Ornella's Kitchen in Tameside

Well, I don't usually leave reviews but on visiting Ornella's Kitchen I was compelled to. We are new to the area, love our food and began to research what we had on offer. We found Ornella's at the top of our suggestions. We read through some of their reviews and were sold on booking a table. On contacting the restaurant we were told their evenings were booked up until March! Now, for me, that speaks for itself. We managed to book a table for breakfast/brunch at 10am. Upon arrival the staff were lovely, the environment is very welcoming and warm. The restaurant doesn't seat many at once and this adds to the comfortable and homely feel of the restaurant. We sat looking through the menu and had trouble deciding as everything sounded so enticing. Then we were told that the WHOLE menu is available all day! Which you can imagine troubled our decision making even further. Finally we made our decisions. The meatballs and sourdough were excellent, simple, authentic food, absolutely full of flavour and the tomato sauce was to die for. The poached pear, gorgonzola and walnut salad was lively, fresh and had a wonderful balance of sweet from the pear and the earthiness of the cheese with the walnuts in between. The burrata, fig and radicchio salad was beautifully creamy, the figs were the perfect accompaniment, not too sweet and give an added texture. Also just to add, it was presented on the plate beautifully. The potato bun was also fantastic, the flavour of the gaunciale, that lovely, caramelised flavour from the fat that soaks into the freshly baked bun. The sweetness of the tomatoes, the freshness of the salad with parmesan and the perfectly fried egg made this the poshest bacon and egg sandwich I've ever had and also the best one too! Of course I HAD to order a portion of the skin on truffle oil and parmesan chips to the table too and again they were absolutely delicious, beautifully crispy and bursting with flavour. We finished our meal with a traditional Sicilian cannoli, chocolate chip, cream filled with little fruit compote on either end, one citrus peel and the other cherry. Again, not too sweet and the perfect way to finish our meal. Overall, we give Ornella's top marks. There was absolutely nothing about our experience that wasn't spot on. We are booked in again for early next year, you should treat yourself and do the same. You will not be disappointed. Thank you to everyone at Ornella's 😊

We visited on a Saturday lunchtime having booked a table around two months in advance. The food is outstanding, there’s no doubt about it. Fresh, authentic, generous portions and great value for money. Between us we tried a variety of dishes - small plates, pasta, ciabattas and dessert. I especially like that most of the pasta dishes come in two portion sizes. There is limited seating and it did feel a little cramped so hopefully long term they can expand into a bigger premises but for now, it’s well worth a visit if you can get a table.

The food at Ornella’s is very good, we got a few plates to share and they were excellent. What let it down was the service, our reserved table took 30 mins to be available and we were just told they didn’t know how long it would be and to wait. We were a group of 3 and sat on a tiny table, meant for 2, and ordered a large plate and some small plates to try different dishes. All arrived at the same time, despite us having a tiny table, and when I asked for them to be brought staggered so they could fit, was told they were ready so had to be now. We had to use the end of the bar as a table extension and it was far from ideal. So in conclusion, delicious food but you’ll have to wait for your table and service isn’t great. The waitresses were nice but didn’t manage well.

We booked the table in April so yes we waited 6 moths for the table our time was 4.30.We arrived to find our table was not ready so we had to stand at the door for around 10 minutes we were so close to to other people eating which was very uncomfortable. The young man who said our table was ready just said you are over there (very rude) did not even take us to the table he just pointed at the table not a great start. The young lady that works there was helpful when is came to explaining the menu. The food well it was bland that all we have to say on that one. 6 months to get a table with crap service and bland food.

Visited with my mum and she had the meatballs which was on the starters menu but it arrived with two large slices of sourdough to mop the sauce up with and was more than enough for lunches. My mum said it was the best she has ever had. She’s very fussy so this is a large compliment. I had the mushroom ravioli in a truffle sauce and it was delicious. We finished by sharing the pistachio and raspberry profiteroles which was a huge portion and more than enough to share. The place itself is a very small cafe type shop and it would really benefit by expanding as it is so hard to get a booking. Staff are pleasant and service good.

Third time we have visited Ornellas, and every time it gets better and better, the food is amazing. You have to book well in advance as it’s that popular but keep an eye on the Facebook page for cancellations. This time I had the, Slow Cooked Marsala Beef Short Rib with Creamy Parmesan Gnocchi, it’s the most expensive thing on the menu, but it’s well worth it, for £19I can’t recommend this place highly enough..

The best little Sicilian restaurant, the food is amazing, have been going every month since opening, from the hearty sandwiches to the famous lodger ravioli, to the short beef rib and the tasty small plates. Ornella and the team are fantastic and very reasonably priced.

Waited ages for a table & it was well worth the wait! Best Italian food we've had outside of Italy (Sicily). Portions are very generous but it's the quality ingredients and great service that gets 5 stars.

