The 30 Best Authentic italian dining in Manchester

“Went here on a Saturday night for my husband's birthday. Overall, a lovely night and a very nice place to spend it. The staff were friendly and attentive and service was fast. I was a bit disappointed that there was only one choice of risotto, a vegetarian one, so I had that. Must say, it was delicious and lifted to a higher level by the side dish of stir fried chilli veg. We were a party of 8 and everyone enjoyed their meals, though the lobster ravioli was reported to be a bit bland. The staff made an effort to mark the birthday, even though we hadn't told them about it! We would definitely go back, as we had a most enjoyable, if slightly expensive evening.”

“My boyfriend took me here for my birthday dinner and we had the most wonderful evening! Upon arrival we were greeted warmly by the hostess and seated immediately. For starters we had calamari, focaccia and olives - all were delicious! Our mains, the pizza and steak were equally yummy. The highlight of the evening for me was when the waiters brought out a cake and sang happy birthday. Thank you so much to all the staff- you were so friendly and professional, and you made my birthday very special. Grazie mille!”

“We visited for the first time on Saturday 8th November 2025 and we were served by Simona. She couldn’t have been more attentive. The service provided was excellent and right up there with the food. I had the arancini and the carbonara with sides of tenderstem broccoli and rocket. My partner had the scarpetta and lasagne. We both really enjoyed the food, particularly the dishes I picked. Simona kindly made me aware that the carbonara was traditional and not cooked with cream, which is what I expected but I do know people who have eaten a version of “carbonara” with cream who would definitely appreciate this information for their knowledge and to be aware of what they were ordering. Despite our table being booked for 7pm on a Saturday and the restaurant being very busy, we did not wait long to be served or for our food to come out. It was all well presented and perfectly cooked. I’ve already recommended a number of people to visit since our meal and we will definitely return next time we’re in Manchester.”

“We were given a table straight away and were served by a lovely staff member called Kim. The food was delicious and a good portion size. The wait time on the food was incredibly fast as it wasn’t too busy on a Sunday evening.”

“If you're looking for some delicious and authentic Italian street food in Manchester Arndale, then Wolf is the place to be. They offer a variety of options including wraps, salads, and pizzas. I've tried their pizza and it was excellent. The staff are friendly and helpful too. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!”

“Really excellent food staff and atmosphere food was quality service was second to none the atmosphere was really friendly and family orientated”

“Lidia was extremely professional and very friendly as always...! The food was also very good...! We had arrabiata with prawns and it was gorgeous..! We will be back soon...! Until then....”

“Last week we were [invited] to Sotto for "Tales of the Med" with Stir by night which involved bottomless tapas, paella, pizza and pasta Sotto is a fusion of Spanish and Italian cuisines which has resulted in a combination of homely, fresh food made with passion. Our night began with a coktail, the first of many....so the concept for this night was to bring s bottle of spirits which the @stirbynight guys would craft into genius cocktails as we feasted. I was very impressed with every drink they made with my favourite being gin based and served in a glass of powered beetroots, this resulted in a vibrant shokicng pink cocktail The food was crazy. Not just in flavour but in quantity! I have never been so full that I have had to force myself to eat mushroom and truffle ravioli before, it's a favourite of mine and I was tortured by its beautiful smell as I collapsed in a glutenous heap We were served pizza, Spanish tortilla, patatas bravas and olives before a very unique dish was served (The 4th picture) At first glance I thought this was a paella, but it was actually made of pasta cut finely and cooked with clams and parsley. It was very unusual and like nothing I've had before, personally I did not enjoy this as much as the actual paella that was served later on The chicken paella was absolutely beautiful, it was cooked in a traditional method from the region of Spain the owner Athena is from. I filled up on this a bit too much but paella is up there in the lisy of my favourite foods My favourite dish was the deep fried ravioli! Stuffed with spinach and ricotta, deep fried and topped with a tomato based sauce with Chorizo. This was incredible!! Definitely an amazing invention and a trend needing to kick off Overall we had an amazing experience, theres too much food to talk about. Big thank you to Sotto and Stir by Night for having us. Check out Sotto's website for more info on the bottomless tapas night and also read up the VIVA magazine review on google @robbie.reviews on Instagram”

“This was an amazing find. It was a typically rainy Saturday afternoon in Bury and me, my partner and our baby daughter were seeking refuge and a bite to eat. We were greeted with great hospitality and swift service. The baby was hungry so we ordered her something with the drinks. We had calamari and caprese and from the first bite of calamari I knew we had made a great choice. We then shared the mixed fish platter which was absolutely delicious. Best Italian I have been to in a very long time. This place needs to be frequented!”

