Grindsmith

Cute coffee shop, serving teas, coffees and a small selection of cakes. Agree with previous reviewers that the seating choice is a bit odd, but the wifi is fast and it was perfect on a Sunday morning to get some work done away from the hubble of brunch-​seakers in more central cafes in Manchester.

I like this place, the coffee, as you would expect, is delicious! But they have a really good selection of teas too! It’s a really great place to catch up with friends but also to get on with some work, there are loads of plug sockets which is very useful!
I wouldn’t recommend coming here for food, they have a limited range of bagels and cakes, they aren’t really trying to tackle that market.
I don’t think I got the best barista serving me, the coffee was great, no complaints there but I tried having a chat with her and got nothing in return. It wasn’t exactly service with a smile!
Overall great coffee and a nice big space for working.

Now — this is my fav local café in Manchester. Love the atmosphere and the staff and the most important thing is the coffee. I can’t count how many times I have been to this café…
I really like the different-​style sitting area. some are more open and some are like a mini lounge. Also the high chair area where you can just enjoy people watching …
I always ordered my coffee Syphon style — where the coffee taste more complicated and the flavors develop after you have a couple sips of the coffee. It is more delicate this way too. I also always have to have a piece of their brownies. It’s toasty on the top and creamy, nice and moist inside! I never ordered a latte here, but have seen that they do pretty cool latte art.
They also have some nice tea, which I enjoy if I didn’t order coffee the day…
A great spot for hangouts, meetings, held events, or just to chill.

This place is fantastic and is deceptively a huge venue. There is loads of space to sit down on comfy chairs and enjoy your coffee and cake.
Speaking of cake, they have a great selection of different baked goods. I had a chocolate brownie and it was superb! As usual I went for a Flat White and that was a good in quality as anywhere I’ve had one.
I really like the co-​working areas in here and there are plenty of plug sockets to charge up your gadgets. I popped in around 4pm so my devices were well in need of a boost after 9 hours of tweeting, facebooking and texting random stuff that nobody wants to read.
I’ll be Grindsmith in the near future for a cake, coffee and all round power boost!

I rarely ever walk down this section of Deansgate so I was surprised to find this coffee shop.
It was early morning and I was in desperate need of a caffeine fix so I decided to pop in.
The theme of ‘Breaking Bad’ struck me as soon as I walked in as there’s a huge picture of Walt on the wall and laid out across the right hand side of the counter is a miniature coffee lab with glass flasks, stirrers and other scientific coffee making equipment.
Upon looking around I was shocked by the sheer size of this place, I don’t know if the white walls and minimalist theme add to it, but this is definitely way bigger than it looks on the outside.
I ordered a skinny vanilla latte to take away. The staff seemed to talk between themselves a lot and didn’t really interact with me which I found a little rude.
The price was fairly average for the city centre, however upon tasting I don’t feel that I got my money’s worth of coffee. Of course I’m aware that lattes are suposed to be milky, but I’m fairly certain that this had a drip or two of coffee in and that was all. Not really what I was looking for first thing in the morning.
They’ve got the fresh crisp vibe but sadly not a lot of character. With a few tweaks and extra décor I think this place could be the perfect spot in the city for a quiet coffee. I can’t promise the coffee will be perfect though!

One of my favourite coffee shops in Manchester.
Love spending time working away here, great atmosphere, great coffee, great staff.
The soups quite good too! :)

A great coffee place which is definitely bigger on the inside. This place is more than a coffee shop. A place that serves coffee and encourages productivity. There are nooks and crannies, rooms and seats for patrons to brainstorm in groups or by themselves with power points dotted around. This is because they share the space with Central Working and the Barclays escalator.
On this occasion we were here for breakfast before going to Manchester Central. I had yoghurt with berries and granola on top and my friend had a salmon bagel. It was served on a chopping board and nice shiny gold spoon.
Whilst the coffee may be good, my friend wasn’t entirely satisfied with the bagel as it was all put under a toastie maker. He would have like the salmon served cold and not have the cheese melted all over it and a serviette would have been nice.
Besides that, a great chilled out space.

