San Carlo Cicetti in Manchester

Quite simply and without exaggeration, this was the best Italian meal we ever had. Authentic Italian, the food prep and taste was just perfect. We are from Toronto and have eaten Italian in NY, many places. The service was excellent and if we could have eaten the same meal twice we would have. The location is easy to find, the decor charming and server very polite. My husband and I will be going again before we leave for home and also going to go to one of their other locations, San Carlo in Alderley Edge.

Extremely busy restaurant. Extensive menu. Hard to decide what to order as all the food looked good. Went for the 6 Oysters and they were beautifully presented. Very nice indeed. All the food was very nice. Excellent service as well. Worth checking out if in Manchester..

Staff are pleasant and accommodating. Food fast Came on a dirty plate Kitchen looks dirty. The hot plate has a layer of grease facing the dinners. Chef not washing hands in between handling raw food and toast. Overpriced

Despite booking a table, we were made to wait 30 mins to be seated with very little communication as to why and how long we’d be waiting. Staff were openly admitting the restaurant was purposefully overbooked. No compensation was offered for the wait. Avoid this restaurant, as their management are clearly greedy and arrogant.

We have visited before, but not for a while, and this time brought my sister who loved it. The garlic bread with tomato was delicious, they both had pizzas which they loved & my gnocchi was spectacular. Nice wine, great service, sat in the window watching the world go by. A very nice experience.

Been before and will dine again. Great personal Italian welcome and excellent service. It's a bit cramped but you get to hear what others are having and enjoying. You order as a meal but they say they serve as they wish, but it's continuous and...

Looking forward to meeting a friend for lunch who had dined here before. I ordered the tuna, 2 small bite size pieces arrived, chips that looked like oven chips and a tasteless side salad, very disapointed. The restaurant is lovely, the staff were very professional,...

Ambiance and food is really something everybody should experience, staff a great, nothing is impossible to please, great place for any meal from breakfast to dinner.

4 of is celebrating good news decided to visit. I regret thus decision. Full sized plates of food that should be tapas we're brought out and we were expected to find room on the tiny table to place it. The food was bland at best....

Visited as a party of six last week for my birthday. We were asked if we had been before and explaining that I'd only previously been for drinks we were told the following: Cichetti is like Tapas and as such it was recommended we order...

Excellent service friendly and efficient staff Amazing gluten free Pasta Pre theatre meal so accommodating in looking after us staff friendly and food outstanding

Easy to book online Decent (if expensive) public parking nearby. Excellent customer service - attentive, friendly and informative. Really good menu and finally the food was superb. Quite where some poor reviews come from, I don’t know. Really enjoyable meal and I’ll definitely return.

We were told on ordering that Cicchetti was like tapas and our orders would arrive when ready. That was fine and we expected small portions of food just like tapas tp arrive at the table at various times. But everything came at once, a huge...

The is not a pure Italian dining, I asked for a bread selection not even a piece of butter came with it but that ain’t the worst the bread was definitely old at least at week old how HARD it was, not even gonna talk...

Had lovely lunch today. Staff were very friendly and there was a great choice. It was very quiet but we were early

This place is so bad, not authentic Italian food and I can say that because I attended here with 4 Italian friends who grew up on ‘authentic Italian’ dining. The carbonara was awful and over cooked. One friend who works in hospitality got up and...

Really disappointed in our visit this evening. We regular eat at San Carlo Fumo. In summary We ordered 6 dishes but in reality if the food was good, we could have ordered 3. The portion sizes are huge but considering Fumo is more tapas I’d...

Walked into the restaurant and was ignored for about 5 minutes, then told to go to the bar to order a cocktail, again, ignored. This continued throughout the whole night as we struggled to get service or any attention from the waiters. Despite this, when...

My wife and I walked past Cicchetti on a recent visit to Manchester and as it was always somewhere we wanted to try we popped in on the off-chance of a table. We stood at the entrance and were eventually approached by a member of...

They are part of the San Carlo so we expected great food and service. However, we felt the customer service wasn’t very good as we kept asking for attention. We ordered a battered seafood platter which was greasy, it didn’t seem fresh and we also...

On s’attend régale ! On a pris le menu partage des 6 plats c’était excellent ! Le service et super,...

Went for lunch. Still closed for breakfast. After we sat down informed that no pizza or garlic bread as oven been broken for a week. We ordered main course, all came out at separate times that one person had completed his food, another half way...

Been to Cicchetti’s many times. Today arrived, sat down and shown alcohol and food menu. Wife ordered cocktail, me water. Looked at menu and chose from pizza section. Waiter arrived then told us pizza oven not working. Why didn’t the waiter tell us on arrival?...

