Several old friends were visiting Manchester, and we all met up at Salvi's Cucina to catch up. The…read morenight we visited here it was packed with happy diners which is quite understandable - the restaurant is lovely and the staff and atmosphere are quite welcoming. Tip: Despite the fact that the venue was fairly loud and noisy due to all the people present, the atmosphere was quite calm and relaxed. The staff didn't rush us and we enjoyed a fabulous, leisurely three-hour meal :-) Giovanni (who I think is the owner) went out of his way to make everyone there feel totally at ease and welcome; his aim seems to be to provide each and every guest with exceptional service, and he succeeds admirably! The general quality of the food was wonderful; all the ingredients were premium, and obviously chosen and prepared with loving care. Of everything we enjoyed that night, three things stand out most vividly in my mind - the sharing platter we started with, the house-made pasta dishes we shared for our entrées, and the desserts. It's VERY difficult to go wrong with anything on the menu here. Over and above the food, the wine list features several very interesting choices from various regions in Italy. Prices ranged from expensive to quite reasonable. In particular, I can personally vouch for one particularly massive Primitivo which weighed in with a 14.5% alcohol content which was simply devine! Bottom line: I highly recommend this place for a relaxed and delightful meal whenever you're in Manchester!

I've been curious about Salvi's for a while and was highly impressed by the way they dealt with our…read morebig group - glasses of prosecco were continually refreshed and the starters came on a monumental board and featured probably the best mozzarella you'll get in Manchester. For mains I shared a risotto with cheese and barolo (red) wine. I haven't had much purple food in my life so that alone was quite exciting. It's a very rich dish and might be good to split and share rather than have to yourself. It's got a good strong flavour though, and is something a bit different. I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu.

Top quality food and plenty of it. Staff are very friendly…read more Had the mozzarella balls starter and I swear they were massive. Followed that with the chicken Caesar salad, which turned out to be bigger than I was expecting too. Lovely flavours and will probably be coming here a few more times during my stay here.

This is a great little restaurant inside the Britannia Hotel. It is obviously an italian…read morerestaurant, selling pizzas, pasta dishes and lighter meals like ciabatta sandwiches and salads. It is great value for money and i would definetley recommend it as a place to eat. Its nothing fancy or snazzy, the decor is minimal and it is quite small in size but the quality of the food is great and the prices are very reasonable too. The staff are very friendly and helpful and there is a nice cozy atmosphere in here especially on a cold night!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Salvi's Mozzarella Bar is an independent, family run Italian in Manchester. It is located in the…read moreCorn Exchange and can be accessed through the entrance with steps outside, or by being escorted through the basement by security if you require a lift, which is the case for the majority of the restaurants in the Corn Exchange which have a basement other than Pizza Express. Manchester as a city, one of the main and major cities of the UK is dominated by chain Italian restaurants who have multiple branches to each of their names, so Salvi's is a refreshing change and although the pricing is slightly higher as you'd expect from an independent (they have two branches in the city) with a lack of offers you'd normally receive from the major chains, one could say it is justified due to higher quality food and service than the average Bella, Carluccio's and Prezzo etc. They do have some gluten-free options such as the risotto which I opted for, priced at £14.95 this is perhaps slightly above average but based on the quality and portion size it is justified, however, I do feel a smaller portion perhaps at a lower price would have been a good idea, or perhaps with a side dish such as some form of potatoes, as these were proper Italian sized portions which alongside the traditional Italian decor, reminded me of being back in Rome. (Large A5 menus too!) I ordered the Risotto Ai Funghi, it was seasoned perfectly with a mixture of the parts of the mushroom which made it taste fresh, with good, juicy pieces of the vegetable throughout the dish, added with the saffron it was quite enjoyable. The rice could have been slightly softer similar to other risottos I've had such as at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, in Manchester but all in all the taste, freshness and seasoning was all very good. The staff throughout did seem quite nice, there was slight confusion at first in taking my food order but this was sorted quickly, I also liked that despite being a naturally gluten-free dish they wrote gluten-free on my receipt and when sending my order to the kitchen which of course let them know so they'd cook it separately etc. It would have been cool to see a gluten-free menu or a member of staff talk to me about more gluten-free options (being able to order pizza and/or pasta would have been fantastic), but they still did a good job. I also liked how attentive the staff were in ensuring I was never out of the water, the water was presented in a premium jug which I also liked, it felt as posh as tap water could get. The spirits and booze are also priced well here if you fancy a drink at around £6 for a double mixer. Moving back on to the overall feel - a slightly dark and cool vibe, similar to what one would expect at a proper Italian restauraunt reminding me of being back in Rome also made this a much nicer place to be in than the typical chain Italians which dominate the city. Other than the food quality, I also found the takeout containers to be good quality, with the portion being so big I had to take home just under half of my risotto, it took a few minutes to come back from the kitchen but it was once again presented beautifully in a Tupperware dish and brown paper bag, this is compared to messy, dodgy cardboard boxes and bowls I'm usually given so this was a nice gesture again. I would have liked to see risotto on the menu with meat hower, with the only two I noticed being a saffron and mushroom or seafood risotto, but that isn't meant to take away from the good quality risotto I did have and enjoy on my visit. Also adding more gluten-free options such as pizzas and pasta and talking gluten-free guests through them would also be nice. The main issue I had during my meal was an issue with the grated parmesan which I normally have with my Italian food eating out, I was told it contained gluten which confused me as it is cheese which is naturally gluten-free so I'm not sure if they add something to it to give it flavour, but if they do it certainly doesn't need it and the fact they're adding gluten to cheese really makes no sense, but then again this could have been a rare mistake from the staff member. One of the few good quality Italian in Manchester city centre, not without its flaws such as those previously mentioned and the restauraunt feeling a tight squeeze (despite being large, they seemed to sit all tables next to each other - I understand why they'd do this to improve service and cleanliness but even a gap of one table between customers would have been so much more relaxing and comforting), but overall this is a great, yet not perfect place but the quality of food and service definitely deserves a four-star rating, this once again goes to show how good this place is like the lowest it has ever been rated on Yelp is numerous four-star ratings.

