The best hidden cafes in Salford

As we’re now coming into the early morning rises and long days, we tend to need a bit more energy.

Sometimes, big franchises don’t give that same feeling of warmth to kick start your day and you want to visit the local cafe or coffee shop.

Despite the expected setbacks of Brexit and what that could mean for many business in the UK, the independent cafe scene in Salford is still going strong.

Here are some of our personal picks and what makes them so special.

The Treehouse Cafe

The Treehouse Cafe on Lower Broughton have just celebrated their one year anniversary and don’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon.

This intimate, family friendly cafe caters to people from all walks of life as they serve a range of homemade vegan and vegetarian food and treats such as their chocolate cakes or salted caramel brownies!

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The Treehouse is a ten minute walk from the university of Salford main campus and yes, they do 10% student discount!

The head Barista Elska, believes there is something this cafe has that others don’t. She said:

“Love. Every single coffee and cake we make is made with love and our vegan products that big companies might not do”.

The GK Gallery and Tea Room

The GK Gallery and Tea Room is a family run cafe on Chapel Street who sell fair trade coffee and products and are host to a fantastic photo gallery to observe whilst you enjoy your brew.

This cafe may be hard to spot at first as they don’t have a massive sign out front, but their coffee is definitely worth the journey.

Taken by Benjamin Stacey — The GK Gallery and Tea room

Something that makes this cafe stand out is that they sell fair trade coffee. The owner, Helen Kirby, said:

“It’s one of the best coffees we can get its triple certified and we try to have as many environmental credentials as we can get really.”

Helen said Brexit uncertainty is a concern.

“We’re already starting to see an impact on some of the prices and I suspect that will only continue and there may be a shortage on things we need.”

Helen emphasised how being a family-owned business means the devil is in the detail.

“We bake as a family, we do gluten free, we’ve never advertised so we’ve grown as a business. It’s a community base people get to know each other here.”

The Junction Cafe

Sometimes, you just want a reasonably priced Sunday fry up and a cup of Joe. Look no further.

The Junction Cafe is a typical hometown ‘fry-up’ cafe known to many in the Salford community.

Here, you can get a range of breakfast and deli foods in a cosy setting.

The owner, Leslie Northall, took over the cafe just over a year ago and has already brought the establishment to a five-star hygiene rating. She said:

“I’ve never ever known a sense of community like it is down here. The people, if there’s anything wrong they help you out.”

“We let people choose, we give them a choice of what they want. You can make your own breakfast up, a lot of cafes wont let you do that.

Leslie said that the atmosphere is something that they pride themselves on.

“We aren’t stern faced. We do have a laugh. We have banter a lot of builders come in and they come for a laugh”