A Manchester bakery has said it’s ‘delighted’ to be named in a prestigious list of the best places to eat in Europe.
Much-loved bakery Pollen has been named in Opinionated About Dining’s best Cheap Eats for Europe list for 2024, sitting amongst a number of top eateries on the continent. Yesterday, Manchester’s only Michelin-starred restaurant was named in the prestigious dining guide’s 2024 Top European Restaurants List too.
Pollen started underneath Manchester’s Piccadilly’s railway arch, before going on to open its bakery overlooking New Islington Marina. In 2018, the business expanded to a second site as Kampus in the city centre, featuring a glass-fronted patisserie kitchen, allowing customers to watch the bakers in action.
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Posting about the nod on Instagram yesterday, Pollen, which was founded by Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly, wrote: “Delighted to be named No.54 the @oadtop100 cheap eats list for Europe.
“A huge credit to our incredible exec chef @robcox3012 and his team. Thank you @oadtop100.”
The bakery placed in 54th position in a list spanning 125 venues. Pollen, which has established itself as the go-to for city dwellers in search of fresh loaves of sourdough, cruffins and coffee, is the only Manchester entry in this year’s guide, sitting alongside a number of acclaimed London bakeries and businesses.
Pollen’s follower’s were quick to congratulate the bakery known for its sourdough and viennoiserie too. One wrote: “Congrats! You should be the best!”
Another added: “congrats, u r best!”
Since first launching in the city, Pollen has become a staple for hungry Mancunians in search of a sweet treat. The bakery’s sourdough bread – proved for over 24-hours – and pastries, notably their ‘cruffins’, a cross between a croissant and a muffin – have attracted big queues over the years – and still do.
It’s second site over at Kampus, serves up its much-loved baked treats as well as seasonal menus. Dishes here have included options such as English pea tartine topped with English broad beans, Pollen’s own ricotta and lardo; hogget shoulder hash brown with dill sauerkraut and crème fraiche; and white asparagus with a soft boiled egg, walnut and lovage.
Yesterday, Opinionated About Dining (OAD), a leading source of global restaurant rankings, also announced its 2024 Top European Restaurants List featuring a number of UK restaurants. There are 555 restaurants listed in the 2024 Top European Restaurants List and 93 of those are in the UK.
The only Manchester restaurant to make the cut was mana, the city’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Ancoats. It ranks around mid table at 263, while L’Enclume in Cumbria landed at number 20 in the European list, with Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant at number 37.