Food was excellent, but overshadowed by poor service. Our appetizers were delivered but the…read moreappetizers plates were not, until we asked, and even then only kids were given plates despite there being adults. We were given a small glass of water when we were seated and they were not refilled until half way through dinner. The restaurant owner brought by a small carafe of water soon after he started making rounds, but our waiter's attention was elsewhere.

Lovely food, central location and quick service, what else could you possibly ask from a…read morerestaurant? I went in there for a lunch time meal, which is a great way to save costs without quality compromise. Despite the limited selection the choice was fantastic and I don't think you can go wrong. I have to mention that a charity donation has been added to our bill without asking us wether wanted it. I haven't made up my mind yet whether it's a good thing or not. As one hand if you can afford a restaurant maybe you can afford to donate a pound to charity, on the other I don't like when others decide what should I spend my money on.

Definitely a good choice if you are attending a concert at Bridgewater Hall. Gio offered a prix…read morefixe menu and was quite expedient about service so concert goers can get to the show timely. Food was good, too. Overall a solid performance. We'll definitely be back.

On a wet fall Manchester day, the urge of a good charming little Italian restaurant was on the…read morelookout. Walking on Oxford street and not finding anything until I spot a little place in the corner of my eye. Seemed inviting at a distance therefore took it upon myself to give it a fair look. The closer I was getting, the more it was telling me to walk in. Standing in front of the main entrance, drenched and wet, I decide to walk in the place. First thing, the person at the reception tells me "What happened?" What he really meant to say was, "you're soaking wet". I instantly felt the warmth of the place and got emerged in the Italian family spirit of the place. Sat down at a table and the rest was history. I believe that it's a family owned business with true speaking Italian people. The food was typically Italian, good, plenty of flavors, all of what I enjoy of an Italian restaurant. The rest of the evening was history. A must place to go. Good as a single or family supper.

I came here to celebrate a friend's birthday. From the offset the service was highly attentive…read more Complimentary bread , olives and dipping oil were first served . I can take or leave olives but these were so moreishly flavoured. The menu consists of the usual Italian segments. Meat, fish , pizzas and pasta. The Meat and fish were really pricey so for starters I opted for a antipasti without the bread for and a seafood risotto for mains. My friends ordered a garlic bread to share and pate while I scoffed the antipasti which consisted of various parmaham, artichoke, prawn salad, cheese and chorizo. This was well presented and tasty..definitely manageable for one person! Next the risotto..again this was cooked beautifully and went well with a large glass of malbec. My friends ordered a simple carbornara which looked really rich. To finish we ended the meal with a liquere coffee. Overall this was a nice Italian..I haven't had much luck with the ones in Manchester! But yes quite pricey if you want something other than a pasta or pizza dish..and they do try charging you a optional service charge. Decor and ambiance is classic Italian with bold reds and "romantic. " I might be back after I've checked out the others .

We ended up at this restaurant completely by accident. Somebody had recommended Don Giovanni's to…read moreme, but I'd just remembered that it was at the end of Oxford Street and had an Italian sounding name (my hair isn't even that blonde), so we found ourselves in Giorgio, just across the road. The restaurant has more of an Italian feel to it than pseudo-Italian restaurants such as Felicini, and the staff were Italian too, which added to the air of authenticity. Prices are pretty standard - ranging from £6.50 for a margarita (but who orders a margarita?!) to £17.50 for the sea bass. We stuck to pizzas, which were delicious, but for the more wealthy and adventurous there is quite a varied menu including duck marinated in orange liqueur and several variations on the fillet steak. Vegetarian choices are not quite so exciting though there are still a couple of pizzas and pasta dishes to choose from. So, it's an authentic Italian restaurant with good reasonably priced fare. Why only 3 stars? Well, we were sitting not more than 20cm (I kid you not) from another table. I usually quite enjoy a good eavesdrop, but this was too close for comfort. It felt like we should've been sharing food and chatter with the couple next to us. Of course we're British and were too polite to complain as the restaurant was busy at the time, but this little predicament has encouraged me to head over to Don Giovanni's next time I'm on Oxford Street and in the mood for an Italian.

This place was packed, which is to me a good sign. There is patio seating available, but for faster…read moreservice we sat inside. There is a full, authentic Italian menu. The table next to us had folks speaking Italian, another good sign. Staff were reasonably attentive though we never did get the water we asked for three times. It was a very noisy Saturday and the ambience was pretty fun. As for food, I had the best caprese salad I've ever had (I want to mimic it at home) and 'pasta normale'.