I wanted to get a booking here for ages and finally managed to and it did not disappoint!! The staff were soo lovely, it’s so cute and cosy inside and the food was gorgeous! Our personal favourites were the spinach and mozzarella arancini and fried ravioli!! I also thought it was really well priced. Will 100% be back.

So hard to get a table but it’s worth the wait. The food is just amazing. From the starters to deserts, all of it is just so so good. Will be booking again when there is availability. 10/10

It was a real birthday treat to visit Ornella’s this lunchtime. The place is small but perfectly formed for a delightful lunch served by two polite, very helpful and pleasant servers. The food is really lovely and perfectly captures the essence of tasty fresh Italian dishes. An excellent experience which we will undoubtedly repeat.

I've been trying to get a table at Ornella's kitchen for months. Demand is high, and table numbers are small, so we decided to order take out instead. Collected on time, restaurant was full but there's space to wait for collection orders. The food was still hot when I arrived home. What can I say? The food was worth the wait. Absolutely incredible! We had arincini to start (njuda one with chilli honey sauce is unbelievably good), then beef short rib with gnocchi. It was prefect. Simply nothing I would change at all. Portion sizes are huge. Food is such high quality and tastes amazing. We will be back, and we look forward to becoming regulars!

The lunch was nice service was good but very small inside I felt a bit cramped to be honest small tables 3 of us had lunch we struggled to fit our food and drinks in the table

It took so long to get a booking that I'd almost forgotten about it, but it was absolutely worth the wait. It was hands-down the best Italian food I have ever eaten. I still think about the fried ravioli small-plate.

Fantastic food, brilliant atmosphere and friendly service. We visited Ornellas for Valentine’s Day and we were in pasta heaven. Would highly recommend getting a range of small pasta dishes to try lots of different things. 5 stars for the cheese and pepper ravioli. The wine was also incredible.

I absolutely love this place. Our second time here, and the food is top notch and the staff are great. Atmosphere is lovely and intimate. It feels like a lovely family run italian. My absolute favourite dessert on earth is the Pistachio profiteroles. You can tell how amazing this place is by how far in advance the tables are booked up. I'd 100% recommend.

We ate here on Valentines for lunch, my husband had been before and raved about it, I can see why now. I had the mushroom ravioli followed by raspberry and pistachio profiterole. OMG it was divine, best pasta I’ve ever tasted, the sauce was like a blanket of comfort which I mopped up with the crispiest truffle chips I’ve had. The profiterole were fresh and crispy clouds of naughtiness, it was only when we walked away that I realised how full I was. Already mentally planning my next visit despite living the other side of Manchester.

Always spot on! Amazing food, amazing service, so authentic in a lovely setting. You can taste the quality of the ingredients and the love that's gone into creating the menu and the restaurant itself. Ornellas is small and mighty. We have been 6 - 7 times to eat in and always had takeaway from the sandwich menu and evening menu. It's a real treat and not very expensive at all for what you get. So glad we have this in Denton. Photos from our various trips

Better than all the rest. Visited yesterday on strenghth of good reports. Have had Italian food in Uk and Italy itself but the food was out of this world. Had to book well in advance as smal layout, but great atmosphere. Had 3 small pasta dishes and 2 beers, all well priced. Would recommend the food for a Michelin star. Will be returning

We had to book around 4 months in advance to get in on a Saturday night. And now we know why. What a fantastic little place this is. Cosy, great staff, and most importantly fantastic food. I can’t remember ever booking somewhere again half way through a meal before (see you in Feb!) but we didn’t want to wait as long for our next visit. We had 2 small plates and 2 smaller dishes - in reality, we could and should have had more but this left enough room for a spectacular pistachio-heavy dessert. It was great to have the option of a small or regular pasta dish, meaning you could either have a taste of a few or stick to a traditional larger main dish (Sud Pasta, take note). The pricing was incredibly competitive in the current market too. Highly recommended!

Was told this place would be special. It really was. Having an Italian partner i wasnt expecting to be so blown away with how good this place was. I ordered meat balls and parmigiana. Both outstanding, I only ever order parmigiana at a beach cafe in ischia, it had allot to live up to. It was better! Huge portions. Fantastic service. Brilliant value. Book way in advance!

Went on Saturday, heard nothing but good things and managed to get a last minute booking. We had 4 dishes and a kids penne pasta, all food was outstanding, cooked fresh and very tasty. We were a little late, staff were very understanding and service was great.

There’s no two ways about it the food is gorgeous. The place is beyond cute, the ambiance is good. However our night was spoilt by the fact that we were told if we wanted a dessert we’d have to move tables. Our booking was for 4.30pm and when we arrived at 4.30pm our table wasn’t ready and we were asked to wait. This was fine and we ordered a drink and had no issue waiting. We were moved to our table at approx 5pm. After we had eaten our main we were told if we wanted dessert we would have to move tables because they needed our table. This was approx 6pm so we’d had the table for approx 1 hour. The fact that everything was running late was not our fault. This was just unacceptable, it had soured the night and we decided to not bother with dessert, paid the bill and left. It was such a shame because this really is a lovely little place with amazing food but the customer service was poor.

