Piccolino Caffé Grande has been serving the city for 23 years, and it still stands the test of time as a destination for elegant dining.
Located proudly on Clarence Street overlooking the Town Hall, Piccolino Caffé Grande is basically an institution at this point.
Serving customers day-in, day-out with delicious food and proper Italian hospitality – it’s no surprise that this spot has been loved by locals for decades.
And their brand-new refurbishment sets them in good stead for decades to come.
Piccolino’s iconic blue interiors are met with elegant gold accents, a statement brass ceiling, impressive floral instillations and beautiful chandeliers.
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The new refurb has also seen the instillation of an open kitchen, so you can see the chefs at work as they craft mouthwatering pasta dishes, fantastic pizza and impressive sharing cuts of meat on the grill.
The new interiors at Piccolino Caffe Grande, an Italian restaurant in Manchester city centre. Credit: The Manc Group
Diners can take a seat at the decadent bar area and watch their cocktail being made before heading over to their table in one of two huge dining rooms.
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The authentic Italian menu remains superb, highlights included the Capesanta king scallops topped with confit garlic and breadcrumbs, as well as the Arancina with saffron and spicy vegetarian nduja – a new dish for Spring which is sure to be a firm favourite.
The Devonshire crab ravioli in a sumptuous shellfish butter was the knockout dish though, beautifully al dente pasta stuffed generously with flavourful crab served swimming in a silky sauce – utter perfection.
Piccolino Caffe Grande in Manchester is an Italian restaurant institution. Credit: The Manc Group
And of course you can’t go wrong with Spaghetti Frutti Di Mare, packed with plenty of mussels, clams, prawns and squid in a sauce which had a cheeky kick of chilli which was very much welcomed.
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But it wouldn’t be a trip to Piccolino’s if you weren’t treated to the exceptional Italian hospitality that they pride themselves on, and our waiter José was none other than a master of his craft.
A Manchester institution loved for decades, and we predict for many more to come. Welcome back Caffé Grande – it’s great to see you.
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Clementine Hall -
29th March 2024 
