Fig + Sparrow

Photographers Jan and Emily Dixon opened Fig + Sparrow on Oldham Street in 2013, building a shop that could double as both a coffee counter and a showcase for the artists they'd worked alongside through jobs at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, and Cornerhouse. The rustic, au natural interior has stayed intimate since day one, cards, artwork, and homeware from local and further flung makers filling the shelves around the coffee bar.

Fair trade beans line the wall for anyone wanting to take a bag home, and the space has held its place as one of the go to Northern Quarter stops for ground coffee since the area's early 2010s boom. Long weekday hours, open until 7pm most nights, keep it useful well past the standard morning coffee run.