I didn’t have the same issues with lack of seating as some others have though this isn’t that surprising as I was there around noon on a Sunday.
With lovely vaulted arches of Great Northern Building looming above you and with the open architecture also housing The Escalator, a collective start-​up facility at the rear. Grindsmith makes for an unusual space to grab a coffee. Cafes are an increasingly popular venue to get work done in recent years so it should be no surprise really but it does give this fairly casual space a dual industrious vibe with groups deep in discussion around you even on Sunday.
The staff were quite pleasant. In fact when the waitress brought my coffee over and she saw me reviewing some pics on my camera she eqnuireed whether I was out taking pictures of anything in particular. I spent a few minutes telling her about Chorlton Beer Festival I’d been working the last few days and had been taking pictures of the event she showed real interest. This simple little exchange changed the ordinary task of grabbing a coffee into a much more memorable excursions.
The flat white was extremely good and I went away thinking I would happily return when passing by, though the place is slightly let down by being a bit out of the way on the slower end of Deansgate.

I popped in to Grindsmiths on Deansgate yesterday morning on my way to a meeting.
Upon entering I was greeted by two charming chaps behind the counter so, in turn, served me with a latte and an apple Danish.
The seating is unusual. Mostly made from wooden crates with cushioned tops and extra cushions for comfort. Very quirk, very cool.
My latte was excellent and the apple Danish — well, let’s just say I could have eaten another!
This seems to be a hit for people ‘working out of the office’ as almost every person had a laptop and were cracking on with work. There was even a casual business meeting between two guys happening at the back.
I like this place. I’ll be back.

I love the Grindsmith Coffee shop in the litle wooden pod at the other side of town but this shop lack the charisma of the other place.
I ordered an espresso which was ok — definately better than some chains but I have had much better. I also had to ask for a glass of water which should automatically come wih an espresso in my opinion.
There is a severe lack of seating in here considering how large it is inside. I ended up perching on a stool without a table which wasn’t very enjoyable.
I will visit again if i’m in the area but probably wouldn’t make an effort to come here.

I have big love of the little Grind Smith pop up box, so when I found that it had a big brother closer to work I was a happy woman!
Must larger with a lot of space in the back which I believe it used as a co-​op work space and front of house is just the café.
The coffee her is very good and they have a good selection, do make sure you ask what they have it stock! There house blend is good, but there is usually something better hiding under the counter.
The staff have always been warm and friendly and will point you in the right direction if you unsure in what you fancy.
My only gripe with this place is the seating — which is not as much as a place this large would have. Must of the seating is booths — that one or two people will full.

I really love the Grindsmith space its a very bright open and welcoming area, but i was a little confused by the set up. Grindsmith is actually at the front on the space whilst the back is occupied by Central working (hot desk and meeting room kinda space). This perhaps needs to be made a little more obvious that you shouldn’t really sit up the back if just visiting for coffee… or on the flipside make it more obvious why you can /​should sit up the back. I had my laptop with me and needed to do about an hours work… so if there had been a clear sign inviting me up to use the work space and how much this might cost then i may have tried it and then repeatedly used it in the future.
In terms of food and drink. I just ordered a hot chocolate… of which there are no options. It was nice enough and frothy, but it wasn’t the most flavoursome of hot chocolates, so at £3 is a little steep.
However its obvious they know their stuff when it comes to coffee… so if you’re a coffee lover you should drop by.
They also have food… so i’ll be heading back to try that at some point soon.
More info about Central working below… i’ll read this myself now too so i know more for next time

Grindsmith is located in something of a coffee shop dead zone — towards the southern end of Deansgate — and being fairly close to ‘my end’ of the city centre, I’ve been curious to visit since its fairly recent opening. Upon entering, I was surprised by its curiously dated vision of modernity, with its uninspired design & décor, lift music soundtrack, and faddish touches (such as the iPad till system prodded at by its staff).
Perhaps I wouldn’t have been so surprised by the stale, aspirational environment had I known that they’d labelled one of the booths as a ‘thinkpod’.
Unfortunately, my disappointment was compounded by the discovery that its bombastic name and self-​description, «Espresso & Brewbar», belie the mediocrity of its product: I was served a bland, lukewarm latte not significantly more palatable than vending machine slops (at thrice the price).

