A pop-up Friends-themed café is opening, so you can visit Central Perk IRL
The Friends crew drank a lot of coffee over the series’ 10-season run, and it’s hard to imagine them doing so anywhere other than the iconic Central Perk. To be honest, we’re still trying to find a real-life equivalent that’s even half as cozy, let alone 90 steps from where we live. We wouldn’t even mind putting up with Phoebe singing “Smelly Cat.” So when we heard that a Central Perk Café is coming to the United Kingdom, we were more than willing to pack our bags.
According to Manchester Evening News, a Central Perk Café will open its doors on June 12th inside the Market Street Primark. Friends aficionados will be able to sip coffee brewed from ethically sourced beans while perusing merchandise from the show, including T-shirts and tote bags. The café is an official partnership with Warner Bros., and will feature plenty of memorabilia to satisfy your nostalgia needs—including the famous orange sofa.
"We are hugely excited to be bringing the first branded Central Perk Café in fashion retail in the U.K. to the British high street," Tim Kelly, director of new business development at Primark, told the Evening News. "Customers can relax and have fun there whilst also enjoying our amazing fashion at amazing prices in our Manchester store."
It’s not exactly “London, baby!” but “Manchester, baby!” just doesn’t have the same ring.
If you can’t make it to the Central Perk Café, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate Friends in the U.K.
This summer marks the show’s 25th anniversary (how is that possible?), and to celebrate, Comedy Central U.K.’s Friendsfest will allow fans in Manchester, Bristol, Milton Keynes, and London to reminisce with plenty of events fit for the fab six themselves. If you can’t make it across the pond, The Hollywood Reporter notes that a book commemorating the occasion is also expected to hit shelves.
We can’t believe it’s been 25 years since Friends premiered. If you need us, we’ll be booking our tickets to the U.K. ASAP.