Post lockdown, still not available for breakfast but for fine Italian dining and service, even in small plates, Cicchetti San Carlo punches well above its weight and remains a long held favourite. Recommended: aubergine parmigiana; halibut; arancini; and the pistachio cake.

Reserved the table for fri 5/11/21 7pm, for 6 people. me and my friend arrived on time but other 4 were late. Whilst sitting and waiting no one came to ask if we would like something (drink etc), so had to go to the bar....

Too good to be true Just amazing food and fantastic service. And I must say my sweet, I’ve Cream with expresso and amoretti Was to die for. Then drinks in the bar with Tequilas to finish. Great night Thank you

I arrived with my wife with the intention of dining with my wife, simple expectation you would think? Not here. Waiter took my order and announced “food will arrive in the order its ready” and walked off!!! Sure enough my fries arrived as a starter!...

I booked a table for myself and girlfriend for 7.30pm, we waited 45 minutes before they seated us. The manager seated 2 other couples who came in after us. I can only assume because we are young. One of the couples highlighted to the manager...

From start to finish, our evening at San Carlo was amazing. We had amazing service from every member of staff and the food was incredible. It’s a great idea to do small plates as you don’t mind trying something new. We would definitely recommend this...

Not been for a while and a bit apprehensive having read some recent reviews but nothing to worry about . Lovely meal as always with friendly attentive staff . Special mention to our our waitress as it was her first night but she was brilliant...

Please listen I never write a review or put a place down, on this occasion is different. The food was poor, we had 2 sea food platters at £17 each, scallops / prawns and calamari, well there was 2 prawns. 2 scallops and calamaris was...

Food ok. Staff shocking. Poor service from the outset. Waitress dismissive. Loads of items unavailable but not told this prior to trying to order. Asked for service to removed. No one asked why. Sarcasm has no room in hospitality. Never to return. Expensive. Pointless.

We ate here as a family group of 12 on 2nd October. We couldn't get a table of 12 so had 2 tables of 6. The food was good - I have eaten here before and knew that there would be something for everyone BUT...

We visited here on 24th September for my partners birthday and it did not disappoint. We wanted to treat ourselves with a fancy Italian restaurant for the occasion and was met with great service and great food. It was a busy Friday night but the...

I visited in July 2021 with my partner. I couldn't fault the service, it was professional, quick and friendly. Water came quickly, 2 bottles of beer took a little longer than we would've liked but ok. The food came out relatively quickly and tasted so...

Pasta overcooked as English way, ok, but the tomato sauce plain as at school, no poi l no salt, no parmesan no erbs.. Small portion.. Lasagna is like one at the pub... Fake. Meatball no flavour no int, they want to do posh and they...

My boyfriend and I visited San Carlos for a meal, which unfortunately left us feeling flat and disappointed. We both ordered a pizza, after waiting 15 minutes, our waiter informed us our first pizzas had been burnt and that replacements were on their way. This...

AMAZING! See food pasta was excellent, my daughter has been looking forward to coming here for a while and we were pleasantly impressed! Will be back again

Leisurely pace, pleasing surroundings, everything was delicious and my off-menu request was not just indulged but was a holiday highlight it was so tasty. Medium rather than small plates - we ended up with a doggy bag for supper!

We used to go here a lot it was always full and the food was delicious, not this time. We went on a Sunday the place was empty there where more staff than customers. We where shown to our table n given menus, had to...

We had a lovely lunch here. We sat at the bar which was nice as we were able to see the pizzas being prepared and cooked. We had the mozzarella and Parma ham and a pizza each. The food was fresh and delicious. A lovely...

We were in Manchester for a night and popped in here to see if they had space. We have been to their sister restaurant in Covent Garden and that is first class. We were looking to repeat. Staff were helpful, food was good and the...

Lunch (again) and it was delightful. Lovely food, beautifully presented. Great service and well priced. Thank you.

I was recommended this place from friends that have been there pre-lockdown and found the whole experience most enjoyable. I am Italian and I wanted to bring my partner out for a Birthday meal to mainly enjoy pizza and other Italian dishes. The restaurant is...

Food here was absolutely beautiful, huge choice and all cooked perfectly, they came out a little too spaced for my liking (but it's all cooked fresh and they do warn you of that on the menu). The mixed pudding plate had stuff that I don't...

Food was lovely, service disgraceful, waiters walking around without masks, we were totally ignored, restaurant half empty, ladies toilets were pouring water through the ceiling, we reported but guests were still allowed in. Such a shame as the food was excellent.

Visted for the first time and will definitely not be returning or recommending this place. The food was great and the presentation was lovely. However, our server was Danjela and she was very rude and arrogant. When speaking to her she would just look at...

