The Pasta Factory in Manchester

Was super excited to try the Pasta Factory, but was sadly let down by the overall experience. The initial atmosphere is lovely, and I love the fact you can purchase fresh pasta and sauces. However, we felt that the food was slightly overpriced and lacked depth of flavour. The seasonal special of the grilled octopus was fantastic and the food looked great, but sadly everything else was a let down. The servers were super kind, but we did feel that overall service was slow. I am glad I tried it, but I won’t be rushing back.

best pasta i’ve ever had with no exaggeration it felt like eating a hug

Incredible flavours and a great selection! Atmosphere is very sweet and service was lovely

Yesterday I went to this pasta workshop with my husband Alessandro and we ate well. Friendly Italian staff who try to satisfy your tastes. We will gladly return. Yesterday I went with my husband Alessandro to this pasta factory and we ate deliciously. Italians and locals staff was very gentle and they satisfied our taste. We'd like to come again in this Pastificio..Enjoy your time here!

The best pasta in the UK. After visiting for the first time during university I keep returning year after year to enjoy the seasonal menus. If you're in Manchester for a weekend definitely make a trip to the Pasta Factory for the best meal in town.

The pasta was fresh and delicious with an excellent wine choice. Highly recommended and bit of a hidden gem!

The tastiest pasta I’ve ever had ! I can’t remember the dishes name, but it was a buttery sauce that just melted in my mouth ! Absolutely delicious. One small issue I had was that the portion size was quite small considering the price, but it was worth it :). Special thanks to the lovely waitresses Niav and Laura ! They were super friendly, especially when I knocked over a glass of water ! Woops! . Overall a lovely experience.

Thanks for Laura, Robbie and Francesco, had a great night and tasty food :)

Beautiful place to eat and such friendly staff 👌

Niav and Francesco were lovely servers, food was great, had a lovely time! Portion looked small but was lovely and filling in the end

Amazing pasta! So good for vegan food. Thank you niav and Francesco 😊

Amazing carbonara and great service from Niav+Francesco

A very nice restaurant with great ambience, Niav and Francesco were really friendly and provided excellent service.

excellent food and lovely staff, especially niav and francesco

Had a lovely meal at the pasta factory today - came in around 17:00. We had a lovely burrata for starters and I had carbonara for main. Burrata was amazing and not to salty as some places do and the carbonara was lush - great authentic food with fresh pasta and amazing focaccia. Overall a great experience would go again. Niav was an amazing host

Food was delicious and the service was incredible thanks to niav and Laura definitely will return ♥️

Great food, service and atmosphere thanks niav & Laura

We had a lovely time, the pasta and portions were perfect and the staff (Niav and Laura) were very friendly and attentive :))) will be back thank you

The food was so fresh and tasty! We have been served by Francesco and Robbie who were very nice and accommodating!

Delicious filling food and coffee that is cheap, fresh and very very strong. Efficient, friendly service. Chilled rustic atmosphere in the heart of Manchester. VFM

Fabulous pasta, home made, seasonal ingredients, lots of veggie & vegan options, great wine menu. Love the place ❤️

Overpriced and small portions not much else to it

Great pasta. Confident flavours that feel respectful of traditional while remaining modern and fresh. Carbonara was stunning, and king prawn paccheri was a winner. Easy-to-chat atmosphere too. 10/10 would recommend.

Shout out to Niav and Laura, food was perfect and service was great. Big love, thanks will be returning 🥰

Lovely service from niav and Laura

Niav + laura great servers, sorted a table out for me after i booked the wrong day by accident. Great food lovely atmosphere and reasonable price Would come again.

The food was good, nice staff. A bit cold in the restaurant, but very nice.

Amazing food and really good service from Niav and Laura!!!

Great pasta and homely atmosphere, Laura and Niav were absolutely lovely and looked after us very well :)

Everything was amazing and Niav and Laura looked after us perfectly. 10/10!!!

Niav and Laura were absolutely lovely - we had a great evening, food was lovely and we were given lots of space and time to chat- would definitely return

It was my first time at pasta factory and it was an absolute blast. The hospitality was on point and in particular Niav and Laura were bloody brilliant. It was my friends birthday and the 2 of them made sure she felt really special once I told them. Upon my request they brought out a little gift and to say it wasn’t a significant moment would be very false. Overall I had an unreal time here!!! Deffo recommend. Give it up for pasta factory. Hell yeah!!! Let’s go!!!

