Inside Manchester’s newest Italian restaurant serving 70-year-old Calabrian recipes

A new restaurant inspired by Calabrese cooking has opened its doors in Manchester city centre.

Sometimes only a steaming hot bowl of homemade pasta will do, and you’ll find it at the new Pranzo Italian in abundance.

Located on King Street, slap bang in the centre of town, this light-drenched restaurant is set to become your go-to for authentic Italian cuisine.

Born in West Yorkshire, they opened their first restaurant in the spa town of Ilkley back in 2018 before quickly opening another location in Harrogate after Pranzo became inundated with hungry customers.

Fast forward to now, they have another site in York and now luckily for us, here in Manchester.

Inspired by founder Marco’s Italian heritage and his Nonna’s traditional Calabrese cooking, every single thing you’re served here is homemade.

From the fresh pasta and the rich sauces to the fluffy focaccia used to mop up said sauces, and not to forget the cherry gin used in the standout Sour Cherry Negroni.

Dishes here are as traditional and authentic as they get, using 70-year-old recipes that Marco learnt from his Nonna (who you’ll spot in old pictures proudly hung up around the restaurant).

On our visit, after indulging in couple of cocktails at the bar we kicked things off with a couple antipasti, because it really would be rude not to.

The arancino picante was a real standout, stuffed with spicy fennel sausage, smoked provola cheese and served on a bed of nduja cream.

This had everything you wanted in an arancini, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside and served piping hot.

We recommend ordering the focaccia el aglio alongside it to dunk into the smoky nduja cream, a genius move if you ask us.

Now, onto the mains.

We ordered three of Pranzo’s specialist pastas and every single one was cooked to perfection. If you’re a fan of proper al dente pasta then trust us, you’re going to love this place.

The ragù di manzo features fresh mafalde pasta in a deeply savoury 4-hour beef shin sauce, and they definitely don’t skimp on the meat.

Showered in parmesan at the table, it’s a favourite on the menu for a reason. The reason? It’s nothing short of delicious.

We don’t know about you, but if burrata is on the menu then we’re ordering it with zero hestitation.

A lot of the pastas on the menu give you the choice of plonking a burrata on top, and we went for the nduja è salsiccia piccante.

The sauce is decadent and fiery, combining nduja with spicy fennel sausage, spinach and cream. The addition of the creamy burrata was another genius move, balancing out the spice perfectly.

Last but not least, and a personal favourite, was the scoglio seafood pasta.

This wasn’t just some pasta topped with a couple of prawns, this was absolutely packed full of juicy tiger prawns, mussels and squid – all perfectly cooked and tossed with garlic and cherry tomatoes in a silky sauce.

The recipe used for this one hasn’t changed in 70 years, and we’re glad that it hasn’t.

Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find seasonal specials such as your classic caesar salad and pan fried fish, as well as a selection of pizzas.

Of course it wouldn’t be an Italian feast without a tiramisu and this one hits all the right spots.

Indulgent with a punchy coffee flavour and almost cloud-like in texture, that’s a winning dessert if we’ve ever seen one.

The space, set across two floors, is light and airy whilst the service is top notch. But don’t just take our word for it, find out more about Pranzo and book your table here.

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Featured images – The Manc