Italian Food in Manchester

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

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.

Our top picks

Salvi’s Mozzarella Bar

Salvi’s Mozzarella Bar, 22b, The Corn Exchange, Corporation St, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 3TR - Visit now

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.

Mozzarella Sharing Board, Bufala, smoked Provola, Burrata

Don Giovanni

Don Giovanni, Peter House, 1-2 Oxford St, Manchester, M1 5AN - Visit now

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.

Rose veal fillet, celeriac purée, chanterelle mushrooms, garlic shoots

Rudy’s Pizza

Rudy’s Pizza, 9 Cotton Street, Ancoats, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 5BF - Visit now

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.

Image of Rudy's Neapolitian Pizza, Ancoats
Ben Williams

San Carlo Cicchetti

San Carlo Cicchetti, 98-116 Deansgate, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 2GQ - Visit now

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.

Salvi’s Pizzeria Napoletana

Salvi’s Pizzeria Napoletana, John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6FW - Visit now

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.

PLY

PLY, 26 Lever Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 1DW - Visit now

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.

Image of signage outside PLY in Manchester's Northern Quarter
Ben Williams

Where to go in Manchester

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Restaurant
Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar

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Restaurant
Soap Street Pizza

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GET BAKED

Newly opened cakery in Stevensons Square, Northern Quarter Manchester. Get Baked brings all the Yorkshire charm and sweetness one of the city’s most popular squares.

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Manchester
Restaurant
Renae

A music-led bar and creative hub in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

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Restaurant
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The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

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The Daisy is one of Manchester’s more in-demand basement bars, offering an underground Paris-inspired night out.

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