Lovely food and atmosphere, thanks Niav and Laura!

Great time as always, especially Niav and Laura.

Always love it, the best food and brilliant service! Thanks to Laura, Niav and all the kitchen team! 🎉🎉🎉🎄🎄🎄

Scallop ravioli was delicious! Niav and Laura were fab!

Pretty solid food, service and atmosphere

amazing food as usual, Niav & Laura were great too

Had a wonderful birthday meal at Pasta Factory. Everything was so tasty and had great service from Niav and Laura! Thank you for making the evening special 😄 x

a really lovely meal, tasty and lots of choice and Niav and Laura lovely 😍

Niav and Laura were our servers and were lovely and helpful. Food was great and nice relaxing atmosphere

Such amazing service and food couldn't fault it. Niav and Laura were great!

Excellent food. Brilliant Service from Niav and Laura. Mine and my mum's favourite restaurant in Manchester

Lovely meal at Pasta Factory, well taken care of by Niav and Laura.

I stumbled across this place by accident on route to some god awful chain restaurant. I’m glad I did as the food was excellent, staff were friendly (especially Niav and Laura) and service was exceptional. I will certainly visit again when I am back in Manchester.

Niav and Laura were great servers - couldn’t recommend this place enough!

I really love it at The Pasta Factory - this is the second year in a row where I have spent my birthday here! The staff are very friendly and the vegetarian food is so tasty. I also love the vegan parmesan they sell at the door and frequently pop in to top up my reserve as it goes so well with pasta at home! 🥳

Food was amazing, atmosphere was calm and pleasant, service was excellent, Francesco, Niav, and Robbie were all fantastic, I will definitely be returning :)

Waiter Robbie was absolutely astonishing tonight. Recommended some of the best food I’ve ever tried in my life. The pea and mint pesto pasta dish, recommended by Robbie, was out of this world. Made me feel like I was in Italy again!!

Great service, quick but not rushed and really knowledgeable about the food. The food was brilliant, the tagliatelle pesto & burrata was as nice as any I’ve had in Rome. Will definitely be coming back ! :)

Perhaps the best ravioli dish I have ever had, simply gorgeous! Ravioli capesante And to think I almost just ordered Caesar salad! 💜

Very dissatisfied with our experience at the pasta factory. We had high expectations as it has a 4 star rating and we booked for a birthday meal. The service is extremely slow and we found ourselves having to constantly flag down a waiter any time we wanted to order food and even after receiving the bill we waited over 10 minutes to actually pay. The best thing about the meal was the bread and olives to start. We waited nearly an hour between starters and mains and when they came they were satisfactory. The gnocci was over cooked and just soft and sloppy. The sauce had no flavour and tasted quite disgusting really. The tagliatelle was stodgy and stuck together as it had again been over cooked. We sent back the gnocci and apologised and explained it wasn’t right, for then to be told we needed to pay for it as we didn’t exchange it for another dish! This was not stated at the time and we didn’t want to have to wait again for a new dish to be re made. When it came to the bill we were told neither of the bad pasta dishes could be taken off as they had been slightly eaten. (A few bites before we sent them back). The waiter said all he could do was take the optional service charge off!😂 which we weren’t planning on paying for anyway seeing as the service was painfully slow and our starter dishes were still on the table when our mains finally came out. Eventually One of the pasta dishes was taken off the bill. Overall it wasn’t the nicest atmosphere to have a birthday meal especially with all the fuss of not having food up to a decent standard. We were hardly given an apology but just a 10% off voucher which I doubt we will be using.

Comida muy sabrosa y un buen ambiente. Muchas opciones sin gluten y veganas. Sin duda recomendaría a cualquiera en Manchester!

Food is excellent. But very slow kitchen. Waited for 1hr 15 for mains to be served. Staff needed prompting after a 30min+ wait for starters (which was focaccia and dips so do not have a long prep time) as they had seemingly forgotten about our table. Ran out of time so had to get my main to go. Staff were not apologetic and didn’t seemed bothered about the situation. A shame as the food is good, maybe I caught them on a bad night.

