Food review: Over Under Deansgate brings brunch offering to transformative new space

Deansgate’s latest entry to Manchester’s thriving coffee and brunch scene is a venue with a twist. Over Under, the brainchild of owner and founder Ed Barry, is a cosy coffee house by day but when the evening arrives all that changes, with Barry’s team swapping lattes for liquors as the venue transforms into a cocktail bar catering to the city’s thirsty after-work crowd. Sleek, simplistic and modern, Over Under feels right at home in in Deansgate – just a stone’s throw from the 9-5 hub of Spinningfields and shopping crowds of the centre. It’s the third store of its name to emerge after Barry’s two-pronged cafe-bar approach found success and glowing reviews down in London, and while its cocktail leg is yet to debut (the official launch night takes place on Fri 26 Jul), we were invited to check out its brunch offering which is currently available.

Customer service is the name of the game here, with Over Under’s welcoming staff dedicated to going above and beyond to make you feel comfortable and right at home as soon as you enter the venue’s cosy, transformative space. While we peruse the menu over an Americano and Oat Milk Latte (like most places, Over Under offers plenty of milk alternatives), the café’s versatility is explained to us. As their inaugural Northern spot, their clean white and green aesthetic is garnished with some industrial iron, while its table tops flip-over, changing from white to black, during the hour long turn-around slot the venue gives itself each day to change from coffee shop to nightlife spot. Everything on the brunch menu is filling-yet light and happily affordable; nothing is more than £8.50, with a selection of breakfast favourites available like Coconut Yoghurt (£8.50), American style pancakes (£7) and of course, poached eggs on toast (£5).

Those looking for something a bit more lunch-orientated might want to try their chorizo hash (£7.25) 0r reuben toastie (£7.50) – both stand out dishes. With any luck, their cocktail offering will be just as alluring – but we’ll have to wait until late June to find out. Watch this space!

Rating: 4/5

Good For: Breakfast, brunch, meetings in the day, afterwork drinks and dates in the evening. Extra points for being dog friendly.

Over Under, 111 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2BQ, Tel: 07944 494555, www.overundercoffee.com