Cibus

Once a stall at Levy Market, then a pop-up pizzeria above Fred’s Ale House, Cibus took baby steps to get to where it is today; a fully-fledged and much-praised Italian restaurant and bar on Levenshulme high street, and the winner of The Good Food Guide’s award for Best Local Restaurant North West 2024.

Alongside the Rudy-worthy pizza that it was first known for, you can now head there for an inspired line in cicchetti, fresh meat and fish dishes, Sunday roasts and homemade Italian desserts.

The small plates are imaginative and intriguing: think panelle and scarola (chickpea flour fritters) topped with cauliflower in a paprika and lemon zest tempura, with capers and olive tapenade. And costine – pork back ribs glazed in beer, lemon, honey, rosemary and garlic sauce.

The menu changes seasonally and the specials vary each week. Recent highlights include grilled fresh squid with scallop gratinata, cuttlefish ink arancina and grilled peppers. And porchetta served with mashed potatoes and hen of the woods wild mushrooms in a rich, slow-made gravy.

In the mains section, you could find dishes such as maccheroni zozzona – spiced pancetta with onion, red wine and tomato sauce tossed with egg yolk and parmigiano reggiano. And risotto with gorgonzola, red wine-poached pears and roasted walnuts.

There are plenty of vegan options across all areas of the menu, too. The team at Cibus have even created their own alternative to vegan parmesan made from a blend of nuts, breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast.

On Sundays they do a beautiful selection of roast dinners, all served with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, crushed carrots and swede, spiced braised red cabbage, parsnips and buttered greens, and garlic and rosemary gravy.

The pizzas are still up there as some of the city’s best, with plenty of choice and a lot of interesting Italian ingredients sourced by patron Giorgio and his Sicilian chef, from mushroom and taleggio to ‘nduja, stracciatella, artichokes and truffle oil.

Enjoy them in the elegant interior, or take advantage of their covered terrace and beer garden at the back.

At the bar, you’ll find Italian wines and even Italian lager on tap (and none of that big brand nonsense either). If it’s authentic Italian you’re after, it’s authentic Italian you’ll get.