Tucked away on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre, Patisserie Valerie may be missed by passers by in a hurry, so we decided to stop in at the express store and see if it’s worth a detour on your morning commute. As the brand has also just announced revised versions of 5 patisseries for summer, we also wanted to try some of the new offerings for ourselves.
Opening at 7.30am on weekdays, the store is ready to greet early birds with their breakfast menu selection. Offering both sweet and savoury options, the food menu has a good variety for such a small store. There are some tasty sounding hot sandwiches, including a speciality breakfast muffin which consists of egg, bacon and sausage. Classic sandwiches like tuna, ham and chicken variations are of course available to suit the masses wanting a quick bite to eat. You can also get toasties, of which the ham and cheese always goes down a treat.
For sweet fans, there are pastries to peruse. Standard issue croissants and danish’s are available, alongside warm fruit scones. The Danish in particular looked appetising on our visit, as it is dusted with sugar coating for added sweetness to juxtapose the raisin centre.
The choice of drinks is a versatile collection, including hot and cold options to kick-start your morning. An expected range of coffees is on offer, with option to customise and add your own syrup (we tried the caramel latte). There is also hot chocolate, that can be taken topped with whipped cream for added indulgence. If the heat wave has you opting for cooler choices, there are iced smoothies, teas and coffees to try, alongside juices and fizzy drinks (if you like to start your morning with that).
If your stop is closer to lunch than breakfast, we cheerfully recommend trying one of the bakeries cake slices to treat yourself. Not only do they look delicious, but they taste great too. Patisserie Valerie is known for it’s pretty cakes and if you’re in a hurry you can take one away in a cute branded box and bag, which incidentally is perfectly instagrammable.
For a little store, Patisserie Valerie has much to offer in the form of quick to grab food that is perfect on-the-go or stopping by for a lunch break (there is additional seating upstairs).
