Elegant italian dining in Manchester

“Absolutely Amazing to be back at this fabulous restaurant not been here in 10 years (moved away from the area) the food was fantastic... Great value for money and staff excellent... The new interior was beautiful... Overall a fabulous experience comfy dining with fabulous food...”

“Amazing food, the wine is delicious too. Awesome service, very kind waiters. Will definitely come back when visiting the UK.”

“I don't know why I travel all the way into Manchester City Centre when there are local places like this!! This place is a hidden gem! My friend ordered the potato kibbeh - these were small and delightful with a thin crusty texture on the outside and the mashed potato and lamb mince on the inside. I ordered the sucuk, thin slices of a spicy beef sausage - the flavours were strong and moreish. These were served with a basket of homemade white flatbread which were incredibly fresh and soft - they were pitta shaped but were fluffy and pillowy, not the hard dry white stuff you get in supermarkets! The waiter assured us that there was always plenty of bread available and sure enough we had another basket of lovely bread with our main courses. We both ordered the Chef's Mix which were skewers of charcoal grilled marinated meats - chicken, minced lamb and lamb shish pieces, served on a bed of onions and parsley and a chilli sauce.We also ordered a mudjadara rice between us as a side dish - a mix of lentils and rice cooked in spices and topped with crispy fried leeks. Yummy. We both agreed that although the flavour profile of the meats were quite similar to other nearby places (e.g. Turkish restaurants), the seasoning was better balanced here and most importantly, the cooking of the meat was excellent. Here, the chicken was succulent and tender, not dry and hard, and overall it looks like they know when to take it off the grill! At other places the charcoal grilling has left the meat hard and burnt at the edges with a bitterness - here everything was cooked just right. Although we were stuffed and were only considering an Arabic coffee, we both encouraged each other to go for a dessert. Unfortunately my friend's Halwa wasn't available so he joined me in a Muhallebia. Now normally I'm not one to bother with a dessert - I prefer crisps to chocolates and would rather have starter and main instead of main and dessert! And we were already incredibly stuffed! But this dessert blew my mind - a delicious milky pudding, not too dissimilar to a panna cotta but fluffier and less silky in texture. However, the flavours - wow the sweet vanilla with a tint of rose water, it was truly heaven and I haven't felt that way about any dessert for years! Garnished with chopped pistachios, this was for me the surprise star of the meal! Followed by strong and fragrant Arabic coffee, it was a fantastic end to a great dining experience. The service was friendly and attentive throughout, and I thought the decor, lighting and music was just perfect for the place. I highly recommend this place - it's small and relaxed and deserves attention. I hope it keeps these high standards up as I definitely want to come back and try the other offerings (and the Muhallebia again!).”

“I love this place. Been here a few times now. Not the cheapest of restaurants but you definitely get what you pay for; quality food, lovely venue and truly attentive staff, nothing is too much trouble.”

“Never been here before and this place did not disappoint. Amazing food and atmosphere. Definitely would go back.”

“An extremely lovely evening. Staff wonderful and meal amazing. Steak Rossini was just gorgeous. Would highly recommend. So lucky to have a good Italian restaurant in Royton.”

“Had a great calzone, only 3 stars for atmosphere because it was 4.30pm so nobody else around.”

“Popped in here yesterday, Saturday. Busy. I chose the veggie pizza with my favourite veg, aubergene. It was, ABSOLUTELY SUPERB, CRISP AND DELICIOUS. THE NICEST PIZZA EVER tasted in my life, and I'm 56! Recommend to book. Staff really really friendly n nice.”

“Great food and from what we had it all tasted fresh and home made. We had spicy sausage specials starters, meatballs and spaghetti, seafood risotto cheesecake and tiramisu. Only thing letting the food down was the deserts didn't come with cream/ice cream which I think should be offered for the price. Service was fantastic and very professional. Overall a fantastic experience and well worth a visit.”

“Great staff. Lovely space inside the treasury building, with fantastic food. It's not cheap, but you pay for quality.”

“Nice and friendly people and the food and drinks are amazing”

“Absolutely wonderful food, very authentic with attention to detail. One of our faves! Service is impeccable, delivered to the table with the most personable touch!”

“Came back again and still the best. Friendly staff and great food. Quality above the others in the area. I would recommend.”

“A very nice Italian restaurant. I've tried couple of times and I am always happy with their food and their service.”

“We had to wait for our reserved table on arrival and had drinks at the bar area. The service was OK and the food was delicious. The layout makes this place very welcoming and cosy. We had a bit of confusion about the bill, having given the wrong receipt and nearly paying twice on 10% added service charge, but it was all sorted in the end.”

“This was our first visit with friends who go often. Was not disappointed. The food was amazing and very reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and very welcoming. Definitely one that I will visit again.”

“We came across this restaurant as we couldn’t get in a different one nearby and were so happy to find it, the food was excellent, calamari to start which was shared as a very large portion, mains of chicken and crab ravioli then sharing a lovely lemon cheesecake with ice cream, we also had some nice wines, the staff were friendly and attentive, the decor was nice and clean, a reasonable price for the food and service,will definitely be returning the next time we are in the area and bringing along family to enjoy as well.”

“Can't put my fork down long enough to not type and eat at the same time. I thought I'd tasted all there was to taste. I go out to eat a lot and this is the best food in Salford.”

“Brilliant pizza, better than any pizza takeaway in shaw or Royton imo. Great service and worth the wait every time. Easy to order through their website too.”

“Good Italian restaurant not just pizza and Pasta. Popular and good for families too. Function room upstairs I haven't been in but recently refurbished. Good car park. Helpful friendly staff. Booked easily by Facebook page.”

“Unfortunately I am now single after 60 years of marriage but booking for just me wasn't a problem . Unlike most Italian restaurants they offer a range of veal dishes which are excellent along with an very extensive menu of other dishes. They are always busy due to quality and value for money and you need to book.”

“This was a very random visit, walked past Zena and decided to try- one of the best random decisions I've made. The owner was a great host, we walked in when the kitchen was almost closing but he spoke to the chef on our behalf. The restaurant's cosy and food is AMAZING. Nice Levantine cuisine, not too spicy, great taste and texture. My new fave place to eat.”

“TLDR: Great food and atmosphere - Recommend! My wife and I visited for an impromptu date night. This is not our first visit and we knew what to expect. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, as expected. The staff were warm, friendly, and professional, as expected. We had garlic bread and olives as our starters, and Margarita Pizza and Pasta Bolognese as our main courses. Every dish was perfectly cooked and the portion sizes were very generous. We both left feeling very happy that we had enjoyed a fantastic meal in a lovely restaurant, and I have nothing else to say except stop reading, and go and eat. NOW!”

“ABSOLUTELY AMAZING Atmosphere, taste of food, service, price - everything was PERFECT . Look forward to my second visit”

“Had a gorgeous family meal here. They were accommodating to our increase in numbers to booking. The staff were so friendly and the food was delicious. Can't wait to return.”

“La Scala is ALWAYS the place to go for delicious food, friendly staff and a relaxed environment. The staff always make an extra effort with all of their new and returning guests and always offer a personalised service. I have never had a meal here that has been less than sublime and at a reasonable price too! I could write a novel with the great things I have to say about La Scala but the proof is in the eating... Book a table and enjoy, you will be spoiled when you do!”

“You know what you get, decent food, simple pricing with voucher discounts. Good family atmosphere.”

“Very tasty pizzas cooked really well and nice and thin and doughie. I really like the freedom to choose your toppings with no restrictions unlike most places where they charge you for the smallest extra, just makes it more fun to switch it up. Staff were really friendly and helpful too.”