Lupo Caffe Italiano, a cosy Italian restaurant tucked on an industrial estate in Prestwich, has just been crowned the best in the North West by the Good Food Guide.
This authentic spot serves hearty, homemade Roman pizza and pasta, with the ever-charismatic Nico Pasquali at its helm.
The Good Food Guide has listed it as the overall winner in the North West in its prestigious 100 Best Local Restaurants list.
Lupo was joined by five other Greater Manchester restaurants in the top 100, ranging from a much-loved Chorlton tapas joint to a Michelin Bib Gormand modern European spot beneath a railway arch.
On the list were Cantaloupe in Stockport, Cibus in Levenshulme, The Sparrows in the Green Quarter, Stretford Canteen, and Chorlton’s Bar San Juan.
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Of Lupo, the guide heaped praise on its ‘excellent Roman pizzas’ served from an ‘all-day trattoria in the incongruous setting of an industrial estate’.
Over the years, Nico has added a wooden terrace to double his restaurant’s capacity, with checkered tablecloths and cabinets displaying homemade desserts, like semifreddos and his legendary millefoglie.
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The Good Food Guide judges wrote: “The vibe is friendly, unfussy and unpretentious, although Nico’s regulars also come for his precisely cooked traditional dishes made with prime ingredients flown in from Italy or fresh from his allotment.
Lupo Caffe Italiano in Prestwich has been named the best restaurant in the North West in the Good Food Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
“They are the perfect antidote to the standard Anglo-Italian repertoire, and the glitzy but vacuous styling of most high-street chains. Popular (and reasonably priced) dishes might range from rigatoni with guanciale, chilli and pecorino to arancini, suppli (deep-fried pizza balls) and Roman Jewish artichokes.
“There’s also a list of specials that may feature orecchiette with Italian fennel sausages and romanesco broccoli, as well as whole baked sea bass cooked with cherry tomatoes and olives.”
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Nico said on winning the top spot: “Hard work and perseverance pays… and people value what we’ve been building for the last 10 years.”
Across town, The Sparrows received praise for its handmade dumplings (‘perfectly rendered little parcels of happiness’ and sharing boards, plus its hearty goulashes for winter.
In Stretford, local French bistro Streford Canteen made its way onto the list for the first time, thanks to being a ‘shining light in a small suburb that needs and deserves a reliable, high-quality restaurant.’
Stretford Canteen also made the Good Food Guide this year. Credit: The Manc Group
You’ll find familiar bistro classics like galettes, croques and French onion soup, as well as a seasonally sourced menu showcasing their brilliant cooking.
The Good Food Guide added: “And, finally, praise is due to the little publicised fact they have fed a local homeless man for years – happily now off the streets.”
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The next entry on the list is firm favourite Bar San Juan, a cosy tapas spot in the heart of Chorlton with a bit of a cult following.
The Good Food Guide singled out its ‘papas bravas’ (crispy cubes of potato served with a Madrid-style brava sauce), cod’s cheeks, aubergine stew and croquetas.
Bar San Juan in Chorlton
A deserving entry into the Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants list.
Over in Stockport is a new-ish neighbourhood restaurant that’s already caught people’s eye – Cantaloupe is a ‘small, easy-going bistro’.
The guide says: “Cantaloupe prioritises its budget where it really counts – on the food, cooking and service, plus a focus on doing simple things well and not over-stretching the short, restrained and fairly priced daily menu. And it’s paid off: the place now has a clutch of loyal fans who appreciate the unpretentious atmosphere.”
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Completing the list for Greater Manchester is Cibus in Levenshulme, which started life as a market stall but grew to a proper Italian restaurant space.
Here it’s all about sourdough pizzas, pasta dishes, meat dishes, seafood, and cicchetti.
Manchester pub brilliantly exposes ‘dumb dumb’ criminal after attempted break-in
Daisy Jackson
A pub in Manchester city centre has shared hilarious footage of a bungled break-in, and made a rather sarcastic swipe at the criminal in question too.
North Westward Ho is the stunning boozer launched back in 2023 by the team behind Pomona Island brewery.
