For this Ezra & Gil Manchester review, I headed to Peter Street to find out whether one of the city’s most talked-about brunch spots really lives up to its reputation. Manchester knows a thing or two about brunch: beautiful interiors, inventive menus and enough photogenic breakfast plates to keep Instagram occupied until lunchtime. Yet, as I discovered on a particularly wet Manchester morning, a fashionable address doesn't always guarantee a memorable breakfast.

We visited the Peter Street café, just along the road from The Edwardian Manchester, where we were spending the weekend. You can browse the menu and find the café’s details on the official Ezra & Gil Peter Street website.

Ezra & Gil had been on my radar for some time. Frequently mentioned among Manchester's best breakfast spots, it certainly comes with a reputation. But does the food deserve the attention, or has the hype started doing some of the heavy lifting?

Ezra & Gil Manchester Review: First Impressions

A queue greeted us on arrival. Ordinarily, I'd take that as an encouraging sign. Twenty minutes later, standing outside in the Manchester rain, my enthusiasm had begun to wane.

To their credit, staff provided umbrellas, a thoughtful gesture. Nevertheless, there's something faintly ridiculous about sheltering from the elements while waiting for the privilege of buying breakfast.

Still, we weren't in a hurry. It was a leisurely weekend morning, and we were curious to discover what all the fuss was about.

Once inside, the appeal became obvious. Ezra & Gil has mastered the modern brunch aesthetic. Stylish, lively and effortlessly Instagrammable, it's the sort of place that makes you photograph your coffee before taking the first sip.

The atmosphere has a genuine buzz. However, beautiful interiors can only carry a restaurant so far. Eventually, the food has to do the talking.

Breakfast at Ezra & Gil: Plenty of Promise, Less Punch

On paper, the menu sounded rather lovely. Inventive combinations, interesting ingredients and plenty of dishes promising something beyond the ordinary.

We ordered the chorizo and Bury black pudding breakfast hash from the October specials, smashed avocado on sourdough with sausage and bacon on the side, and three hash browns with E&G chive and black pepper mayo and Parmesan.

It's a line-up that ought to make breakfast rather exciting. Unfortunately, the flavours didn't quite deliver.

The October breakfast hash

Chorizo and Bury black pudding sound like a brilliant pairing: smoky, rich, savoury and full of character. Yet the breakfast hash didn't quite deliver the depth or contrast its ingredients promised. Pleasant enough, certainly, but not a dish I'd be thinking about later that afternoon.

The smashed avocado on sourdough

The avocado on sourdough, with sausage and bacon ordered alongside, looked the part too. Again, though, it lacked that little something to make it memorable. A sharper edge, more seasoning, a more confident balance of flavours. Something.

The hash browns — and the mayo worth mentioning

Then there were the three hash browns with Parmesan and E&G chive and black pepper mayo. The hash browns themselves had all the hallmarks of the frozen supermarket variety. I can't say for certain that they were, but that was certainly my impression.

The mayo, on the other hand, was the best-tasting thing across all three plates. The chive and black pepper gave it the lift and personality I had been looking for elsewhere. A rather delicious little condiment, doing more work than it should have needed to.

Nothing was particularly bad. Everything was perfectly pleasant, in fact. Yet there was a noticeable gap between the menu's ambition and what actually arrived on the plate.

In a city where the brunch competition is fierce, those details make a difference.

Ezra & Gil Manchester: Is the Wait Worth It?

Having spent twenty minutes queuing outside, we waited approximately another thirty minutes for our food. That's almost an hour between arriving and eating.

Now, I'm all for a leisurely breakfast. There's something rather lovely about lingering over coffee when you've nowhere particular to be. However, there's a difference between choosing to take your time and simply waiting.

The atmosphere remained enjoyable, and the delay didn't ruin our morning. Nevertheless, it made for a lengthy commitment to a breakfast that ultimately failed to impress.

Is Ezra & Gil Manchester Worth the Money?

Interestingly, I don't think the pricing is the problem. For a popular city-centre brunch spot, the prices felt reasonable. I certainly didn't leave feeling overcharged.

What I questioned was whether the overall experience justified the anticipation. After all, there's a difference between offering fair value and being worth going out of your way for.

Ezra & Gil arguably achieves the former. I'm less convinced about the latter.

The Hey Lolly Verdict: Style Over Substance?

I wanted to love Ezra & Gil. The setting is attractive, the atmosphere lively and the menu has all the makings of a brilliant brunch destination. However, the food never quite lived up to its promise.

Perhaps expectation plays a part. When somewhere attracts so much attention, you naturally anticipate something special. Consequently, when the experience turns out to be merely nice, it's difficult not to feel a little underwhelmed.

Would I return? Possibly, if I happened to be passing and there wasn't a queue.

Would I stand outside in the rain for another twenty minutes? Probably not.