Manchester now boasts a number of really fantastic city centre Italian restaurants. Each one has a particular strength; whether for celeb spotting, drinking, snacking or socialising, but we think that the nearest thing to a genuine home-from-home Italian restaurant with delicious food and a warm welcome has to be Salvi’s.
Just take our advice and leave room for pudding.
Salvi’s has been in Manchester’s Corn Exchange for a number of years, (and they have now expanded with branches on John Dalton Street and in Norden) but their original site has been redeveloped to include the cosy restaurant and open kitchen downstairs. In front of the restaurant, bar and deli is a terrace where customers can enjoy an excellent Negroni or Aperol Spritz, along with a sharing platter, and just watch the world go by.
A Salvi's special - broccoli with smoked mozzarella
As soon as you enter Salvi’s emporium of Italian delicacies, you are faced with a fridge full of fresh pastries, a huge range of Italian cured meats and salamis, as well as the several varieties of the mozzarella Salvi’s is famous for. Walk through shelves lined with tins, jars and packets of fine Italian ingredients and you’ll find a stairway leading down to the restaurant. You’ll also find a semi-private room, whose walls are lined with bottles of excellent Italian wine - perfect for small meetings and private dining.
Owner Maurizio Cecco is from Naples, and he’s so Neopolitan, we wouldn’t be surprised to see vanilla, strawberry and chocolate stripes if we cut him down the middle. He opened Salvi’s armed with regional recipes from his mother and a deep desire to source and import the best ingredients from his native country. You’ll find Burrata from Puglia, smoked mozzarella from Naples, mortadella and salami from Bologna and great Parma ham. One of the signature dishes (and still the most popular) is Salvi’s famous Sharing Boards. Salvi’s specialize in this silky white cheese, which they get flown in twice a week from the finest producer of real buffalo mozzarella in Italy.
Tasting selection
Customers can choose from a tasting selection of three types of mozzarella (Bufala, smoked Provola and Burrata) with homemade foccacia, or a selection of cured meats. Some prefer to pick their own selection of favourites with chargrilled vegetables, crisp grissini and salad leaves for one to enjoy, or two to share, along with a bottle of fine Italian wine of course.
Another speciality of Naples is Soffietti – square pillows of deep fried pizza dough topped with warm ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and shavings of parmesan. We were blown away by Biscotti di Pane; paper-thin baked sheets of crispy bread sourced from a fantastic baker in Pompeii (who also make their excellent fennel seed grissini.) It comes with a variety of toppings, but we adored the wafer thin slices of almost transparent lardo, fresh tomatoes and fruity single estate Italian olive oil.
Soffietti
Obviously Salvi’s is renowned for their excellent pizzas, as their home city of Naples is the birth place of this famous global food phenomenon. They have over 16 types of pizzas on the menu including Pizze Bianchi (with no tomato sauce) and folded calzone – but feel free to add or remove toppings to make your own. Salvi’s prepare them in the traditional manner; hand stretched dough, home-grown Italian tomatoes and mozzarella, all baked in a wood-fired brick oven at 400 degrees.
Pasta dishes range from the classic to the lesser known. Even Pasta Ragu is miles away from the expected Spaghetti Bolognese we’re more used to. At Salvi’s, it’s more like you would get in a typical family home in Naples; ground rather than minced beef and pork, cooked slowly with fresh ripe tomatoes and herbs. We particularly enjoyed tucking into Tagliatellini con Tonno, Bottarga and Stracciatella; an unusual dish where pasta, chunks of fresh tuna, bottarga (fish roe), and Neapolitan green peppers are piled on top of a ‘hidden’ ball of silky Burrata cheese.
Tagliatellini con Tonno
Those hoping for less carb-filled sustenance can satisfy themselves with a range of hearty, traditional Neapolitan main dishes including grilled Italian sausages, a 28 day aged rib-eye steak with roast potatoes, or Polipo alla Luciana; octopus with capers and black olives. Maurizio often sources special seasonal ingredients weekly, or even daily, so make sure you check out the specials board – or even ask the friendly serving staff (usually an uncle or a cousin) who will steer you in the right direction regarding what to order.
Tomato Bruschetta
Just take our advice and leave room for pudding. You’ll find a whole range of the desserts that Italy is famous for; tiramisu, pana cotta, filled cannoli and smooth cheesecakes topped with berries and fresh fruit coulis.
Whether you’re after a small snack and a sweet treat to take back to the office, an afternoon spent grazing with a bottle of wine, or even a full sit down meal with your nearest and dearest, head to Salvi’s. If you bring an appetite, they’ll make sure you leave with a full belly, a smile on your face, and a new appreciation of eating the Neapolitan way.
Salvi’s Mozzarella Bar Unit 22b The Corn Exchange, Manchester, M4 3TR
Salvi’s Cucina 19 John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6FW
Salvi’s Rosricceria 19 John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6FW
Platter of desserts
