First established in 1984, independent Italian restaurant Don Giovanni is one of the longest standing in the city.
Still held in high regard after nearly forty years, it has been feeding the people of Manchester for decades.
In that time, it has cemented itself as one of the city centre’s go-to Italian eateries, especially for diners that are looking to celebrate a special occasion.
No stranger to a proposal, the restaurant is one of Manchester’s most popular places for couples looking to pop the question. It’s also a popular choice for theatregoers, thanks to its central location and special pre-theatre menu.
Image: Don Giovanni
Image: Don Giovanni
Originally housed across the road in what is now 1 St Peters Square, today you’ll find the elegant Manchester Italian restaurant sitting opposite – with panoramic glass windows looking out onto the street.
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“If you’re a lover of Italian food then you need to try Don Giovanni at least once.”
Inside, large comfy leather booths and a stunning eighteen-foot marble bar ensure it looks the part for a celebration. The menu’s pretty swish too, offering everything from freshly made pizza and pasta to indulgent seafood platters and premium cuts of meat from locally-reared cattle.
If you’re a lover of Italian food then you need to try Don Giovanni at least once. It is the place you head to in the city if you are looking for authentic Italian fare.
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The restaurant may have been feeding Mancunians for decades, but its chefs frequently revise their offering to remain classic and authentic but still on trend, most recently adding pizza alla nocciolata, pizza al tartufo and gnocchi al gorgonzola.
Image: Don Giovanni
Image: Don Giovanni
From premium chargrilled meats cooked on Don Giovanni’s in-house Josper grill, to a solid list of pizzas and pasta dishes there are some stunning dishes to choose from here – all made using fresh produce picked from local markets each morning.
The restaurant also boasts its very own pasta-making and dessert station, where you can watch its chefs busy at work preparing fresh bread, pasta and sweet treats every morning.
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Pasta lovers will find fresh favourites like spaghetti carbonara, lasagne, tagliatelle al bolognese and linguine e vongole, all available from the A La Carte menu, as well as freshly prepared homemade treats like tiramisu and panna cotta.
Read more:A boozy pasta restaurant with wine-infused dishes is coming to Manchester
Elsewhere, as part of its antipasto section you’ll find a large selection of mouthwatering starters like beef carpaccio, homemade focaccia, frittura mista and antipasto Italiano, all sure to whet your appetite.
As for drinks, the restaurant boasts one of the best classic wine lists in the city with a choice of over 100 hand picked vintages sitting alongside a selection of cocktails and craft beers.
Image: Don Giovanni
Image: Don Giovanni
From raspberry caipirinhas to espresso martinis, negronis to pornstars, there are plenty of tipples to choose from with a solid mixture of classics and signatures making an appearance on the list.
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This restaurant has long stood the test of time as one of Manchester’s best Italian eateries, offering stylish settings in the heart of the popular theatre and nightlife district.
A short walk from both The Palace and The Opera House, it also offers a 2 or 3 course pre theatre set menu between the hours of 12-2pm and 4-6pm every day.
Open seven days a week from 12pm, to find out more and book a meal, visit the Don Giovanni website here, and check out their Christmas menus here.
Feature image – Don Giovanni
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A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
The Manc -
25th October 2022 
