Dahlia Café on Burnage Lane in Burnage is a women-run social enterprise that sits beneath retirement flats and acts as a meeting place for older residents, according to a feature by the Manchester Evening News (Helny Hobbs, 19 October 2026).

As first reported by the MEN, the café opened in 2023 in space offered by Southway Housing Trust. It is run by SofraMCR CIC, a community interest company whose registered office is at the café's address. Companies House lists SofraMCR CIC (company 14604457) as incorporated on 19 January 2023 and still active.

Residents told the MEN how much the café means to them. “We would be lost without the café,” said Caroline, a resident, adding that people would be lonely without it. The MEN also reported that Najwa, who runs the café, checks on regulars who do not appear, has taken soup to a poorly customer, and has organised trips for older customers to the Lake District and Southport.

The café also works as a training space. Najwa told the MEN she put out a call for women who were skilled cooks but struggling to find work because of their English. Working in the café, they learn English by speaking it with customers, and Najwa helps them gain food hygiene qualifications to look for work in hospitality. “Three years later we've got ten part-time members of staff that were reliant on benefits, and their lives have changed around,” she said.

The menu mixes British dishes with recipes from the Mediterranean and Middle East. The MEN described the roast dinner, which it reported is served on Saturdays and Sundays, as “phenomenal”, and also mentioned shakshouka and msemen flatbreads. Its standout item, the paper said, is the Russian honey cake, with “beautiful layers” and a “deep creamy honey flavour”.

The café is at Burnage Lane, Burnage, M19 1FL. Opening days listed on third-party sites differ from what the MEN reported for the weekend roast, so check with the café before you go.

Sources: Manchester Evening News (Helny Hobbs, 19 October 2026; café role for residents and kitchen trainees, Southway Housing Trust space, Najwa and Caroline quotes, menu including weekend roast and Russian honey cake; photographs Kenny Brown); Companies House, SofraMCR CIC (company 14604457) (registered office at Dahlia Café, Burnage Lane, M19 1FL; incorporated 19 January 2023; active CIC). This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.