50 of the best Italian restaurants in Greater Manchester

San Carlo is Manchester’s most famous and, some say, best Italian restaurant. Run by the Distefano family, it’s said to have one of the largest turnovers in the UK. It’s also the place to be papped and you’ll sometimes see a bank of photographers outside to prove the point.

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.

Based in the Northern Quarter, this friendly neighbourhood bistro and bar is the place to avanti if it’s a taste of traditional Sicily you fancy – from authentic street food snacks through big plates of pasta to desserts and holiday memory gelato, eat in or take away.

Translating as ‘three chubby friends’ (a self-effacing reference to owner Francesco Scafuri and a pair of his portly pals from back in Campania), Tre Ciccio Altrincham doesn’t look much from the outside, or even the inside, at first.

As the first San Carlo Cicchetti, the Manchester restaurant had a lot to prove on opening in 2011. Over a decade and several awards later, it’s still going strong.

Listed amongst the world’s best pizzerias in international pizza guide, Where To Eat Pizza, Rudy’s Pizza has grown from a pop-up project into a full blown word-of-mouth phenomenon.

Salvi’s NQ is the baby of what claims to be Manchester’s first independent Neapolitan restaurant, and if traditional, authentic southern Italian cuisine is on your mind, this is definitely a place to sniff out.

Gusto Manchester may be the jewel in ever-expanding chain’s crown, even if the menu is the same everywhere from Heswall to Edinburgh. It’s a very polished affair with a definite Art Deco feel. This is a place that seems designed for good times and the service is slick.

SUD Pasta is a must-visit restaurant in Manchester. Since opening their first pasta kitchen in 2015, they’ve taken the city and suburbs by storm.

With restaurants in Altrincham, Ancoats and now Sale, they’re a firm favourite amongst locals and visitors alike.

Set in a Grade II-listed Charles Heathcote-designed Edwardian Baroque building, all that marble provides the perfect backdrop to a family-owned Italian restaurant and authentic pizzeria that combines traditional and modern, with an open kitchen and Pink Cocktail Bar.

Pioneers of sourdough Neapolitan pizza and natural Italian wine purveyors, Franco Manca started out as a small concern in Brixton Market in 1986. Now it’s all over London like a rash and has footholds outside the capital, including further north in Edinburgh and Leeds.

“Roma è arrivata a Sale!” – Rome has arrived in Sale – proclaims the website, which is a slight exaggeration, although is at least true of the Roman-style thin-crust pizzas served at Mano A Bocca. Meaning “hand to mouth”, this pizzeria advises ditching the cutlery, the base not unlike focaccia.

A new addition to Astley’s dining options is classy Italian restaurant and bar La Casa.

There is no shortage of floppy, fold-it-up Neapolitan pizza in Manchester these days. Like the bee symbol, it has descended over the city in a swarm: there’s probably a slice creeping up behind you right now. But it’s not a bad thing – particularly if it means you’ve got a place like Black Spot Pizza in your neighbourhood. 

Like the interloping bird that gives it its name, Cuckoo was an odd-one-out when it first opened in Prestwich back in 2013. Since then a whole flock of likeminded, indie cafe-bars have landed in this suburb, but Cuckoo is still the favourite for many.

Cicchetti, bar, grill. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Rosa’s food is inspired by Italy, and the menus are updated regularly to reflect the changing seasons in this smart-looking restaurant complete with sheltered garden – also perfect for soaking up some sunshine and a cocktail or two.

Another fab addition to the clutch of good, independent Italian restaurants in the city is Vero Moderno. Situated on the regenerated Chapel Street just inside Salford, it joins Salvi’s, Pasta Factory, and Lupo on our list of ‘proper’ Italians which swerve the standard carbonara and bolognese in favour of something a little more considered.

Tre Ciccio’s Ramsbottom restaurant does much the same thing as Tre Ciccio in Altrincham – and that’s no bad thing. 

Tre Amici is Bury’s own Neapolitan-style pizzeria, complete with 48-hour rested dough for that fold-it-up and shove-it-in experience.

The group of friends behind The Pasta Factory’s story originally hail from Turin in the northern region of Piedmont, so this is the place for authentic Italian food full of flavour, with dishes created from scratch using only the best fresh ingredients in season.

SUD Pasta is a must-visit restaurant in Manchester. Since opening their first pasta kitchen in 2015, they’ve taken the city and suburbs by storm.

With restaurants in Altrincham, Ancoats and now Sale, they’re a firm favourite amongst locals and visitors alike.

Head to any of the ristorantes in the acclaimed and award-winning family-run San Carlo Group and you know you’re in for exceptional ingredients, artfully prepared, and served in super chic surroundings. Gran Cafe is perfect for ladies who brunch and famous for afternoon tea, featuring its own signature cakes, including pistachio tart and mille feuille.

With its terrace overlooking Oxford Road and its much-photographed spiral staircase, Fumo is a favourite spot in Manchester for dinner and drinks with friends.

San Carlo Fiorentina (what the Italians call Florence) specialises in the meat dishes of Tuscany, grilled over charcoal, particularly steak, and also fresh fish and seafood.

With its floor-to-ceiling views over Exchange Square and chic Selfridges setting, Bottega is  a stylish spot for cocktails, lunch or dinner.

Salvi’s – or Salvi’s Mozzarella Bar & Restaurant, to give it its full name – claims to be Manchester’s first independent Neapolitan restaurant and deli, and it is certainly somewhere to head if traditional, authentic Italian cuisine is on your mind.

