Over on Deansgate Square, Salvi’s has just opened the doors to its latest restaurant.
A far cry from the cosy settings of the family-run brands’ other sites, this swanky new spot is something of a behemoth with a large covered and heated drinks terrace, elegant restaurant, Italian deli, bar, private dining room and exhibition space spanning 3,000 square feet.
Nestled underneath the luxury apartments of the Square’s many influencer residents, it hasn’t been open long but already features in a number of glossy and carefully edited grid posts – the opulent plant-filled terrace bar has clearly become a popular choice amongst Manchester’s glitterati already.
A huge gold sparkly pizza oven sits centre stage in the open kitchen and reminds me of a disco ball, like Salvi’s has entered its party era.
This year marks a decade since owner Maurizio Cecco opened his family’s first restaurant in Manchester’s Corn Exchange, and this new site feels like a celebration of that.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
In the corner, an Italian deli is overflowing with gorgeous ingredients (all of which also feature in the dishes here) giving visitors the chance to pick up top-quality Italian meats, cheeses, oils, vinegar and more to take home.
A large table in the middle gives it a family feel, with a variety of different gelato flavours sitting on display close by behind a glass cabinet.
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Keen to see how its new restaurant stands up against other Salvi’s in the city, we paid the new site a visit to check it out – and left, three hours later, full to the brim and grinning like idiots.
Serving everything from cichetti to contorni, Italian cakes and gelato, the menu here is just as expansive as the site itself.
The wine list is, as you’d expect, predominantly Italian, the cocktails similarly styled – a sweet and refreshing limoncello spritz, a Campari G&T, a sweet, Frangelico-spiked espresso martini.
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Image: The Manc Eats
We dig into huge plates loaded with the softest prosciutto di parma, gorgonzola drizzled with honey, smoked mozzarella peppered with sweet heritage cherry tomatoes, and Southern Italian grilled cheese with a sprinkle of balsamic, all designed to show off Salvi’s gorgeous imported produce.
Next, a giant bowl of mussels swimming in a rich and ever-so-slightly spicy tomato broth plops onto the table – adorned with slices of fresh bread, encouraging some hearty dipping as we attempt to soak up every last morsel of the shellfish’s accompanying sauce.
Pasta follows, and we dive into two of the restaurant’s best-selling dishes – the pistachio pesto-laden pasta Nonna Teresa is an instant hit, the molten pork fat from its guanciale (pork cheek) all juicy and salty, adding beautifully into the mix.
Another bowl, this time of baby octopus and spicy sausage paste pasta polipo ‘nduja, is rich and bright, its salty morsels of cephalopod cutting through the tomato base.
Suffice to say, the quality is just as good as you’d find in the Corn Exchange or the Northern Quarter restaurants, or in Italy itself, for that matter.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Full to the brim but unable to resist dessert, we finish on a beautifully-light pistachio cake served with a dusting of iced ricotta on the side, joined by that aforementioned silky sweet hazelnut espresso martini – a heavenly pairing, even if your trousers are beginning to strain at the waist (as mine are).
It all feels very glamorous, but with that warm, friendly Italian service – keenly suggesting this, enthusiastically encouraging that – that reminds you you’re in a neighbourhood place, and they really want you to enjoy their food.
A beautiful new addition to Deansgate Square, we highly recommend you pay them a visit – and grab some goodies to take home on your way out.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Food & Drink
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Daisy Jackson
It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.
At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.
Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.
Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.
The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.
A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.
The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.
It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group
The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.
According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.
These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.
There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.
The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.
The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr
Ged sold 6,000 a week.
And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).
Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.
The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine
Daisy Jackson
The main gripe people seem to have with the Manchester Christmas Markets is the prices of food and drinks, blasting them every year like a broken record as being ‘overpriced’.
So we’ve done the hard slog for you, running all around the city centre to suss out exactly how much everything is costing in 2024.
From Piccadilly Gardens (rebranded as The Winter Gardens for the season) to King Street, there are wooden sheds and festive cheer absolutely everywhere.
There’s some brilliant food and drink to discover – you can see our top picks HERE – but as this is a huge visitor attraction, that can come at a price.
Once you factor in the deposit for a Manchester Christmas Markets mug, you can easily spend £12 just to get a mulled wine (though you will get £3.50 of that back when you return your mug).
There are also deposit charges on glassware – £2 for a pint glass, £3.50 for cocktail glasses and £7 for a stein.
You can see the full list of prices for food and drinks right across the Manchester Christmas Markets HERE, but below are where you can find the cheapest spots at the festive event.
Mulled wine
Mulled wines are priced at £5.50 almost everywhere across the Manchester Christmas Markets, though some stalls are offering bigger serves of this popular festive drink for a small price hike.
Then people are charging another £3 to add a shot of brandy, rum or amaretto, making an £8.50 total.
But the cheapest we’ve found is just £7 for mulled wine with a shot of booze, and that’s at Mamma Mia, an Italian stall on New Cathedral Street, right near St Ann’s Square.
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine. Credit: The Manc Group
Beer
Again, prices for beers at the Manchester Christmas Markets are pretty consistent and average £6 a pint.
But you can get cheaper – at The Last Outpost, a Western-themed bar at Exchange Square, beers start from £5.50.
And at The Hip Hop Chip Shop at Piccadilly Gardens, they’re selling local craft beers, like Shindigger, Pomona Island, Manchester Union) for just £5.50. And you get bonus good vibes for supporting local breweries.
Wine
We’ve found a couple of glasses of wine for just £5 around the Markets this year, which is cheaper than most bars in town really.
The King Street Craft Bar, which has the bonus of having seating, has house wines from a fiver.
Christmas Alley at Piccadilly Gardens will also give you a wine for £5.
Prosecco
Prosecco works in every season and if this is your go-to of all the drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, we’ve found where you can save a few pennies.
Most places are charging between £6.50 and £7 per glass, but at El Gato Negro on King Street (yep, the same stall operated by the Michelin-recommended restaurant) are charging just £5 – that’s a whole £1.50 cheaper than most other stalls.
Hot chocolate
Basic hot chocolates are generally £3.50 everywhere, with a few very luxury upgrades (like a £7.90 creation from The Flat Baker that’s served in an edible cookie cup).
Once you add in a shot of alcohol, the cheapest as at the Apres Ski Bar at Piccadilly Gardens, which charges £2.50 for a spirit.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd July 2022 