The pasta factory i have eaten at quite a lot of Italian restaurants in and around Manchester and I have also eating Italian food lots of times in Italy to tonight I was dining out with my mother and one of my favourite dishes in Italian restaurants is carbonara the one I had here tonight with the best I have ever had in any Italian restaurant in Manchester or Italy it was absolutely beautiful 👌 and the lager was an absolute treat two I will definitely be back 👌

Excellent pasta, with excellent service yet again!!

We had a very good time in a cosy place with good Italian food.

This was an amazing Italian experience! Would definitely recommend this place for everyone visiting Manchester for a weekend!!

Had the best time at the pasta making workshop which was a gift as a birthday present. Prosecco on arrival, a delicious meal and a workshop that was so fun and easy to follow. Time to make lots of fresh pasta now! 😃

Very nice and has good gluten free options 👌🏽

Estaba emocionada de probar The Pasta Factory, así que paramos a almorzar en la excursión de cumpleaños de mi hija. Éramos los únicos clientes en ese momento, y pedimos bebidas, entrantes y gasolina. Nuestra experiencia fue muy mixta, y quiero ser justo, así que lo tomaré punto por punto: Ventajas: El camarero era muy agradable, educado y servicial. Servicio de primera categoría de él -La comida era fresca, sabrosa, y venía en porciones generosas Desventajas: La comida tomó AGES. Y me refiero a edades absolutas. Sé que está fresco, pero lo esperamos mucho tiempo, a pesar de ser los únicos clientes. Encontramos pelos en dos de los tres platos. Señalé esto y recibí una disculpa, pero no ofrecí ni siquiera un reembolso parcial. El personal de cocina no llevaba redes. -Los baños estaban mal, no muy limpios, y con pocos suministros. -Se sentía un poco caro, aunque reconozco el costo de ingredientes frescos / especializados. En general, fue una experiencia decepcionante - no me gustaría volver.

La comida aquí es bastante buena. Nuestro grupo estuvo de acuerdo en que era agradable, pero difícilmente el mejor que habíamos tenido. Este no era el problema. Envié mi comida porque estaba demasiado fría para comer. Luke cálido en el mejor de los casos, y eso está en el medio. Cuando volvió no hacía calor. Les dije esto, en ese momento procedieron a medir la temperatura de mi comida y me dijeron que era 45 °C. En mi libro esto no es "caliente". Le dije al tipo que estaba bien y que comería en otro lado. Insistió en que tuviera otro plato, a lo que acepté. Éste era caliente y de buena calidad. En total tuvimos un entrante, tres principales, dos postres y dos bebidas no alcohólicas. La factura ascendió a 85 libras esterlinas, incluido un cargo por servicio del 10 %. No hubo compensación por los problemas que tuvimos. En general encontramos que el servicio aquí es deficiente y bastante frío. Un poco lento también, especialmente para las bebidas. Esto es a pesar del hecho de que éramos los únicos clientes en ese momento y había alrededor de 8 empleados, en su mayoría de pie alrededor de charlar. A £ 17 por plato principal nos pareció demasiado caro y no competir con restaurantes de precio similar en la zona.

Loved it here- food was fantastic!!!!

We ordered the ravioli and carbonara. It took a long time until the food arrived despite there not being very busy. The ravioli was ok but the carbonara was cold and very undercooked and so we did not eat any of it. They offered to make a new one but we declined as we were in a hurry.

We went for a birthday, really excellent food, delicious, excellent service and very kind and super welcoming

This place is def overall good...but if I'm honest I thought portions were small and a nit overrated. Hand made fresh as can be, and they customized a bit when asked. Def tasty though but I found it a bit overall under whelming. Service Excellent and super friendly

Authentic, fresh and delicious.

Excelente sabor, frescura y servicio. El personal era muy servicial y amable, ayudó a recomendar un vino para mí. Cada plato era delicioso y no puedo esperar a volver aquí la próxima vez que visite Manchester. Mi única recomendación para el equipo aquí sería mejorar la decoración interior un poco si es posible, y tal vez algo de mejor señalización exterior. ¡La gente necesita saber que existes porque este es seguramente mi nuevo restaurante favorito en 2024!

