Onda – inside Manchester’s most in-demand pasta kitchen as it opens its first restaurant
Onda, the modest pasta kitchen that suddenly got so popular it was almost impossible to reserve a table, has branched out and opened its very first restaurant.
They grow up so fast.
The team behind the restaurant had been operating as a pop-up since spring 2023, first from the Exhibition food hall and then later at New Cross on the edges of Ancoats.
It was here in their second location that Onda suddenly hit the big time and found wildly viral fame, thanks to its tiramisu drawer.
Bookings went absolutely wild, to the point that people were waiting entire seasons to bag a seat.
It makes sense then that they have taken the chance to upscale their operation, and it’s time for Onda to open its very first proper restaurant.
They’ve taken up a unit at Circle Square, where similarly popular neighbours include Federal Cafe Bar.
The space is huge, and flooded with natural light, with an open central kitchen where customers can watch the magic happen.
Onda is founded by chef Sam Astley-Dean, who, along with his team, carefully makes all their pasta and pizza dough from scratch daily.
The tiramisu might have sent their popularity sky-high, but the quality and prices here prove that it deserves every bit of success coming its way. This place is not a novelty.
Dishes are reasonably priced and include spagetthi with garlic and breadcrumbs for £9 and pici with pecordino and black pepper for £9.50.
The menu then goes up to a scallop and Cornish crab agnolloti for a still-very-reasonable £15.
Along with the pasta, there’s a menu of pizzetta, with the option to amp up your crust with a generous showering of parmesan.
And it would be remiss of you to leave this place without having a scoop of their homemade tiramisu, scooped out of that refrigerator drawer that put Onda on the map in the first place.
You can book a table here, or walk-ins will be available from July.
Read more
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- Manchester’s most exclusive restaurant, serving omakase sushi to just four customers a week
- Manchester pasta restaurant’s tiramisu drawer goes viral and attracts actual Florence Pugh
Featured image: The Manc Group