We’ve been searching out the best Italian food in Manchester. Italian cuisine has long been regarded as some of the best in the world, and unsurprisingly Manchester has a series of Italian restaurants that rival the nation’s best. Whether you’re looking for pizza, pasta or something fancier, you’ll find everything you need right here in this great city.
Salvi’s is one of a kind. It stands apart in the Corn Exchange, hidden underground, far removed from all the chain restaurants and smash-and-grab diners. This unassuming but loveable space is one of Manchester’s true hidden gems with wonderfully-cheery staff who know all too well how good their food is, and are damn proud of it. It’s not just the best Italian restaurant in Manchester, it’s hard to think of a better Italian eatery in the whole of the North.
Don Giovanni’s has been one of the city’s most well-known Italian restaurants for over thirty years, providing gimmick-free meals with a focus on traditional Mediterranean ingredients. Keep an eye out for the special events featuring guest chefs such as Jean-Christophe Novelli. Although the regular menu differs from these dishes, when he next returns, it’s certainly worth booking a table.
Based in an up-and-coming area of Ancoats, Rudy’s Pizza has a host of rave reviews and it’s no surprise why. The pizzas on offer are top-class, and the restaurant boasts a charming laid-back feel.
San Carlo Cicchetti is a little Italian outfit tucked under the retail wing of Kendal’s, a diminutive department-store-diner owned by its bigger brother across the road – Manchester dining institution, San Carlo. It is small, perfectly formed and serves the kind of small plates you’ll find in Venetian bars. In other words, San Carlo Cicchetti does a mean line in Italian tapas.
The Salvi’s name makes a good showing in this guide, and for good reason. Offering a bold, cheery and bright cafe atmosphere ideal for dropping in whilst shopping or before a night out, Salvi’s Pizzera Napoletana is the new best place for pizza in Manchester city centre.
The waft of pizza and the soft music are the final pieces in an atmospheric puzzle that makes PLY one of the most welcoming pizzerias in Manchester.
Ego Death is a speakeasy-style secret bar in the Northern Quarter with a cocktail menu as good as its atmosphere.
Relaxed restaurant in the centre of Manchester, serving impressively high-quality steaks at an affordable price point.
Exhibition is an elegant dining hall on Peter Street, home to Jaan and other high-level independent kitchens.
Friendly Coffee Shop that also hosts events in Spinningfields.
Stow is a new fire-based restaurant on Bridge Street in Manchester, from the team behind Trof.
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MAYA is a high-end new restaurant on the corner of Canal Street and Chorlton Street in central Manchester.
Popular craft bakery, selling freshly baked goods on Manchester’s King Street.
Set in the beating heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Off The Square is state-of-the-art music and events space that plays host to live gigs as well as club nights.
A Rat Pack-style restaurant with of live music and upscale Italian-American dining, and strictly no phones.
Charcoal grill yakitori supper club held in a beautiful Tokyo-style backstreet cafe in the North Quarter.
Long-standing restaurant on Albert Square in Manchester, now in its sparkly new street-level location.
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