So underwhelmed by our recent visit to Grindsmith. I admire their growth — with their small pod on Greengate Square seeming to be a resounding success despite lack of footfall and general Manchester weather — they’ve expanded into this Deansgate unit.
Looking for somewhere for a cuppa and piece of cake to fill that gap between brunch and dinner, I popped in with my mum. It’s my kind of décor, with plenty of industrial charm and mismatched goodies, but that’s about as far as my enjoyment went.
Once we were able to place our order at the bar, we began looking for somewhere to sit. Nada. There are a few higher stools by the end of the bar, but the unit is taken up by essential-​looking items, so there’s nowhere to place anything. Predominantly two people units were taken up, meaning we ended up perched on some stools and ready to create a makeshift table from another stool.
Luckily, when our board of items was ready, the waiter ushered us up some steps and round the corner to some more tables, to which there was no discernible signage.
My tea was good — can’t go much wrong — though I’m not a happy bunny if I cannot get my fingers through the handle! The fruit flapjack looked appealing on the counter but had a very doughy/​gelatinous texture, meaning I left the majority of it. Lemon drizzle cake fared much better, though the cappuccino ordered alongside was barely warm.
I’ll not go out of my way to revisit, though obviously it’s important to support local independents. Just not my kind of place.

Great décor, tasty coffee and really friendly staff.
We popped in here and it had such a nice atmosphere, the staff were really nice when ordering and brought drinks over for us. It’s nice and relaxed once you’re sat down and the layout makes it feel like you’ve got a lot of privacy even though there are lots of people around.
Would definitely recommend and it’s great to see them doing so well and growing so quickly.

Dived in here for a mid-​afternoon coffee after hearing only good things. They have a vast array of fancy coffee preparation equipment and processes which makes you think you’re in some kind of San Francisco coffee bar (the tech start-​up incubator in the same building adds to that feeling!), but we were lame and went for a run of the mill flat white. It wasn’t run of the mill though, it was lovely… served in glasses on a piece of wood with a «Grindsmith» logo cut into it. You really can’t fault their presentation, speaking of which I must also mention how immaculately presented all the staff were in their waistcoats — very dapper!
TL;DR — Great presentation of their drinks and their staff, but the quality is every bit as good.

Well! What can I say about one of my favourite coffee shop in Manchester apart from that its the place to go if you love coffee in Manchester!
This is the Grindsmith on Deansgate with more options in terms of selection of coffees. Almost all coffees are roasted locally in England with the beans imported from all over the world.
V60 and Syphon’s are available here!
The staffs/​owners are always cheerful and friendly!

The new space is now open! Serving a range of espresso and filter styles, there’s much more seating, more food, music and wifi. The staff are super knowledgeable and offer you as much information as you care to ask for. In the setting of one of Manchester’s original industrial spaces, Grindsmith is a perfect stopping off point between Deansgate and Castlefield.

The funny thing is I discovered this brand by jogging passing by this little charming pop up place in summer but my first is to their original site by the River Irwell. I have been to their original location by Irwell river regularly but never been to this one.
I decided to come here before the new permanent coffee house formed next door. Everything here is cute and rustic while the coffee was quite serious. I had a latte with a slice of my favourite Bakewell tart. I really like those Bakewell tarts from Grindsmith and I think it’s even a better version of this English classic than those I had tried in the old town of Bakewell. The latte was smooth and perfectly blended with an aromatic espresso
I can’t wait to see the opening of the new site of Grindsmith on Deansgate.

I’m not sure how long this little place is going to stay here — the barista seemed to think at least another month (from end of Aug 2014), but if you’re a fan of real good coffee and live or work on or near Deansgate then you should try out Grindsmith.
Populating the entrance area of the former Dwell shop, part of the Great Northern complex, the great little coffee company Grindsmith (usually based in Salford) have popped up with their portable coffee machine and started doling out their well made brews.
Minimal is the word here, and quite rightly, nothing more than the coffee trike and a couple of small pallet chairs and tables are here. Just enough for you to grab and go or have a quick chat with a pal.
The coffee is as close to perfect as you can get round Manchester (shout out to Caffeine & Co too), my Cappucino was smooth, rich and the appropriate size — tiny for people that go to Starbucks all the time, but this is the way it should be.
Go here while you can, as it’s a trek to Salford if you’re a City bound type.