It’s in a prime city centre location, just off Market Street and Cross Street, and has been decorated in the style of a historic boozer, with dark wooden details, ornate tiling, wall sconces, and oil paintings.
But North Westward Ho has recently caught the eye of an unwanted patron, who attempted to break the door down in quite a ridiculous way.
CCTV footage shared by the bar shows a man running full-pelt into the locked, reinforced door, bouncing back some distance into the road.
He tries four times before giving up, hopping back on his bicycle, and disappearing.
The pub said it’s not normally bothered by criminals these days, with no cash on site to make it worth their while, adding that it’s usually only ‘the real dumb dumbs’ who attempt to break in.
Then they dialled the sarcasm up to 100 and laid into the man caught on CCTV.
They wrote: “Once in a lifetime you get this kind of Machiavellian genius, a man so smart that he’s always three steps ahead.
“It doesn’t feel great at first because you know you and your pane of toughened glass are no match for his mental dexterity, but then… You start to respect it. You realise you have to up your game. You have to think like him, live like him, become him.
“If you see me banging my head against a brick wall with no trousers on, dribbling on myself with a glazed expression, I’ve either been on the Factotum or I’m trying to get inside the mind of my Moriarty here.
“Well played sir, you didn’t get in this time and if you had, it really wouldn’t have achieved anything, but you made us all have a good laugh. And maybe that’s the real point.”
Pomona Island then added: “Ram raid on a bicycle.”
Northern Quarter cafe to reopen after TWO mysterious closures
Daisy Jackson
Morning Glory, a Manchester cafe that has mysteriously closed twice since its launch, is set to reopen again this week.
The sunny yellow cafe, which makes a playful nod to the Oasis hit with its name, opened in the Northern Quarter last summer.
It was created and launched by much-loved local influencer Zack Hipps, and was known for its coffees, matchas, and Manchester tarts.
Then in May this year, Morning Glory quietly closed temporarily, with forfeiture notices appearing in its windows while Zack assured fans things would be sorted out soon.
In late July, the cafe teased its grand reopening, with a post captioned: “Did you miss us? Cos we missed you.”
But then just days later, the doors were closed again.
This time, it seems like Morning Glory is back for good – music to our ears – with Zack sharing a statement addressing a ‘harsh reality check and very public lesson to learn’.
Manchester Tarts at Morning GloryInside Morning Glory, which will reopen this week
In his statement, the local business-owner has promised that the cafe will be back ‘stronger than before’, with ‘a lot of cool things planned’.
Morning Glory will also be handing out freebies, including speciality drinks, coffees, and house-made Manchester tarts to the first people to visit on its grand reopening day this weekend.
Zack’s statement reads: “Entering the Manchester coffee scene was incredible, but as a first-time business owner, it was also a massive learning curve.
“I’ll be honest: I got caught up in all the things I wanted Morning Glory to be – great coffee, a great space, art, events and somewhere that felt part of the community. I didn’t spend enough time focusing on the business side of making all of that work, leading to our closure. It was a harsh reality check and a very public lesson to learn.
“But I’ve been putting the work in behind the scenes, and we are moving forward stronger than before.
“If the Gallagher brothers can come back, so can we! We’re excited to share that we are officially reopening on 3rd October from 10am. To say thank you for all your support so far, we’ll be giving out 15 of our NEW special drinks, 85 regular coffees, and 100 house-made Manchester tarts to the first people through the doors. Come say hi!
“We will also be hiding a few of our yellow sloths around Manchester for a free coffee every day for the rest of the year – keep an eye out for clues on the 10th October.
“I want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in phase one of Morning Glory. From the team behind the bar, to the people who helped make our art, events, and collabs happen, to the suppliers, and to every single one of you who came and tried us out.
“As we enter Season 2, we’ve got a lot of cool things planned. We are building on our favourites, expanding the range, bringing back fun events, and showing you more behind the scenes.
“See you on the 3rd Oct! Zack and team. Morning Glory x”
Daisy Jackson -
17th July 2025 
