-​rewarded and highly recommended.
A spartan, Icelandic-​inspired aesthetic may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re in search of excellent coffee and delicious food. Once you’ve been to Takk, it will be.

The last place we went to in Manchester, and one of the best in the bunch. Icelandic based, it’s really nice looking, with exposed brick, a cool bookcase across the back wall, and a graphic map of Iceland filled with all the cool things that the country has produced.
It seems it’s pretty serious about it’s coffee, with roasts from Berlin, Bristol, as well as it’s own blend. The staff were all really nice, and you can tell they were really enjoying themselves, jigging along to the tunes while they were making up the drinks. Not being a coffee fan I can’t judge them on the quality of their drinks, but the place was pretty busy even close to opening time on a Sunday.
I can talk about the food though, and the breakfast I had was a bit of a winner. I went for the Takk B.A.C, and it was brilliant: tasty bacon, avocado that wasn’t too overpowering (I can live with it, but I’m never too keen when it’s the stand out flavour in a dish), and a fantastic chipotle that really made the thing zing. The bread was also nice and soft, so it didn’t rip the top of your mouth off.
Free wifi, and a relaxed atmosphere means that this is somewhere you could spend some time in and really enjoy. A bit of a gem.

I am most definitely biased (my brother works here), but I think Takk is probably the premier coffee shop in Manchester city centre, or at least a very strong contender for the crown, which is saying something considering the growth in the coffee scene in the city over the last 2 or 3 years.
The Icelandic theme that Takk opened with and takes it’s name from mostly comes through from the atmosphere of the shop, it’s relaxed but with a buzz of remote workers and friends catching up, with the recent addition of a long table to break up the small school-​like desks there’s somewhere for most people to sit — at least until all the remote workers fill up the space with their fancy macbooks and the like.
The coffee here is exceptional, and is really what Takk is all about, bringing great roasts from Bristol as the backbone of their offering, supplemented with speciality single origin coffees from everywhere you care to mention and coffee in all its myriad options, from ubiquitous espresso-​based coffees to siphons and v60s, if you like a coffee then Takk is the place to come. You can also buy bags of the beans they brew with to try and recreate the effort they put in here at your own home.

Yep, I love this place
The coffee is superlative with a regularly changing selection for Aeropress, V60 and espresso-​based drinks. The food has become a super staple for the brunch crowd with a distinct highlight of the Takk Huevos, and the pastries have improved immeasurably since my last review about six months ago.
Most of all, it’s the atmosphere that will bring you back again and again, with coffee knowledgeable staff, mismatched schoolroom furniture in an industrial aesthetic, music, wifi and reading materials on tap, and the chance to catch stars and celebrities when they’re in town…
In a continuously developing café scene in Manchester, with a new tea/​art space opening soon, a new independent bookshop with food and drink, and the improvements to longstanding staples, Takk remains a lovely, warm place for a quick coffee or a leisurely meal, so much so that it’s often busy, busy, busy, so be prepared for a wait: it will be worth it, I guarantee!

I’d read some great reviews about Takk and heard some good things too, so today I popped in for a coffee and a spot of lunch.
What a lovely place. It was very busy when I arrived, and there was one small table left in the corner. The guy behind the counter suggested i go and throw my coat on it so that i didn’t miss out. What a legend.
It’s pretty large inside, i think midday on a Saturday was just their busiest time. The exposed brickwork gives the coffee shop a great look. I was intrigued by the bookcase — i didn’t go and have a closer look, but i can imagine this coffee shop being the type of place you could spend an afternoon reading. It really is lovely.
There’s free WiFi and plug sockets dotted around the place — and i saw a few people working away on laptops in here. It’s a good environment for it.
I ordered a latte — which was very good. I also ordered the B.A.C sandwich — which consisted of smokey streaky bacon, smashed avocado, tomato and chipotle ketchup on soft crusty bloomer bread. One of the best sandwiches i’ve had for a while. I had a rose lemonade too.

I’ve gotta say that I’ve been going to Takk on and off since it opened a couple of years back and if the truth be told, I never really enjoyed it compared to some of the other NQ coffee shops — it just always seemed to be lacking a bit of atmosphere. Fast forward to the present day and it’s actually now one of my favourite hangouts as I’ve been trying to liven up and mix up where I spend my time.
It’s got great coffee, tasty looking snacks (some of the main meals look great as friends I’ve met have eaten) and the staff are super friendly — plus the music is really good every time I pop in.
I’m definitely one of the MacBook brigade who works in here regularly and it does get pretty busy late mornings, lunch times and just after — if you’re after a quick coffee with friends make sure you have a back up plan as it can get packed and you may not get a seat!

Often park on Tarriff Street these days and pop in here on my walk to Piccadilly Station. Can’t drink coffee anymore (caffeine allergy, makes me so sad!!) but did have decafs and teas.
Really the best spot to stop in the NQ for coffee. Bright and airy, exposed brick walls and wooden benches. I believe it’s Icelandic inspired? Friendly staff and loads of people working on laptops so if you need to get on Wi-​Fi this is the place. Quite hipster!

Lovely little place secluded in between the Northern Quarter and Piccadilly Train Station.
Food: The food was delicious! Love the tinned plates.
Coffee: The place to go for coffee fans (V60 & Aeropresso) available. More coffees and equipments are available next to the counter to be taken home. The beans have been roasted in Berlin and has been imported from all over the world.
Atmosphere: Simplistic and warm given the wooden materials and furniture.

I’m a sucker for anything and everything Scandinavian. Takk, for me, epitomises all that I’ve grown to love about their way of life: it’s a simple, stripped-​back, friendly and relaxing space full of natural materials and quirky design.
You can order at the counter to take away, but if you can stay in and sit at one of the tables (most are repurposed old-​school wooden desks which look great), then you’ll be able to soak in the atmosphere whilst enjoying a leisurely coffee, brew and snack.
Pots of tea come to a very reasonable £2.20 and you can get two cups-​worth. They have a decent selection of both teas and coffees (the latter costing slightly more). I’ve now added one of their FORLIFE ‘Stump’ teapots to my wish list — they were great with their in-​built infuser for loose tea and contemporary design.
I haven’t eaten in here yet but what I’ve gazed from other customers’ orders has looked very tantalising indeed. It seems to be more geared up towards breakfast and brunch, with croissants, sandwiches and salads for the most part.
As other reviews have mentioned, it’s popular with the ‘Internet Café’ crowd, so don’t be surprised if many, if not all, of the tables are occupied with bloggers or internet entrepreneurs at busier times of the week.
If you do have an hour or two to while away, head to Takk and you’ll be booking your flights for a trip to Iceland in no time.

A really cool Northern Quarter Coffee Shop on Tarrif Street, its right next door to the Kosmonaut Bar, Its very very cool with great places to relax and chill, Its set out very well indeed and its very open plan, The staff are really friendly and cute, The coffees are great and cost anything between £2 and £2.60, there is also a lovely selection of home baked cakes at £2, the customers are cool and cute too :)
Its one of the best coffee shops I’ve ever been too and can’t wait to go back!