Amazing food! Francesco is the best!

The smallest carbonara I have ever seen, and charged way above average. On top of this the male toilet was in awful conditions and they add the service charge to the bill without even saying it, which is quite pretentious

It takes forever to bring your food and the food they brought felt like chewing testless rubbery thing. It was a waist of my money and time to be honest, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.never again

Menu seems amazing and appealing and it tricks you with the authentic look but don’t be fooled. Service and food was dire. Had a very inexperienced waiter and all the other experienced waiters / owners seemed like they did not want to be there at all. Took ages to order despite being the only other table in there. I’ve never waited so long for Bread and olive starters and even then the bread was over baked and hard. When the mains came, one member couldn’t finish the prawn pasta as it was bland and overcooked. We all found our pasta overcooked and sickly. They forgot about our polenta chips and when we asked there was no apology it just arrived later and there were literally 7 total (overcooked) chips in one portion which was shocking and when I addressed this nicely to the waiter, he spoke to me like an idiot as if I didn’t know what polenta chips were despite me having order d it before at restaurants. When the bill came we asked for one of the mains to be taken off and the person serving us was extremely rude and asked why even though we explained. Eventually the bill was adjusted. Overall, maybe we got unlucky but this was the first place I’ve ever been to where pasta has been awful and the staff we came across here were miserable and lifeless. Can get away with poor service when the food is decent but that wasn’t the case. I do not recommend this place to anyone!

Vaya, qué puedo decir. Nunca decepcionan con la comida o el servicio allí. Tuvimos la mejor cena de cumpleaños aquí, una que estamos dispuestos a hacer una tradición. Gran saludo a Laura y Francesco nuestros servidores, tan atentos y amables. Incluso le regalé a mi pareja un profiterole sorpresa con una vela en su cumpleaños sin que yo siquiera preguntara. Gracias al equipo de Pasta Factory ❤️

Discovered this place several years ago and it’s hands down my favourite restaurant in Manchester. Inside has a very basic feel but everything is fresh and clean, the food is exceptional and is freshly prepared in the open kitchen which is visible to diners. Wine list is great and service is always quick and friendly. The menu is quite changeable with a good mix of specials

The ravioli was a bit cold when served and the ravioli is a bit too thick while the mushroom sauce is really good. The gnocchi texture is a bit too soft and lacks a bite and the truffle creamy sauce lacks the truffle flavor. Tiramisu lacks a bit of alcohol flavor. Loved their coffee.

Pastaen var hverken dårlig eller strålende. Min var bare meget neutral og manglede nogle krydderier. Portionen var i den lidt lavere ende

We came to The Pasta Factory on a Tuesday evening. We were the only people in there however the staff made sure to make us feel welcome and helped us make amendments to the meal. The pesto pasta was incredible!

Favorite place to visit when in town!

Very good pasta, incredibly tasty sauces, the room could do with a little more cushioning. It's very loud there! Otherwise very great!!!

Delicious pasta, but service could be better.

Food was average, portion sizes were too small, items were not available, prices were too high, 10% service charge when the staff barely do anything. 2 stars for having good drink options.

Best pasta I’ve ever had in my life ! Ps I don’t even like pasta. I would recommend the pesto pasta. The atmosphere and vibe is very cosy and makes me feel like I’m in a little family owned Italian restaurant.

I’m telling you , the goddam carbonara was life changing. Ok fine it’s a bit of an exaggeration but it really was that good 🤪 We enjoyed the pork cheek which was crispy and salty, it perfectly complements the pecorino and fresh pasta. The only dish I didn’t enjoy was the appetiser specials, the Parma ham and melon. The cured ham was nothing to shout about , I’ve tasted better. All in all, great service and good food. Loved it! 💕

Expensive for what it is. Flavorless pasta and service didn’t agree to make changes to dish (remove chili)

Pritty much love the concept. The calamari with peas puree was exquisite loved the smoothness and homogeneity of the tastes.