Had seafood pasta, warms up the tummy. Service was good, there is a lot of covid screens in the restaurant so that feels safe. Portions are tapas sized, good for like an early brunch. They forgot to serve us bread, and the next table has...

I came here for a meal with my boyfriend and have to say that I was extremely underwhelmed. First of all we were completely rushed in our experience (we understand the rules due to COVID however staff were rude in handling the situation and we...

I found a black false nail (a stick on) in my food, it fell off my fork and onto my lap, so I reported this to the staff and they were very lovely about it (particularly Carmelo) but the general manager (Julio, he refused to...

Lovely dishes Spanish food yummy nice to excellent choice to much to choose from but I’m glad it like that

Amazing experience from start to finish.. we came for our anniversary meal and me and my partner loved it.. service was great and food was fantastic.. definitely be coming again!

Asked to order a gin and tonic and they asked to see my ID, I happily obliged and then the waiter said he needed to talk to the manager and came back and said sorry you have to be 21 to drink. I tried to...

We arrived a little early and were nervous we wouldn’t be seated until our allotted time. We shouldn’t have worried as we were met at the front door and, with a smile, directed to the bar where we could order drinks and look at the...

On arriving had to argue with the head waiter to prove I had booked a table. He was convinced I’d booked san Carlo. So off to a bad start. The food isn’t that great. Sloppy and the ravioli had too much cheese sauce so sickly....

Wonderful food, great atmosphere and attentive staff - shared 8 dishes between 3 of us, all were spot on and prices very reasonable for location . Look forward to coming back .

Staff were incredibly friendly, attentive and lovely with our 3 children. The food was beautiful, all cooked to perfection, special mention for the calamari & lasagne.

Booked a table for a birthday occasion & travelled 1 hour by car only to arrive a rude man who let us no further than the front door because we were dressed ‘ inappropriately’ as 2 of us had jeans shorts on. It was 22...

My friend and I had a great evening; Cicchetti and Fumo are my favourite restaurants in the San Carlo chain. The melanzane parmegiana is a tomato and aubergine based vegetarian dish that is bursting with flavour. The Basilicata is my pizza of choice as it...

If there is one thing guaranteed with san Carlo restaurants is that your going to be leaving happy with the food you have eaten. The hard part is deciding what you want! Thankyou for fitting 6 of us in at short notice and Thankyou to...

First meal out after lockdown. Going to Manchester shopping so loads to choose. Not a big fan of San Carlo. Been a few times and always feel like the waiters look down their noses at you. At Cicchetti today we were treated like old friends...

We couldn’t wait to get back to our favourite restaurant once they reopened. It’s as fab as ever and felt very safe with subtle screening and staff all with masks and carefully observing all safety measures. Wonderful food and warm and friendly service was so...

Visited here on the first day it reopened. Food was excellent, staff fabulous as always and the place couldn't feel safer. I was really impressed with the changes they had put in place to keep everyone safe. Highly recommend the Dolce Cicchetti for dessert. Well...

Really good food and quality. The wine offer is good as well, the service overall OK, def must improve. Happy with our visit overall!

Only popped in for a drink at the bar a couple of occasions at a quiet time, most recently last week. I would definately love to come for a meal though. It seems a really fun place to call in and a proper nice positive...

We had just arrived in Manchester and came across this restaurant. We had ate at the one in Covent Garden and enjoyed it. However we were really disappointed. We ordered 5 tapas, two of which we enjoyed. We informed the waitress that the tapenade was...

Great place for a business lunch. Highly recommend the cod and the Amarone red is delightful. Worth calling in.

Thought we'd try here for breakfast having been to Piccolino a number of times and them having pretty much the same breakfast menus. The setting is lovely but we ordered the omelettes (they are incredible in Piccolino!) but these ones were too greasy. We also...

Very average all around. Service was great and friendly but the food was fairly basic. The toilets are awful, shared with Kendals and not enough or clean.

Came in here on spec. for a quick lunch, I have eaten here a few times and the food is generally quite good and the break fast certainly is. However, on this visit the service was a little off, there was burnt / dried edges...

I had an esspresso while we were shopping at House of Fraser. The service was excellent and the coffee was great specially texture and wormth. Highly recommended.

We had a selection of small plates. The pasta was heavy and stodgy. The lasagne was poor, with a runny sauce that lacked flavour.

I was treated, for my birthday, to an evening meal at what has become perhaps my favourite Manchester restaurant. As always it was top notch, nice cocktails, lovely food, attentive and friendly service. I keep coming back simply because the venue and the food are...

