Café Pop, Manchester

The Café is downstairs from Pop Boutique, a colourful niche shop with 1960s clothes and memorabilia. It's more or less independent (part of a very small chain).

It's a youthful, relaxed place; the kind of student hang-out I would have liked to stumble across while I was in Birmingham.

I like the mis-matching mugs and spaces to hide away, plus the appetising vegetarian menu if you fancy more than a drink.

On the downside, when I visited the service was very, er... down-to-earth, and the coffee wasn't great. Maybe both can be explained by the ongoing refurbishment. The chairs weren't very comfy either.

So I'm sure in terms of a good old fashioned "coffee shop" I can find better, but for a bohemian retreat, it's terrific.

Part of Pop Boutique,
34-36 Oldham St,
Manchester,
M1 1JN.

www.pop-boutique.com/