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.
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.
Dahlia Stereo is a Latin American-inspired open-fire kitchen and bar off the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square, with a pitch perfect soundsystem.
Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.
Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.
An Ai Weiwei-inspired menu at Aviva Studios’ dining space The Social, balancing East Asian small plates with a teahouse-style atmosphere.
Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.
Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.
A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.
Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.
Relaxed waterside cafe spin-off of the main Tibetan Kitchen restaurant on Upper Chorlton Road.
Portfolio is a Champagne boutique on Manchester’s Bridge Street, offering a set menu of fine-dining small bites.
Cameroonian chef Ngwafu Tansie brings allotment-grown, plant-based cooking to Bridge 5 Mill’s solar-powered Ancoats venue, pairing bobolo with cabbage parcels and live vinyl.
Pint of mild, limited-run natural wine or cocktail drowning in dry ice? You'll find them all in Manchester. But maybe not together.
Hankering for luxury multi-course restaurants in Manchester and not far-from-Manchester? Look no further. Here are the city's best tasting menus.
Manchester's art scene is thriving - here's our guide to the best art galleries, from artist-led studios to major institutions.
The best cafes and coffee shops we’ve kicked back in across Manchester in recent weeks. You might even describe them as 'damn fine'.
Manchester has a ton of food halls that all do a great job of making hungry people happy. Here are our top picks.
Casual dining doesn't mean low effort. Manchester has a host of laid-back restaurants where you can drop in and kick back.
Whether you’re a proud vegan or merely ve-curious, let us guide you towards the best vegan and veggie food in Manchester.
The world's at your fingertips with free history, art, science and creative capers for all ages in Manchester.
Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.
Manchester’s food and drink scene is thriving. Here are the recently-opened venues who are worth your pounds, shillings and pence.
Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.
Take me there
Contemporary performance, verbatim theatre, dark comedy and a bold vision of Gaza - an eclectic mix for the start of autumn.
Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.
Step into autumn safe in the knowledge that you have the North's very best mid-September guide to food and drink in Manchester and beyond.
Our latest exhibition picks include a lost recording of the Strangeways protest, Manchester's first sound art festival, and queer archives revisited.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.
