Piccolino

We read about the sharing Sunday roast at Piccolino months ago and managed to get down on a December weekend. Having booked, we had none of the stress regarding getting a table, but there was definitely no room for walk ins — the restaurant was packed with families, couples, and two large Christmas parties (the joy of having a December birthday!)
Warmly greeted by front of house, we were initially propped up at the bar with a cocktail and beer, then seated at our table. Thankfully our coats were popped into the cloakroom as there was very little room between us and the table next door! After a quick look at the menu, there was no mention of the sharing roast, so we started lining up some other options. However, when the waiter came over, he confirmed we could order the roast. Hmm.
As this is what we came for, we ordered the pork with all the trimmings. It was presented on a board with plenty of meat, two pots of potatoes, gravy and plenty of green vegetables with garlic. The meat was tasty, if a little bit dry, and the potatoes were the highlight. The gravy was far too sweet for my personal taste so I left the majority of this to the other half!
My main gripe of Piccolino? The pure noise coming from the staff and front of house. There’s delightful eccentricity and then there’s just another level.
We had a nice meal because we were together but the overall experience wasn’t what I was expecting of a higher-​end restaurant.

Ambiance, cadre et accueil parfait. Pour la cuisine c’est copieux, bon, sans non plus être extraordinaire. Nous avons passé un bon moment…

I booked to go here on Saturday evening with a friend — having booked a table online we arrived bang on time knowing it would be busy. The bar and restaurant was packed with diners and people stood waiting for a table — needles to say I was pleased we booked!
That was until we were asked to stand at the bar for a couple of minutes whilst our table was re-​set. I wasn’t happy when we were still stood there a full 30 minutes later being shoved out of the way by other diners and staff rushing past.
We we’re eventually seated — which is a good job as we had a game of bowling booked with friends after…
The food was about average — the service ok. We opted to go straight for the mains as we weren’t sure how long we had left! However the waiter brought out olives which apparently we ordered and later sent back as neither of us actually liked them…
I went straight for a pasta dish — the penne arribiatta which was tasty enough. It came with plenty of spicy tomato sauce with the addition of pepperoni which livened the dish up a little. My other diner went for the seabass which also looked good.
I ordered a large glass of wine mid-​meal which was another half an hour late and only came on promoting the staff again. The is NOT the place you want to come to if you want a nice chilled out meal on a Saturday evening — the whole experience was like being in a fast food chain not a contemporary italian. Needless to say this has put me off similar chains in Manchester.

Overall the food here isn’t totally amazing and I would choose Salvi’s Cucina but we had an excellent value meal owing to some kind of £30 discount my friend had.
Service, just as at the Piccolino in Didsbury was both attentive and pleasant. The wine (pinot grigio) was good (as had been the sauvignon blanc in Didsbury, with disastrously expensive results).
I shared the antipasti misto to start — it’s a very generous portion featuring calamari, some little arancini and various bits of meat. At £16, it’s fairly expensive for two people. I also shared mains — we got the piccante pizza and spinach and ricotta gnocchi (a substitute when the melanzane wasn’t available, which would have been good to tell us from the outset). I was disappointed with the pizza, I had been expecting that sausage which is kind of mashed and instead it was slices more like pepperoni — not to my personal taste but others might enjoy. Overall though it wasn’t the most satisfying dish. The gnudi — spinach and ricotta dumplings with tomato sauce was however great and I would definitely order that again. I had been expecting gnocchi but the dumplings themselves are green and softer in texture. A very tasty dish.

Can’t say enough good about this place. The service, quality of food and atmosphere is consistently great. I go back time and time again, and after a few visits they got to know me very quickly and I appreciate that. The staff is very accommodating.

Unfortunately another below average experience! I would like to start with the positives, Mario’s service was excellent! Really good banter, and attentive.
2 of my friends ordered crispy duck. When the main courses arrived, one was clearly darker than the other and appeared on the verge of being burnt rather than crispy. It turned out that it was burnt and bitter. The sauce and accompaniments were beautiful and it was a real shame.
When Mario checked our meals back my friend explained he couldn’t eat it as it was burnt. Mario apologised took the meal away to show the manager and told us it was being taken off the bill. We were happy with that and carried on having a great night.
When the bill arrived, the duck was still on there. 4 limoncellos arrived (which we hadn’t ordered) we thought that was a nice touch. The manager came over and we explained what had happened. He apologised and took the bill back to correct it. The bill came back to the table without the duck on it but only 50p cheaper? This was because we has been charged for 4 limoncello!
Nice try! But is is really worth it? Accept the mistake, take it on the chin and try and retain your customers. Do not try and rip us off! Absolutely disgusted. As if we had so much to drink we wouldn’t realise! Lacking words to condemn this place and express how annoyed I am with the restaurant manager.