I went with my best friend and 16 year old daughter (on spec) around half past six on a Saturday evening and was pleasantly surprised when they quickly located us a table. The atmosphere is buzzing but not too lively and the decor is just...

Called in for lunch with a couple of friends on a Saturday. Great atmosphere and very busy. Food still arrived in good time. Tapas style was great and all dishes excellent. Staff very friendly and chatty.

We went on Sunday evening, it was very busy! The tables are so close together I could hear what everyone was talking around, no cosy feeling. Food was average when compare to other italian restaurants. Waiter forgot about us and did not get the dessert...

A first visit to this restaurant for me although it is on my girlfriends regular list and she has raved about it. We were greeted at the door as if we were old friends and it didn't change all evening. Suggestions on cocktails and food...

Our hotel recommended this restaurant. It was easy to find on the side of the House of Fraser building on Deansgate. We really enjoyed the tapas style it was served and the quality of our meal was a delight. The staff were very helpful and...

Eaten here many times, food is consistant as is the service. Only problem is we order too much !! The staff are excellent and always helpful. Different way to eat and fun.

Quality restaurant with lovely tapas style options, great atmosphere and busy which is a good sign. Had the olives/breads and salad dishes the Tuna tartar was fabulous.

Fabulously fresh, high quality, full breakfast. Extremely generous portions and cooked to perfection for me. Delicious. Service perfect. Highly recommended.

We had been here once before and the service was not as good this time, even though the restaurant was nearly empty. But once our order was taken, the omelettes arrived freshly cooked and tasty. Coffee was very good as you might expect.

Stunning Italian resto with impeccable service. Plates are varied and perfectly portioned. Each plate arrives as soon as it is prepared so don’t expect starter then entree in the order. The risotto in a Parmesan bowl is perfection. As is the Monk Fish. Basically you...

Been dining here for over 10 years , today was the first time i had experienced an awful meal . We had serval dishes and everyone was poorly sized , tasted bland. What happened ...have they got complacent? sadly will not be going back ,...

We had a very bad experience at another San Carlo restaurant - for which we were offered a complimentary meal. We chose to return to Cicchetti instead, as we liked the idea of Italian Tapas. The food was incredible, especially the pasta. We had the...

Great breakfast, so good we ate there twice. Lovely choice and very reasonably priced for such lush surroundings. Would definitely recommend if you’re in Manchester.

Not been here for years and was not disappointed upon my return. My friends loved this gorgeous restaurant too. The staff were really obliging and the food was amazing. The sharing plate of desserts was fantastic and huge. Definitely coming back here!

I booked into chicchetti for a meal last night, and it was a very disappointing experience. I normally go to San carlo, however they were fully booked. So i thought due to chicchetti being part of the same group I expected the same standards.

We called in for a drink & lunch whilst shopping in Manchester.

I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant, lovely decor nice tables and very good staff. Now to the food we decided on 4 dishes between 2 that was ample the arancini was amazing. I would also recommend the chicken wrapped in ham it comes as a kebab and was really tasty. There is an extensive menu and would definitely return when in Manchester.

Called in for breakfast while in the city. Lovely calm atmosphere and can highly recommend the porridge! Very attentive staff

Quite average Italian restaurant, crowded, not many space between tables. Design is quite good though. Meals are ok. Prices are average. The overall experience is average.

Popped in for lunch. Food very good. Staff very attentive - keen to ask about any allergies to food when I asked for vegan choices - unusual in Italian eateries. Lovely atmosphere. I had side vegetables - salad and broccoli - so so simple but just so tasty - My daughter had the truffle ravioli - gorgeous

Visited today for the first time on my own. Type of food (Italian tapas) was explained. Food was excellent and service even better. A little gem that I can’t wait to return to. Loved it!

Very generous food portions priced well. We came for breakfast on a Monday, it was not busy. Recommend if you are around the area.

Visited during the week with friends. The cuisine is Italian but served as tapas which comes out when it is ready. A couple of dishes per person was plenty eventhough on first sight we thought we may need to order more. Food was delicious with lots of options. Service was attentive and the food came hot and quickly. A good option for groups.

We always say this is the best place in Manchester for breakfast but today Sat 5 October was very disappointing - 40 minutes wait and by this time our drinks were finished and cold - full breakfast was not the usual quality and my poached egg was cold on dry toast and the avocado was brown and badly presented - maybe the chef has changed?? So many other places in town now so please get back to your usual standard - we missed that today! And speed up the service too please!

My first trip here for s while and good and service still good. Varied menu well presented and excellent quality of food and service.

I had breakfast and it was great, Full English, reasonable price considering in the city centre. Will definitely be coming again

Amazingly nice tapas style Italian food, the portions are really fair and you definitely feel full at the end of it.