San Carlo has a few restaurants around the city centre, this is their main and larger one, on King…read moreStreet West, just off Deansgate and Bridge Street, opposite the House of Fraser. Being one of the first restaurants to reopen for dine-in, I decided to give this place a chance despite my bad experience at their sister restauraunt, Fumo on New Years Day 2020. The Reservations system is awful, due to the ongoing NHS Track and Trace programme, everywhere from pubs to restaurants must, of course, record their diners information with table bookings wherever possible however the online booking system wouldn't accept either one of my emails, with an off-brand Yahoo email or Protonmail, this meant I had to enter a fake email so I didn't receive any confirmation to my booking, which was concerning. The restauraunt is accessed by a couple of steps but there is a disabled entrance which appears to be unsafe as they place a ramp on a very narrow side-street where there is a curb, meaning it can be very difficult for a disabled person to safely use it. They should speak to Manchester City Council regarding extending the pavement or dropping the curb for customer safety. Big changes to the usual dining experience due to the pandemic included protective screens, similar to buses and supermarkets to separate tables and they used disposable menus. Unlike other restaurants, they still had table service without the need to order on an app. My first disappointment was, of course, the reservations system, and the next a violation of UK law which warranted a complaint to the licensing department at Manchester City Council. They refused to serve me tap water. Under UK law, any place which serves alcohol must also serve tap water. Instead, I had to buy a beverage which I didn't want, an orange juice advertised at fresh (which wasn't) for £3.60. This is serious on its' own as it is a breach of the business' alcohol license. The staff also seemed pretty rude, I was originally told they didn't have gluten-free pasta, only to be told they did (bad communication). They also seemed disgusted with the fact I'd ask for tap water (I don't like drinking with standard lunch meals on my own and prefer water), I also had to ask on three occasions to remove the service charge which is optional (It wasn't stated anywhere), I mean I ordered one course and a drink I didn't want for one person, a service charge is a little much? Interestingly, as soon as I sent an item back and denied the service charge at their sister restauraunt, the staff turned on me and turned "toxic" and it seemed to happen again, the staff member seemed openly angry when I denied the service charge, he sighed and tutted very loudly which made me feel uncomfortable. This is after he pretended not to hear me when I asked to remove it the first two times. The restauraunt was surprisingly busy, I don't think the staff were controlling alcohol intake either, this is supposed to be a classy and high-end restauraunt, with the clientele often including footballers, Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City was spotted here recently. Considering this, the fact they let customers openly walk around shouting very loudly made what was supposed to be a high-end experience, seemed cheap in everything but the price. My Gluten-Free Carbonara, unlike Fumo, came out rather quickly and was hot, however, the pasta just didn't taste fresh and the sauce was so bad, it tasted like dishwater and bleach combined. Gross. I've made much better fresh pasta myself which really shocks me considering the reputation this place has made, I'm not sure if they're trying to cut back on the experience due to revenue lost in the pandemic but that is no excuse for subpar food, rude staff and a breach of the law of the land. Multiple breaches here which means I no longer feel sorry for the business from breaches to customer safety, their alcohol license while serving subpar foods at premium costs. I have no intentions to return to any San Carlo location based on today, propped up by my bad experience at San Carlo Fumo earlier this year. 1*

Located in Manchester's city centre on Clarence Street, just off Princess Street and close to St…read moreAnne's Square, Croma is an "independent gourmet pizzeria", with a few branches around Greater Manchester, with this being their only city centre location. Having been impressed by their Prestwich branch, where I most recently awarded it a three-star rating (previously a four!), I decided to try this out after stumbling across Croma on UberEATS. Originally the app didn't allow me to specify gluten free - this is something which needs addressing however after a quick call with the store, the manager seemed friendly to assist and make sure my order was gluten-free and I could still get my food. The restaurant its self is an impressive old building, it is up a couple of steps to get in - which could be a problem for some. I ordered a Gluten Free Americana pizza, the pizza its-self was quite good quality, the passata was a little runny at times but overall the pizza was a decent pizza, especially for gluten-free, much beating most other takeaways I could have had including Domino. The overall prize was good too for delivery, my pizza came delivered the short half a mile journey to the Hilton Manchester Deansgate for £11, the delivery free was set by UberEATS and cost around £2.50 in that total. The pricing for eating in, however, is pretty much average, with it being a small restaurant they lack the offers which bigger chains do, meaning it could work out slightly more expensive than rivals, including (but not limited to) Bella, Pizza Express and Zizzi. The menu selection is pretty good too, if you like pizzas but maybe not so much for everything else. is this somewhere I'd order from or visit again? Yes, and it does definitely warrant a solid three-star rating, issues with pricing when dining inside, selection other than pizza including starters and sides, and the access issues mean I sadly don't feel I can go any higher than a score which would match Croma's other branch I've visited in Pretswich, of three-stars.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the food here. I have become a regular customer now. Wish I had found it…read moresooner as I now live in Birmingham so I'll be missing it when I go back to uni. But I love it really authentic and quirky.