This is definitely a very popular and posh restaurant but if I have to be honest I was not extremely pleased with the food, it might be the dish I ordered.
My review: It has a good ambience, the food is known to be famous but don’t get too experimental.
Idea for: A date, family meal.
Dress Code: Formal or Dressy
Definitely order: The Calamari’s and one of their special wines

This restaurant faces Croma, who I’ve yet to try… Though the visit to Croma may be sooner than I thought. The swing door entry is unnecessary for such a busy smallish establishment. As you enter without getting your leg caught, your are greeted on the tight by a pleasant lady who wants to know if you’ve booked (might I briefly say, if you don’t book a few days in advance then you probably won’t get a table). Any ho, after taking your name, your told whether your table is ready or not; good thing about this is that if its not ready they give everyone in your party a free glass of prosecco #yummy. 5 – 10 mins later your seated and given quite swiftly your menus. Be vocal if your not happy with where you are seated because this is a very cramped restaurant! Very loud and a lot of movement (squint a few times so you don’t get motion sickness), almost like I’m sitting outside a coffee bar in the streets of central London. Menu is vast, appetising, inviting… Prices are fair and reasonable. Cheapest bottle of bubbly from £20, starters £6−11, mains £10−25.
Food is served efficiently and piping hot. Presentation is amazing. The food is extremely fresh but somewhat flavoured, so a little more seasoning would be recommended. Portions are good and you definitely feel satisfied.
Opening hours could be extended, I feel 11pm on a Saturday night is quite early. Free parking outside the establishment and taxis waiting around if needed.
Décor is wooden and neutral… Chairs are a little uncomfortable if your not placed on a side bench. Toilets are clean and each cubicle has its own sink, mirror and dryer. Staff are friendly enough.
A good experience all in all but there is most certainly room for improvement.

Absolutely fabulous! Every visit is always a great experience: staff, food, drinks, service.
I always make reservations over the phone: all staff taking the reservations are very friendly, helpful and curteous. And the moment you walk in the staff make you feel most welcome.
Great service, good food, highly recommended!

Fantastic little restaurant. Was recommended to me by my mum when she went here on a work night out. She raved about the food and service and the location. It is hidden away on a side street making it feel very intimate. Fantastic tasting food, friendly warm service the manager is hilarious. It gets kind of loud but hey boisterous atmosphere goes well here. I’ve been here regularly for birthdays, anniversaries, dates etc never had a bad night here. The prices are slightly expensive but not too bad where your wallet is emptied plus the portions are quite substantial no nouvelle cuisine here! If you like Italian food and live in Manchester look no further!

I was first taken here by my boyfriend on a date. He’d raved about how great the food was — and he knows how to rate food! I have been four times in total and every time I have been, the place has been buzzing with people but it has never been too overwhelmed. The manager circulates the room with chatter and light hearted jokes with each table. The atmosphere is rosy. The food is superb and I have been given a gluten free menu when I’ve visited. They really will go far to make sure you’re happy.

Went here on a Sunday night and had a lovely evening. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The place got quite busy but we werent rushed at any point. I had the calamari, king prawns and asparagus starter followed by the mushroom rissoto. Think there was too much on the menu and the food was very standard — you can tell this place is a chain.

I went here for a catch-​up with an old university pal. When we arrived, the very pleasant bartender made us feel most welcome. In fact, as everyone else has already mentioned, the service here is absolutely wonderful. They have a way of making you feel special and important.
We had drinks to start, while waiting for a table, at the bar. It was nice to be able to put the drinks on a tab that carried over to table. I appreciated not having to pay for the drinks before being seated, as this is not always the case at many restaurants in my dinning experience.
The food was excellent. The only reason why I am holding back on giving it the amazing five stars is because it is a little pricey. Great for once in a while.
Overall, it is a nice romantic restaurant. When it gets busy (which it did over the course of the evening), there is a low drone that it a wee bit irritating, but nothing so bad that it would keep me from coming back.

Spent a fab Saturday afternoon (very long lunch) here with friends, the atmosphere was great, we all enjoyed our food, carpaccio, scallops and the sea bass especially, the Bellini cocktails’ were a bit disappointing though, all in all we had a fab day and great service.

