The former cafe was at the heart of the community and provided vital services, now it’s reopening and nothing on the menu will cost more than £3
12:23, 24 Nov 2025Updated 12:25, 24 Nov 2025
The community café at No 93 wellbeing centre in Harpurhey(Image: Supplied)
A vital community cafe is reopening in Greater Manchester. The venue, which is based within a wellbeing centre in Harpurhey is is being relaunched by an award-winning chef.
The No. 93 Wellbeing Centre on Church Lane is run by Greater Manchester Mental Health Services (GMMH), but the cafe within it was suddenly closured earlier this year. The community hub hosts wellbeing related sessions and courses to support adult’s mental health – and the cafe had become a key part of that, and the local community.
The cafe, formerly known as Crisis Cafe at No.93 served as an-out-of-hours community space open to anyone from Manchester, Bolton, Trafford and Salford, experiencing a mental health crisis, and was a gateway to other services available at the hub.
It offered advice from qualified Mental Health Practitioners and support staff in a relaxed and comfortable environment, avoiding long waits in emergency departments, and became a vital space for those in community that needed help and support.
There was huge outcry when it closed its doors earlier this year, with the space playing host to a number of groups and sessions that suddenly had nowhere to meet. Now, following a huge community campaign backed by local councillors, and the help of Eat Well MCR, the cafe is opening again – this time under a slightly different guise.
Chef Mary-Ellen McTague(Image: Jody Hartley)
Acclaimed Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague who has been behind the stoves at a number of prestigious restaurants is reopening the cafe as the new Eat Well MCR at Café. Eat Well MCR is a Manchester-based social enterprise providing high-quality, chef-made meals to people facing hardship.
Founded in April 2020 by Mary-Ellen McTague, Gemma Saunders and Kathleen O’Connor, it was born from the idea that everyone deserves not just to eat, but to eat well. Working with a wide network of chefs, restaurants and volunteers, Eat Well MCR has so far delivered over 154,000 meals to families in temporary accommodation, women in refuge, children facing food insecurity, and others living through tough times.
The new café is a natural extension of the social enterprise’s mission. It allows Eat Well MCR to show up in a new way – serving fresh, affordable food, day in, day out, to people who live and work nearby.
“We understand that a café isn’t just about food,” says Mary-Ellen. “It’s a place to sit, to feel welcome, to meet people, or to have a moment of peace. For some, it might be the only place they speak to someone all day. For others, it’s a way to eat well on a tight budget. But for everyone, it’s about care.”
The café will serve a warm, wholesome menu with breakfast, lunch and snacks available Monday to Friday. There will be beans on toast for £1, a bacon sandwich for £2, or a full cooked breakfast for £3.
The team from Eat Well MCR at Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards(Image: Manchester Evening News)
At lunchtime, there’ll be jacket potatoes, soups, toasties and daily hot meal specials – both vegetarian and meat-based – all cooked with the same care and attention that visitors can expect in any restaurant. Sweet treats and drinks will also be available, with nothing on the menu costing more than £3.
In addition, the café will prepare and freeze 10 extra meals each day, ready to be handed out to centre users on Fridays to take home for the weekend.
No. 93 Wellbeing Centre is already home to a wide range of free drop-in sessions, courses and support groups that promote positive mental health and wellbeing for adults in North Manchester. From counselling and confidence building to creative activities and peer support, the centre provides an essential lifeline for many.
Mary-Ellen and the Eat Well team have said that new café will deepen that support, offering not just food, but a space to feel safe and part of something.
“This café is as much about people as it is about food,” added Mary-Ellen. “We’re incredibly proud to be working alongside the brilliant team at No. 9, who’ve long been doing vital, often unseen work. We hope the café can offer something extra – a warm seat, a decent meal, and a reason to smile.”
Eat Well MCR at Café 93 is based at No. 93 Wellbeing Centre, Harpurhey. It is open Monday to Friday, 9:30am until 3:30pm.