GiGi Gusto Griglia
Ian Jones, Food and Drink EditorVisit now
GiGi Gusto Griglia
- Monday12:00pm - 10:00pm
- Tuesday12:00pm - 10:00pm
- Wednesday12:00pm - 10:00pm
- Thursday12:00pm - 10:00pm
- Friday12:00pm - 11:00pm
- Saturday12:00pm - 11:00pm
- Sunday12:00pm - 10:00pm
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Like the star of the same-named 1958 film, Gigi is not the shy, retiring type. This new Italian restaurant is the new hot spot on the Manchester restaurant scene, taking over from Gusto in a grand Grade II-listed block on Deansgate.
It’s a huge, beautiful, bustling space, warmly lit and labyrinthine. Stick The Crystals on, and you could reenact the one-shot Copacabana scene from Goodfellas.
That’s Gigi in a nutshell: old school glamour and vintage Hollywood. The lights are warm, the atmosphere is lively, and the food and drink side is faithful to the classics. Steaks, pasta and vintage cocktails. Henry Hill would love it.
It’s also a who’s who of Manchester hospitality. The kitchen belongs to Stockport-raised pasta big shot Sam Astley-Dean, who you may recognise from the stratospherically successful Onda.
Errant, the team behind Stray, crafted the drinks list at Gigi’s in-house Bar Eleganza – a 1950s-style bar that bullishly bills itself as Manchester’s first House of Negroni. Got six quid? Join the jet set and buy a short. Gigi might be fancy but it’s not extortionate. Top tip: the signature Fig Leaf Americano and Olive Oil Negroni is a startling twist on the standard Italian apertivo, and a success on all levels.
The menu is built for sharing, with the open grill at its centre. It runs from antipasti and small plates such as tuna crudo and octopus panzanella through pizzette and pasta to the grill. Steaks there range from a 200g fillet at £32 to Florentine at £11.50 per 100g.
Special mention should go to the sauces and butters, which include bone marrow with anchovy and a Marmite butter. Sourcing is more than up to snuff, with suppliers that include Wildfarmed, Curing Rebels and Lake District Farmers.
Gigi, or to give it its full title, GiGi Gusto Griglia, is in a building that dates back to 1878, when the Belle Époque era was in full swing over in Paris. One could argue Modern Manchester is going through its very own golden age, and Gigi is a very fitting, very swanky representation of this whole darn thing.