I was taken here for my graduation dinner by my Dad who claimed it was the best Italian in Manchester. I think he was right!
The staff are so friendly when they welcome you in and found us a table even though we hadn’t booked. It was really busy so the atmosphere was buzzing and we had a really funny waiter which totally made the evening.
We had the Gavi di Gavi white wine which I highly recommend, loved it and I had the Gamberoni to start — garlic prawns with chilli, as standard. It’s definitely worth checking the specials on the day because they usually involve fresh fish or a specific kind of meat. I enjoyed skewers of scallops, prawns and swordfish and it went down a treat. I don’t think I could have enjoyed it more. Very fresh and cooked to perfection. My Dad enjoyed the Vitello a la Millanese which is veal in breadcrumbs and apparently it was delicious. But everything that everyone had was met with sounds of approval so I’d say go for anything on the menu and you won’t be disappointed.
For dessert I had the chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream, a classic and perhaps not majorly Italian but it was great. Definitely worth having a cheeky Limoncello as well.
Apparently, getting a seat at the front of the restaurant is best for people watching and enjoying the rest of the restaurant because you’re centrally situated so I’d like to go back and sample that. As it was, our table at the back of the first level was fine and still caught up in the general buzz.

I really like this little Italian restaurant just off Albert Square, it’s a nice change to Croma across the road but more expensive so you don’t end up there as often.
The staff are there best quality by far, they seem to love working there and are fantastic with people, very personal service and exceptional on birthdays when they thoroughly embarrass the poor birthday boy/​girl.
But the food is not to be sniffed at either, very authentic dishes all cooked to perfection. They serve really good fish dishes here and it’s much cheaper than San Carlo’s whilst the fish is cooked equally as well.
Down a little side-​street, it’s a nice place to relax but still in the hub of the city. Really good for a romantic meal for two.

When is a chain restaurant not a chain restaurant? When it’s Piccolino’s or in other words: when it doesn’t feel like one. If you like your Italian food in a great, noisy atmosphere then you could do much worse than come to their city centre branch (others in Knutsford, Stockport and a bunch further afield).
I went at a busy time, 9pm on a weekend night, but you get the feeling that this place is always popular with a lot of return customers. The staff are very friendly and address you as ‘lady’; in fact I’ve never been called ‘lady’ so many times in one evening.
A varied menu, although with limited specials, I was intrigued by the prospect of Duck in Holy Water yet plumped instead for the Duck with Peaches in Valpolicella Sauce. I would definitely recommend this main as I would with the Raspberry and Almond Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Considering we’d just been to the cinema to see the foodie/​feminist Julie and Julia, we were in the mood for some superb tasting dinner. And that, combined with a brasserie type buzz, is exactly what Piccolinio’s delivered.

We consider this restaurant to be a treat. It is a little pricey, especially the drinks. It is a lovely atmosphere and décor but you could be in any British city?! The food is tasty and the staff friendly. Beatiful décor and very close to the King Street area of shops, so great for lunch

It’s a Piccolino. Good food. You could be in any city in the country, if that’s what you’re after, go for it.

Without a doubt the best Italian in town, The service is always professional and the food fresh and tasty, its owned by the same company as Restaurant, Bar and Grill.
Its always buzzy and good fun (just like an italian should be), definetly in my top 3 restaurants in town.

This fine Italian restaurant lies slightly hidden in a street just off the busy shopping streets of Manchester, and it’s a good job too — if it were located in such a busy area you’d never get a table as the food and atmosphere here is so good.
I have visited on a number of occasions, each time forcing myself to have something different, though this is a hard decision to make as I have always loved everything I have tried.
Last time I started with their Caprese Salad (buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil) which was so simple yet tasted amazing. My main course involved another difficult decision, but, as I had been going through a risotto phase, I tried their Risotto Caprino (grilled goats cheese with tomato and rosemary), which did not disappoint. I would also strongly recommend their soups and pizzas, both of which being excellent sized portions.
As well as great food, wine and atmosphere, Piccolino provides great customer service, even going so far as to humour my dad’s pathetic attempts to speak Italian. Taking your coat as you come in and constantly checking that everything was to our satisfaction were small efforts, but made a difference.
Next time you feel your tummy rumbling or you just fancy a quick break from shopping, I recommend the food here. The prices are not too expensive either, especially considering their good location and the excellent standard of food you are guaranteed to enjoy. Buon Appetito!