Great deal on Monday nights here (two for one pizza) and I would definitely recommend the…read moregorgonzola, parma ham and pear combo. Pizzas were cooked perhaps a hair too long and the toppings ended pretty far from the edge leaving you with quite a lot of crunchy base but overall they are a good example of authentic Italian pizzas. I'd like to come back and try one of the risottos - they had some really interesting options. Service was fine - a little slow on some things and inevitably given the size limitations of a pizza oven, not everybody's food came out at once (for a large group I'd recommend getting some snacks to share to stave off hanger). Unfortunately the restaurant became almost unbearably hot as the night wore on and it filled up - I actually had to go outside at one point (and I don't normally overheat). Hope they can figure out some way to combat that.

Amazing pizza! I took advantage of Insolito's 2-4-1 deal on a Monday night (between 5pm and 7pm)…read morewith my Italian friend, as we are on the hunt for the best pizza in Manchester. This is certainly a prime contender for that title. The menu has a spectacular selection of classic pizzas and on this occasion I opted for the Siciliana, which was tomato sauce, mozzarella, onions, salame napoli, origano, and olive chilly, with chilli flakes sprinkled all over it. The dough was a compromise between Neopolitan and Roman, but cooked well, although in an electric oven - my preference is always Roman. I love a thin and crispy crust. The pizza itself was ginormous! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it had a great combination of fresh flavour from the mozzarella, salame and olives with the prefect level of spice. One of the things I loved about Insolito is the Italian authenticity - it is managed and staff by Italians and is really pleasant to see, and the staff are extremely friendly and provide great service. The pizzeria is situated perfectly on Mosley Street opposite the Manchester Art Gallery and near the recently re-developed St. Peter's Square. Inside, it's eloquently decorated with large floor to ceiling windows, which opens up the pizzeria.

We came upon this place by chance just trying to get out of the rain. Sat near the "bar" where the…read morechefs, or maybe pizza baristas, prepare all the delicious food for the fortunate patrons who come in. Best wood fired pizza I've had in a long time. The service was great and the prices reasonable. If you have a craving for good pizza in Manchester, try this one.

True Neapolitan Pizza with dough made fresh every day. We did some build your own options and loved…read moreeach one. We tried the Nduja aioli, garlic aioli, chilli honey dips and all were fantastic. The service was on point and offered suggestions for the best dining experience.

Great place: nice atmosphere, fantastic food and very friendly staff!…read more The visit started with friendly waiter showing us to our table. The menu is quite extensive, and on top of that you have dishes of the day. The staff were also very happy to advise us on the choice when we weren't sure and to explain differences. Portions were quite generous, and the food itself so yummy! Whatever I couldn't finished I took away with me in a box to have a treat for lunch the next day. I would definitely like to come back one day!