I very much enjoyed the sight of distressed overheated Italians joyously realising that this place…read moreis about as close to being in the piazza back home as they are going to get in Manchester. Aperol Spritz is the best in town and the food looked and smelled amazing, especially the garlic prawns. Am excited to come back to eat. Only thing is they need to get some outdoor furniture - people sitting on the high chairs from the bar in side that were lowered to a uncomfortable level weren't as relaxed as they should have been in what otherwise is a delightful slice of la dolce vita overlooking one of the smartest, if not exactly picturesque, areas of the city centre.

We were staying a local hotel and decided to meet a friend here for dinner due to the close…read moreproximity/convenience. The food was good, no complaints there, however it was pretty disappointing that we had to wait roughly an hour between when we received our starter and when we received our meals. I believe the restaurant was experiencing a staff shortage on this particular evening, however I think it'd be preferable at that point for them to take on fewer guests and be realistic about how quickly food may get out so that the guests they are serving have a pleasant experience. I know this is likely a one off so would not be put off from coming back and giving this place another go in the future, but from our experience couldn't justify a higher star review.

I've visited this Ask several times both for lunch & dinner since it opened in 2015 as it is just…read morebelow my office and have never been disappointed. The service I received was always excellent & you can even order in advance if pushed for time. It's a great central location, in proximity to Piccadilly station & many bus lines from Piccadilly gardens. There's even outdoor seating, where you can take in some of the rare (!) Manchester sunshine & enjoy a refreshing glass of wine/beer all for very affordable prices.

I came to Vapiano on a local friend's recommendation. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with my…read moreexperience on this visit. I doubt I will return. After being seated, the hostess told me that orders must be placed online by scanning a QR code, ordering and paying online, and listing your table number. She said that food would be brought out as it was prepared, so appetizers may come out at the same time as the main dish. Acknowledging this, I decided to place two orders: one order for a mint hot chocolate and a cheese garlic bread appetizer, then wait about 10 minutes before placing another order for a pasta entree. While my drink came out very quickly, I did not see any signs of my garlic bread even 1 hour after being seated. By that time, I had already finished my entire pasta and drink. It turns out that the kitchen lost my first order. If you visit this place, just order everything in one transaction instead of splitting them up like I did. The following is a review of each dish I ordered: Mint Hot Chocolate: There is no mint flavor in this drink. I honestly wonder if someone brought me the wrong drink and I only got a regular hot chocolate. I would not be upset with this other than the fact that regular hot chocolate was a cheaper price on the menu, so if you are considering ordering this drink, just get the regular hot chocolate. Spaghetti Carbonara: This dish is quite good. The flavor is a bit heavy, but that is not too out of the ordinary for carbonara. I would recommend this dish to anyone considering it. Cheese Garlic Bread: This dish was terrible. It is literally a pizza crust with chopped garlic and a handful of cheese thrown on top. I expected to receive toasted bread with roasted garlic and cheese spread on top, and that is not even close to what I got. Do yourself a huge favor and DO NOT GET THE GARLIC BREAD.

I've visited Vapiano's Manchester locations on numerous locations throughout the years, I used to…read morebe a big fan: sadly I feel the quality of both food and service has declined a lot in a post-pandemic world which is a real shame. The location is good within The Corn Exchange, you can get into the restaurant via street level on Exchange Square or through the main building. The original famous concept, of picking up a card and tapping it while ordering at the individual station with the chefs, watching them cook up your food, has been ditched for a more COVID-secure QR code. I do think it's a real shame you can no longer order with the chefs anymore especially considering the upstairs area (where the kitchens actually are) is often empty as they prefer to sit people on the ground level. (They haven't bothered to fix the lift in around a year either!) I do find the service here to be a little slow, the past few times I've come in for food, I've been waiting around 30-40 minutes, just for risotto, I have also avoided visiting at peak/busy times, which makes the wait even more frustrating, especially considering that's more than double the wait time used to be. Prices are a little high, this is eased by discounts available for students and healthcare workers, this can be entered as a promotional code via their online payment system. The online ordering system has a service fee of £0.20, again I find this strange and I've never been charged in a restaurant as an ordering fee before. My usual order here is the Risotto Funghi, with added chicken, I'm not sure if they have changed the recipe of late, but more recently the mushrooms have been a little slimy, the chicken has been occasionally bland, that being said the rice is normally cooked and seasoned well. This is one of the limited gluten-free options on the menu alongside the tomato soup (which is good) and the salads, sadly they don't offer gluten-free pasta and pizza which is on offer in other countries. (I used to love their pizza in The Netherlands!) The iced teas are always great, again a little pricey at £4.55 for an iced-tea which is already bottled (the premium glass bottle probably adds to that cost), but it is one of the best-iced teas on the market and is certainly worth a splurge, I'd certainly come in just to enjoy a drink and be happy with one. Would I visit here again? Yes. Vapiano has certainly fallen down the pecking order for me, I hope as soon as they are able to restore their original concept, they are able to go back to their usual high standards. 3*