“I have been here twice now. A real authentic Italian experince. The food is excellent value for money and really tasty. The staff are friendly and polite. I will definelty return again.”

“La Bella offer an awesome range of fresh pizzas. I like my take aways from store. I do it twice a week and always have consistency in food.”

“I asked Ryan's Italian to cater a works event in Manchester City centre and ordered 20 pizzas. The pizzas were delivered on time and hot. All night I was being asked where I ordered the pizzas from as everyone was loving them. Thank you very much for catering our event!”

“Great experience, Zizzi has always been an untraditional Italian pizzeria. Always having new dishes. The staff are really friendly and Rowan helped us a lot specially with the kids toys made my daughter forget about the wanting time of the order.”

“Great experience overall! Very friendly service and great ambience. The food is also good. I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants, but I have to admit that Gusto exceeded my expectations; food was actually quite decent. We went for lunch on a Saturday, 3 people. We sat on the outdoor area, which is very cute and spacious - ideal for those with baby prams like us!. We tried pasta carbonara, roasted vegetables salad, and the burger. We also had some starters. Everything was tasty and very well presented.”

“Was sceptical after seeing a few of the bad reviews on here but we dined there yesterday evening and it was delicious. We were in and out with an hour. Service was amazing and the food was incredible. Will definitely be back.”

“Service was excellent and the food was really nice, especially the desserts. The prices were quite reasonable.”

“Great experience overall! Very friendly service and great ambience. The food is also good. I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants, but I have to admit that Gusto exceeded my expectations; food was actually quite decent. We went for lunch on a Saturday, 3 people. We sat on the outdoor area, which is very cute and spacious - ideal for those with baby prams like us!. We tried pasta carbonara, roasted vegetables salad, and the burger. We also had some starters. Everything was tasty and very well presented.”

“Came for a meal with family and had such a lovely time! Food was amazing and service was even better! Jordan was our server and she made us all feel so welcomed and made sure we had everything we needed! 10/10 recommend, we will be returning!”

“The pizza is so crusty and delicious. The staff extremely respectful and the most important thing, it is very clean, staff using gloves cooking with great care. Would totally recommend!”

“Live around the corner from this pizza takeaway. It's not been open long so tonight we had the pizza takeaway and a garlic bread. First off ,real home baked pizza dough, second was the box was bone dry,no dripping grease under the pizza which was absolutely beut. The choice of garlic bread and pizza toppings are amazing. All in all.10/10 from me. New owners should be proud.”

“Had a lovely family meal here, and the staff were so friendly and accomodating. Management here is clearly exceptional, as the service was very quick and everyone was very polite and helpful. A special mention to Rob who went above and beyond for my family, making sure all the food and drinks were ok (I can confirm they were delicious). Will definitely return on my next trip to Manchester!”

“Nice Italian restaurant in the vaults of The Market Place. Prezzo was busy enough to be buzzing but not so busy that we had to wait. Food was lovely, I had the baked mushrooms followed by a main I can't remember (but was lovely) with truffle oil infused fries as a side. Sweet was sticky toffee pudding which was not particularly Italian, but very nice. Service in the restaurant was very good and they even catered for one of our party who needed his phone charging. Recommended.”

“Very welcoming staff, very good food”

“I had the best pizza and garlic bread I've ever had. The menu is bigger than most national chains and this makes pizzabaker all the better. There is no BBQ based pizza on the menu but all I had to do was ask and it was done, I had a chicken feast and it was amazing, so tasty. The garlic bread was great, so light and fresh, easily the freshest dough I've ever had. I will be back, very soon”

“Absolutely fantastic tasty food. First time I've been, but will definitely be going back. Best lasagna I've ever tasted.”

“Florence Italian Cafe, unit 15 Ashton Indoor Market is very small but often full, and the reason is not hard to find. The staff are friendly, the service excellent, and the prices very competitive. £2.00 for a Nescafé coffee and £2.60 for ham and cheese toasties for example. They don’t do main meals, but well worth a visit for a drink or snack.”

“This ethopian dish called Injera was so delicious. This is the best food in the Arndale market. Reasonable prices and the ladies who own are so sweet and kind; you can tell they cook with their hearts.”

“For anyone looking for somewhere to eat that's a bit quieter than The Dockyard you'll like this and be pleasantly surprised at how it's not much more expensive. Every time I'm here the food looks and tastes great, the staff are friendly and I always feel welcome as its relaxed atmosphere is streets away from the boistrousness of nearby venues. Watch out for match day offers, happy hour and other decent offers.”

“Amazing, delicious pizzas! I won't order from anywhere else. Always delivered on time and steaming hot! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place for pizza (we haven't tried anything else off the menu). Definitely best in the area!”