The Best Italian Restaurants In Manchester

Located within Deansgate's Elliot House is Gusto, an opulent restaurant fronting twenties glamour. A towering, bronzed bar is at its core, surrounded by dark green and brown leather seats and delicate, golden light fixtures. Take your friends or treat your family to an elegant Italian meal here from a tempting menu featuring Calabrian steak tartare to start, scallop and prawn ravioli for mains, then Biscoff and chocolate dough petals for dessert, served alongside Madagascan vanilla gelato and fresh berries.

At PizzaLuxe, they serve up authentic Italian flavour with their hand-crafted pizzas. They're all about using the freshest ingredients, from homemade dough and rich tomato sauce to premium cheeses and gourmet toppings, offering goodies like Hawaiian, Sicilian, and spicy pizzas, along with sides such as caprese salad and pepperoni oven-baked wedges.

Wash it all down with a glass of wine, a hand-crafted cocktail, or a beer for the ultimate dining experience, or join them for their bottomless affair where you can enjoy two hours of drinks and pizza for £34.95 per person.

Touting teal leather chairs, exposed pipe ceilings and atmospheric lampshades, Riva Blu is a bit of a beaut in the Corn Exchange. It welcomes you to Southern Italy with open arms, boasting an open kitchen, cocktail bar and large alfresco terrace. Rustling up some seriously scrumptious dishes from stalwart classics to signature plates, it offers the likes of burrata alongside toasted focaccia to temp your tastebuds. For mains, tuck into seafood linguine, and pizza Napoletana created by the eatery's master baker; Davide Argentino. Look forward to toppings such as DOP Parma ham, truffle cream and Pecorino Romano.

A restaurant with chic interiors and an open kitchen, Piccolino Manchester is a grand shout when it comes to eateries serving moreish Italian food. Marvel upon entry at its exquisite golden chandeliers and baby blue furnishings, then make your way over to the oyster and caviar bar for a little pre-dinner amuse-bouche. When it's time for the main event, settle in for some fresh thin egg pasta with a truffle and parmesan sauce, alongside wine or espresso martinis. Plus, you can check out the Didsbury and Hale locations too.

Another Corn Exchange favourite, Vapiano is dishing up amazing Italian fare across a bright, open-plan space. There are a variety of seating options in this modern spot, so you can choose whether to slurp some spaghetti counter-side, perch by the window or cosy down in the lounge area. Expect handmade pasta favourites like cacio e pepe and carbonara alongside a choice of mushroom risotto or pizzas.

With more than 35 years in the business, multi-award-winning Don Giovanni is one of the best Italian restaurants in Manchester town centre. This top-notch date night destination is absolutely gorgeous, thanks to its wide windows and inviting burnt orange booths. It's also a bargain, offering two courses for £26.95 and three for £29.95 when it comes to pre-theatre dining. Revel in an indulgent menu boasting plates comprised of the finest ingredients from Italian and British producers, such as spaghetti alle vongole, pizza topped with spicy salami, plus fresh mussels and clams in a cream and parsley sauce, served with toasted bread.

If you're looking for classic Neapolitan slices and a chilled-out atmosphere, Noi Quattro is for you. With a name translating as 'the four of us', it's a nod to the four family friends who run the traditional pizzeria: Elisa, Alberto, Daniele and Palo. It fronts an array of casual dining benches and a red tiled oven that sees fresh dough slipped into its mouth and retrieved sporting bubbling lashings of mozzarella. You can expect tasty toppings by the boatload, all made with quality ingredients - think San Marzano DOP tomatoes, mozzarella fior di latte, smoked scamorza and more.

Piccolo is a popular restaurant, not only for its handy Arndale location but also for its glam aesthetic; you'll find black and white photographs fixed to shabby-chic, white-washed brick walls, lush green leather seats and golden lights framed by dainty cages. It's also famed for whipping up some delightful Italian food inspired by Positano, Naples and Southern Italy: everything from seafood linguine with wild red prawns, mussels, clams and calamari to calzone and affogato.

With pizzas for less than a tenner, Proove is the hotspot when it comes to cheap meals out in the city. Nestled on Burton Road in West Disbury, it provides laid-back surrounds of bare-brick walls and cafe booths, plus the option of tableside seating to tuck into your pick. Alongside sumptuous slices of Neapolitan pizza topped with fior di latte mozzarella, anchovies, capers and oregano, you can sip on chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or hazelnut gelato milkshakes, as well as Aperol spritzes and negronis galore.

Salvi's Mozzarella Bar and Restaurant is a favourite when it comes to traditional Italian restaurants in Manchester city centre. Located within the historical Corn Exchange, it comes equipped with pretty alfresco seating, surrounded by floral fixtures, where you can enjoy authentic food while people-watching. Begin by sharing some light and fluffy focaccia, before delving into rich, salty helpings of puttanesca or pesto melanzane. And when you're not dining on mouthwatering food? Get authentic deli bites from their shop.

When we think about pizza, there's one name on everyone's lips across our city: Rudy's. Known for using the finest dough to craft perfectly floppy slices, these guys also have a number of specials added to the main menu on a regular basis. The main dining space is bright and airy, thanks to its large windows, and you can watch your pizza come to life from the comfort of your seat if you take a peep into the open-plan kitchen. Past signature toppings have included San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte, goats cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.

Another luxe offering from the San Carlo group, this fun (and date-worthy) Italian eatery follows the signature style of its sister sites. Its interiors are dazzling; from its marble tables to its soft, flower-like lighting, it transports you out of the city and into a serene European dining room. Head to Fumo to find sunny splashes of yellow from the banquette seating where you can slide in and enjoy the likes of classic fried squid with aioli, Sicilian prawns served with lemon, garlic and chilli, plus spaghetti carbonara. 

Neapolitan-style pizza, anyone? Double Zero is the place to head in Chorlton or the city centre when you get a craving for the good stuff. Take a seat on one of its mustard yellow sofas against a glossy white tiled backdrop to tuck into some decadent delights. Whether you begin with arancini con carne di manzo or choose a hot honey and nduja-slathered number or a truffle mushroom cream base with ham and chicken, your slices are sure to satisfy.

Situated in Altrincham, Tre Ciccio is one of the top Italian restaurants in Manchester for many reasons. The Italian family-led business is slinging out the most scrumptious eats on its pretty roof terrace. Leather booths and arching droplets of light make for a visual treat, whereas its award-winning pizza 'Sud' (burrata, spicy Calabrian sauce and San Marzano tomato sauce) delights the tastebuds. Explore the culinary regions of Campania in a traditional trattoria setting as you gobble down arancini tricolour, spicy roasted chicken and ravioli filled with lobster and ricotta cheese.

Located on the second floor of Selfridges, San Carlo Bottega brings Milanese vibes as one of the best Italian restaurants in Manchester city centre. It boasts gorgeous views from its floor-to-ceiling windows looking down on eager shoppers and offers a tranquil dining setting, thanks to ribbons of white flowers dangling from lights and baby blue seating. Make it a bubbly affair with their list of proseccos and spritzes - best enjoyed with a couple of cicchetti (that's small plates to you and me). Think slow-roasted pork with creamy stracciatella and pistachio nuts, smoked chicken breast salad and sashimi-grade tuna tartare.