Visited this little intimate restaurant for my 66th birthday with my Princess and our son and his lovely young lady The place is very small and cosy with lovely staff, the food is amazing-good value for money with decent portions- extremely tasty. Not too large a menu to get lost in, still very varied Italian cuisine. I had lobster ravioli reasonably priced at £12, Princess had lamb ragu and the kids had mushroom ravioli and short beef rib on polenta mash. All had garlic cheesy sordough bread to start. Being the birthday boy I had a decent portion of excellent tiramasu which I let everyone taste Definitely a ten! Had to book late August for my November treat as it is VERY popular.

Amazing food. Best Italian food I’ve had outside of Italy! All the sauces on the pastas were great and very authentic. My ciabatta sandwich was an absolute beast and I devoured every mouthful! My friend eats a halal diet and they kindly adapted a pasta dish to cater for her. Lovely small and friendly atmosphere.

As Ornella’s kitchen is only a tiny place, we were lucky to be able to book enough seats for a special birthday celebration ( booked well in advance as it’s always busy) Everything was amazing, food superb ( I had lobster ravioli for mains), & their Espresso Martinis are the best I have ever had. It would have been an insult to stop at just the one 😉 They also had no problem providing something off menu for a guest with dietary issues We all loved every minute - (one guest is even a reviewer for a food magazine so knows her onions) My advice is “Book! Book! Book!”

You’ll have to book if you want to eat here but my oh my it’s worth it. The place is small and casual, the team are welcoming and friendly and attentive. The food is truly delicious. We had the Nduja & Mozzarella arancini with hot honey dip. Oh my word. My main was creamy pork sausage Pappardelle with crispy shallots & chilli flakes. The flavours in this dish filled your senses. My fellow diner had pumpkin ravioli in butter sauce w/ hazelnut & crispy sage. The ravioli exploded with flavour. Both excellent dishes. You can order smalller portions and full size. Next time I’ll order a smaller plate and have an extra starter as there is so much on the menu that I’d love to try. Thanks everyone one at Ornella’s. We had a terrific lunch .

Visited here as a slot had become available early on a Friday evening , had read great things about the restaurant and never been able to get in until now , as it’s so popular ! Everything I read is true . It’s lovely . We shared 4 small plates - 3 would have done as they are generous portions and full of flavour . My fave was the mushroom ravioli - the sauce was one of the nicest things I have ever tasted . Also had minty lamb ragu paparedelle , another sausage pasta dish and lobster ravioli . Also had garlic bread !! Again - huge and full of flavour . Both had tiramisu - i’d share next time as this was also a great portion size . We left full up and really pleased as we enjoyed everything . We had beers / wine - my white wine was lovely. The restaurant is tiny with about 15 covers but you can have 90 mins at your table - just enough time to enjoy it all without feeling rushed . We bought biscuits too as they have a shelf full of Italian produce . Will be back . It’s fabulous ❤️ . Forgot to say the staff were kind , full of smiles and friendly .

We reviewed Ornellas in May and said we would return. Our view remains the same, excellent food and attentive service. We will definitely return for a third visit. (Better think of looking to book now) !

The best Italian food I've had in this country incredible with service that is 2nd to none attentive would be the best word to describe the staff

Went here last night as a party of 6. Tiny place with only a few covers. If you're a fan of real pasta then you must try this place. Every dish was faultless, really. From fish stew to ndjua arancini for starters, to six different pasta dishes for mains, all were so so good. Beautiful silky pasta with flavoursome,well balanced sauces. Good portions, good prices, lovely staff and nice atmosphere. The best pasta I've had outside of Italy.

We had the best meal we’ve had anywhere for a long time here. It was satisfying different, incredibly tasty and generous in the ingredients (lots of seafood, fennel and pine nuts). We had the fish stew (which was genuinely fantastic & full of seafood), the pasta with fennel, anchovies & pinenuts (beautifully balanced flavours) & finished with tiramisu (which I’d stopped ordering in restaurants after I was often disappointed with but this time I took a chance based on the quality of the main courses) & it was light pillowy & perfect flavours. The young waiting on staff were lovely & very helpful with understanding the menu & choosing. The space is small & we were glad we were there early (11.30 for lunch). A lovely trip, well worth making.

Everything from to service to the food to the prices are exceptional. Couldn't fault a dish. The sort of place you want to keep all to yourself! Will be back again and again.

What a lovely friendly and quaint atmosphere in this restaurant. Food delicious and lots of variety on the menu. We will be back! Thank you ❤️