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.
Kallos is a Greek restaurant and wine bar in Salford, serving up exquisite dishes throughout the day and evening.
Grand food hall with a superb outdoor space and a smart selection of in-house indie food traders
When it comes to out-there ideas and beautiful Thai-inspired flavours, nowhere else comes close.
Based at Nordie in Levenshulme, Soap Street Pizza put out the perfect pie: crispy base and inspired toppings.
Pip is the in-house restaurant at the long-awaited Treehouse Hotel, headed up by Bury-born chef, Mary-Ellen McTague.
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.
Winsome delivers modern British food, cooked beautifully by chef-owner Shaun Moffat and his team.
Coffee, walls of sound and smart conversation at this pop-up cafe in the Northern Quarter.
A music-led bar and creative hub in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
The Daisy is one of Manchester’s more in-demand basement bars, offering an underground Paris-inspired night out.
Colourful Brazilian fine dining at Caroline Martin’s intimate restaurant, Sampa.
Looking for somewhere to eat outside in Manchester in these hot summer months? Here's our guide to the restaurants in Manchester with the best areas for al fresco dining.
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There's no shortage of places to drink in the Northern Quarter. From hidden bars in launderettes and pawn shops, to record stores and even traditional pubs. We round up the
Manchester's best secret, hidden and hard to find bars - here's our guide.
Looking for the best cocktails in Manchester? We have the lot, to cover all tastes and budgets, to guarantee a good time.
Best roof terrace in Manchester? We know the lot, and we're willing to share our hard-earned information.
Make the most of the sun in one of Manchester's many top-notch beer gardens.
Looking for things to do with babies? Check out some of our top things to do with the littlest tourists before you set out.
Read our guide to navigating the city with toddlers and having loads of fun too!
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
Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.
We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.
We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.
With these lighter, brighter days and warmer temperatures, it's really starting to feel like summer here in the North West!
Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring.
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Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month
Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.