Fumo is a San Carlo restauraunt at 1 St Peters Square, near the turning onto Oxford Road and…read moreopposite Central Library. I decided to call here to grab some food, having been impressed with their gluten-free selection of risottod and pastas online, however their gluten-free menu was a pretty lazy laminated list compared to their very good online system - It didn't even describe the dishes eg) what is inside the risotto, type of pasta and it even didn't include some menu dishes including the pumpkin risotto. They have step-free access through the main 1 St Peter's Square building but it is still rather difficult as they seem to block it off with barriers for some bizarre reason. The food is tapas style and I really struggle to comprehend the need for italian style tapas, especially considering the prices are only slightly cheaper than what you'd pay for a full sized dish, meaning if you do purchase a couple (which you have to do), it can work out pretty expensive. The food was pretty slow and when my gluten-free carbonara was served it was cold, it did taste rather nice apart from that however after sending it back for it to be reheated it appeared that they remade it to the point it was sloppy with too much sauce and just not as good: it was obviously rushed and the worst part: it wasn't much hotter? Still being hungry, I decided to order the lobster risotto which is where everything turned. I sent my food back as the risotto just wasnt good, the rice was dry while the tomato flavour was just disgusting, it tasted like vommit. The lobster was even poor quality. After complaining, the manager forced me to explain three times what was wrong with it (he didnt seem to care or pay attention), after I asked them to knock it off my bill he originally refused because 'I already had used a 50% off food.' I mean come on, how can you charge someone for food that poor, looking down on someone for using a promotion they offer to all customers with a reservation anyway? To make matters worse, they charged me for a spaghetti dish which would have cost £4 more than the price anyway which he also refused to change at first. It seemed from that point onwards I was looked down upon, no staff member even looked at me, thanked me or said goodbye and left me to struggle to get out of the store including the doors and barriers - they just didn't care. The atmosphere was toxic and with a manager causing this what hope does Fumo have? No one even apologised to me for my issues, nor did they even explain the unique restaurant concept. A disgrace to the San Carlo name and brand, failing to treat their patrons with any decency. It is a real shame my first review of 2020 has to be a negative one. 1*

I left a review two days ago complaining about the quality of food and service and today I noticed…read morethat on the bill a 10% gratuity was automatically added. We were a party of two so I find this to be ridiculous as well! So again, you can do better elsewhere!

I was FINALLY able to try Rudy's, even though the universe seemed to be against me the whole time…read morebut I finally got in. I've wanted to try this place for some time now, and every time I see people in Manchester asking about the best pizza places, Rudy's is always peoples number one choice. I made a point to want to go there on this visit, so I did everything I needed to do in the city, and then headed over for when it opened so I knew I would be able to get a table. A few people went in before me and the staff member was talking to people a little bit so I had a feeling something was wrong. When I got to the them, it turns out the pizza oven wasn't turning on so there would have been a minimum of 30 minute delay, I could be seated but they couldn't do any orders until the people in had sorted out the problem. I decided to go off and do something else (there's an amazing coffee shop around the corner so I went there for a bit) and then return when, hopefully, it was all fixed. I was gone around 40-45 minutes and when I walked down the street, alongside the extractor vents, I could smell pizza so knew it was all working. When I got in, there was a lot more people inside so it must have been fixed pretty quick and people were going for food. I got seated at the bar area, which was actually where a group of chefs were making the pizzas. I was in front of the one shaping the dough into the pizza shape. I felt a bit awkward looking at them so did it a bit slyly out the corner of my eye. They weren't looking at me so maybe it was as uncomfortable for them as me ... or maybe its just me being an awkward person at a new place. Looking at the menu there was a lot of choice. All of it seemed authentic Neapolitan pizza which Ive never had before so it was new to me. The menu was extensive and I decided to go for good old fashioned basic. HOWEVER, it turns out I ordered even more basic as I got the marinara rather than the margarita ... I did order that but didn't realise the marinara was without cheese. SO that was a shock at first but MY GOD it was delicious. Perfectly cooked and I could see them cooking it, perfect amount of garlic shavings and basil and the sauce and base was to die for. I can see why people say its the best, and there was a number of delivery or to take out orders as a staff member was constantly going out with piles of boxes. On the table where I was there was a tomato tin filled with the cutlery and napkins and a giant pizza cutter which I thought was pretty cool, so I was able to slice my own pizza into whatever sized pieces I wanted. Obviously I ate it how it should be eaten (in my opinion)... into slices and picked up and folded and it was great. I also got a jug of water before my order was taken which I love, and went for a simple blood orange san Pellegrino which came with ice and an orange slice. The pizza was around 9 inch I think ... a good size either way and all in all it only came to £10 which was a bargain. I will, for sure, return and maybe get some cheese on it this time ... and maybe mushrooms as the fungi pizza looked amazing (the guy who sat next to me ordered that) and when I can finally move up to Manchester, I shall order from there more often.

A nice neighborhood spot for a solid wood fired pizza! We visited at lunch and were seated…read moreimmediately.