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.
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.
Elegant Italian cocktail bar with plush seating, low lighting and a peerless drinks menu.
Already based in Paris, Mexico City, Sydney and Vienna, CUPRA’s international expansion is driven by culture as much as cars, and Manchester’s creative energy has clearly caught their attention.
Long-standing Japanese restaurant on Whitworth Street in Manchester with a pleasingly affordable menu.
Cafe, bar, gallery and venue in Withington
The Stables Tavern is an olde style pub in the St John’s neighbourhood of Manchester, where the Rovers Return once stood.
Ban Di Bul is a longstanding Korean restaurant in the very centre of Manchester.
Viet Deli is a small venue, not the kind of place for a sit down meal. Serving only bánh mì, traditionally street food in Vietnam.
Eye-catching banqueting hall in Levenshulme, with a wide-ranging buffet showcasing freshly-prepared Indian and Pakistani cuisine.
Highly-regarded African restaurant in Gorton, with many exceptional Nigerian dishes.
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Take me there
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