Describing itself as a “hangout” and “creative space”, PLY is in the beating heart of hipster Northern Quarter, benefitting from a bit of outside space on the corner of Stevenson Square. Inside it’s all stripped walls and industrial-chic columns, with a mirror-tiled, woodfired pizza oven in prominent position.

With its terrace overlooking Albert Square and Manchester Town Hall, and a beautiful interior featuring a 40-seater private dining room, an open kitchen, and an oyster bar, Piccolino Caffé Grande Manchester is a real destination restaurant. (And, notably, it’s one that doesn’t price people out of the experience.)

If it’s a taste of Italy you’re after, think NQ for proper pizza – Noi Quattro, to be precise. Meaning “us four”, Noi Quattro is owned and run by four friends from Turin who wanted to share their proud Italian heritage through the food they put on your plate.

Patiscerria and small-batch Italian hand-roasted coffee that’s the name of the game at the award-winning Lupo Caffe Italiano.

“On a mission to make really great sourdough pizza” since a pop-up in rainy Ramsbottom back in 2013, Honest Crust’s Northern Quarter outlet in the Mackie Mayor food hall is its second, sandwiched between Market House Alty and the more recent Picturedrome Macclesfield.

Cult pizzeria Ciaooo may not be as well-known as some of its beautifully blistered-based brethren, but that’s all to the good. At least there’s a chance of getting a table. As it is, it’s often full of savvy locals who know just where to get some of the best pizzas in Manchester – on Swan Street at the top of Great Ancoats Street it transpires.

Service is excellent and the pizzas are even better. There is a wide selection with a mix of classics and modern inventions. Most importantly, the dough rises above its competitors. It is puffed-up pillowy perfection.

Borrello is a slightly old-school Italian restaurant in Sale. You won’t unearth obscure regional delicacies or discover new ingredients but you will enjoy dishes like cannelloni filled with spinach and ricotta, mushroom risotto, spaghetti Bolognese, plenty of steaks and some pretty good pizzas.

A Tavola has an offbeat charm. Don’t be put off by the exterior. Sicilian delights await within.

Inside, it is a bit of a squeeze. Intimate, as they say. It will be even more of a squeeze after you’ve stuffed yourself silly on authentic Sicilian food. And the food is the thing.

From the look of the place, you might be expecting a few simple pizzas and not much more but you’d be wrong. Pizzas are most certainly on the menu but there are all sorts of dishes, from Sicilian street food to decadently alcoholic tiramisu. What links them is the quality of the ingredients, with many shipped over from respected Italian suppliers.

Proove Pizza has proven itself to be a success which is fortunate because there’s no shortage of eateries slinging out Neapolitan pizzas from their disco ball of a wood-fired oven. It’s up there, flinging around its fior di latte and spreading its San Marzano tomatoes with the best of the authentic slow-proved pizza pack and even if it’s not numero uno, it’s definitely a contender.

The interior is cool and sleek if a little lacking in character but the personality is all in the pizza. The bases are made with 00-grade Caputo flour and proved for 20 hours before being transformed into pure pizza pleasure.

Casa Italia Didsbury is an Italian restaurant but there’s not a pizza in sight. The focus here is on quality pasta dishes with a few other main dishes thrown in for good measure. Expect classics like lasagne and cannelloni as well as specialities such as orecchiette with ‘nduja and taleggio or tortelloni filled with scallops and prawns.

The real highlight, though, comes via the deli side of the business with platters of Italian cheeses and cold cuts as well as beautiful olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and the like.

An authentic Neapolitan-style pizzeria, Double Zero in Chorlton has been lauded as one of the best in the UK.

Bright and airy, with white and pale sage tiles, dusky pink and gold rose barstools and booths, and even a private dining room – Salvi’s Deansgate Square brings a breath of fresh air to one of Manchester’s most famous and favourite restaurant brands.

“A little Italian gem in the heart of Manchester”, Don Marco says it “recreates the atmosphere of neighbourhood brasseries found in other big cities such as Milan and New York” and its authentic food menu and wine list, and unique outside-inside space certainly push that button.

Rudy’s mission is simple: to put proper Neapolitan pizza on your plate. Following the traditions and artistry of pizza-making from Naples – the birthplace of pizza – Rudy’s pizzaiolos reckon to have found the perfect technique to recreate the light Neapolitan classic. 

With its large alfresco terrace, complete with a fully retractable roof, Piccolino Didsbury is perfectly located for an Aperol Spritz in the sun or a full three-course meal inspired by the diverse cuisine from all of Italy’s regions.

As Manchester’s own, independent (and we would say, superior) version of Pizza Express, Croma was always going to feature strongly in our guide. 

Predominantly a pizzeria, Ramona incorporates a bakery, margarita bar, coffee counter, stage and Firehouse restaurant, and is found in the rollershuttered ex-E & A Auto Services garage depot on Swan Street, complete with a tree-lined forecourt, now the campfire beer garden.

Terrace NQ has really grown into its name over the years. Instead of just one terrace up on the roof, it now has four outside seating areas: there’s a gorgeous courtyard at the side, seats at the back on Edge Street, and more at the front on Thomas Street. Plus that original, leafy rooftop garden which has its own bar. This is as well as their light and airy interior which you get to through ‘the prettiest ginnel in Manchester’.  

SUD Pasta is a must-visit restaurant in Manchester. Since opening their first pasta kitchen in 2015, they’ve taken the city and suburbs by storm.

With restaurants in Altrincham, Ancoats and now Sale, they’re a firm favourite amongst locals and visitors alike.