The Plaza

You're stepping into one of Stockport's most spectacular spaces every time you push through those heavy doors on Mersey Square. The Plaza's café occupies the stunning art deco foyer of this restored 1930s cinema, where marble columns stretch up to elaborate plasterwork ceilings that make you crane your neck like a tourist. The coffee's properly good - they take it seriously here - and pairs beautifully with whatever cake's caught your eye in the display. You might catch rehearsals drifting through from the theatre, adding an extra layer of atmosphere to your afternoon break. It's the sort of place that makes you slow down and actually appreciate where you are, which is rare enough in the town centre these days.