This restaurant would be great….. in kitchen nightmares. What has happened to the menu, I can’t understand why there was need to change from its fabulous fusion and classic dishes which offered something for everyone to something that looked and tasted like a British person made it in their uni flat. I had always looked forward to pasta factory in past my favourite was the miso and scallop ravioli, now it’s just lost all soul and taste. First of all the my starter, you can see it’s not a Burrata (which we were told about) but mozzarella… why call it a Burrata on the menu?? It just looks absolutely awful, sitting it what look like water and wet 3 day old lettuce, not Italian greens! Also nothing cherry about the tomatoes it came with, they look like they came from a can! Why can’t the dish come with rocket and mixed coloured tomatoes! It’s just was so vile, no presentation or taste, also the chef forgot the croutons. This dish was made with no passion! The main, while looking through the menu, I wanted to make something different and something I wouldn’t make at home, i tried the gnocchi, and it was just vile. Over done and just boring, even my partners ravioli ragu came out semi cold, and looked like dog food, mini raviolis with the ragu on the outside, it looked like it came out of can. It’s been a long time since we’ve sent something back but here we are. I brought my friends here and was totally embarrassed, I kept apologising to them for the food quality, needless to say, we had dessert at another restaurant! I don’t know what’s gone wrong, whether the chef left or new owners have violated the menu with awful fried olives and dishes I wouldn’t feed to my worst enemy, but I would avoid pasta factory until they can sort their menu out. No drink vouchers could make me come back and look a mozzarella in wet old lettuce again. Those poor servers who work there dealing with this!

Best pasta I’ve ever had, best place in mcr I’ve ever been for Italian, staff are friendly and it’s a lovely environment to eat in. Been a few times before and every time I enjoy it. So reasonable as well for such good food

Popped in here for dinner on my own as travelling. No disappointment here nice menu and specials and food was beautiful. I had calamari followed by carbonara and a cheeky tiramisu....fabulous

We always love it here - amazing food, friendly service, and a great atmosphere. The best place for pasta in central Manchester, bar none.

This is a great laid back place and whilst the portions are on the small side, they're incredibly filling. Get ready for a delicious carb fest! We had bread and oil to begin with, and we got a huge pile of fresh bread which was delicious, with enough leftover to mop up all the sauce from the pasta after. Pasta - i had the pork cheek carbonara, and my partner had one with caramalised pear in. Both were divine. Mine was a little stodgier than his, so i only ate half, but i enjoyed what i managed! My only criticism is that the pork cheek in mine tasted slightly on the burnt side. Don't go here if you want a quick meal - theres quite a wait between ordering food and actually getting it, i suspect due to it all being cooked so fresh. But the service is good and the staff attentive with drinks etc in the meantime, so its not a huge problem.

Francesco and Ben gave us a great service. Food was really good, and came fast. Will come back again

Me and my friends were looking for a comforting meal and we definitely received it!! The food was homey and the atmosphere was warm and comfy. Not only that, they were dog friendly, so the waiter offered to make a special meal for her. The waiter Francesco was very polite and friendly. Will definitely recommend!!

The food was really 10/10, I would definitely recommend! Ben and Francesco were really helpful and great in their service.

The best carbonara I’ve ever had!

Francesco and Ben give us a great service. The food was really nice

Loved it here- food was fantastic and there were loads of things I wanted to order! Pesto and burrata was fantastic and the homemade bread was worth going back for alone! Staff were really friendly and attentive Already looking forward to visiting again

Excellent pasta-dishes. The bucatini pesto & burrata is outstanding! The authentic Italian decoration leaves a true ambiance. It can be a bit noisy though.

I love this place! Authentic and just delicious 😋

The food was ok, but the service was an absolute disaster. When I asked for faster service after 20 minutes wait, the waiter (slim with beard) had the audacity to give me a sarcastic look. Unbelievable! And to top it off, they sneaked in a 10% service charge without asking me first. Once I realized it after leaving, I was livid. I would never willingly pay for such atrocious service. I’m definitely never going back—what a joke of a place!

Dropped in for dinner with a friend and can glad say we were not disappointed! Lovely atmosphere with background music that suits the venue 😀 Staff were kind, very attentive and answered all questions in regards to the menu without needing to double check, clearly very knowledgeable of the dishes that they serve. Will be visiting again