 | |  | | | Pesto Italian Restaurant Manchester - reader comments | | "My complaints with Pesto is that the food was not as good as Spanish tapas chains and very dry. Don't get me wrong, the food is not bad, it is just a little too dry and unexciting from what appears to be an exciting menu - not to mention a little over expensive for bland tapas. Service was moderate but I would rather spend the money in a Spanish tapas restaurant - The good point to note was the selection of seafood dishes was impressive." - nick roberts, altrincham 29/4/09 (visited on a thursday evening) |
| | "I ate at Pesto with a group of friends who had a set meal of several courses. I ordered something differrent, but the same number of courses. I assumed they would bring my food in several stages at the same times roughly as my friends were getting their's. Instead, they brought all of mine together at the end. When I asked if I could have some food, the waitress was rude. The food was not nice, it was cold and stodgy, not well cooked, not tasty. We waited ages to order drinks etc. I would never ever eat here again." - ruby, manchester 18/12/08 (visited on a tuesday evening) |
|  "Being a cold winter's evening, Pesto did look very inviting from the outside with all the tables candlelit. The restaurant was buzzing with people and looked fabulous inside. We hadn't booked and were told there would be a 45 mins wait, however we only had to wait about 15 mins, which was good. Pesto has a wonderful atmosphere but unfortunately we were sat by the door which didn't make it quite so cozy on this busy, cold evening, There are many different meals on the menu and we shared 7 tapas style dishes. This was plenty for the 2 of us and all the food was tasty and good value for money. However, I'm still not convinced Italian food works well in this tapas style. I do however think Pesto is a good restaurant to go to for a lunchtime meal or perhaps with a group of friends" - michelle, rochdale - 1/12/08 (visited on a friday evening) |
| | "Our waitress, a blonde girl, was probably the best waiter I have ever had. She was very helpful and she had a big smile from when we came until when we left. She alone made me feel I want to go back to Pesto." - kim kolsrud, oslo, norway 24/10/08 (visited on a monday evening) |
| | "Poor show Pesto! When paying the bill they would only take cash. No warning before we ordered, only when we came to pay the bill and with not enough cash on me, I had to run to a cash point. Others were also asked to pay cash as the machine was broken as we were told when settling the bill." - robert, oldham 25/8/08 (visited on a bank holiday monday afternoon) |
| | "Pesto has a relaxed atmosphere, very helpful staff that advised how many dishes to order for 2 people. You can then order more if needed. Good value and you get the chance to sample a variety of small portions without worrying about wasting a dish you don't like had it been ordered in a normal portion size. Only complaint was the lighting was very low in some areas and we had to get the glasses out to see and read the menu." - julie scott, manchester 29/3/08 (visited on a friday evening) |
| "If you've never been to Pesto on the corner of Deansgate and John Dalton Street then you are missing out on one of Manchester's most unique dining experiences. We visited the first week it opened, entertaining clients, and whilst the decor was extremely impressive, the food and service was considerably poor. As a result we'd given the restaurant a wide birth since, although have regularly visited the excellent bar, which was one of the first places in town to serve Peroni Gran Reserva. Following many good reviews, including those from our 'trusted reviewers' we thought we'd give it the benefit of the doubt and put our bad experience down to teething troubles and decided to pay it another visit. The ambience has remained unique and the whole place is impressive - the bar is hand crafted from original stone architecture recovered from historic buildings and the walls are full of wonderful decorations. They've also had a change in table layout since our last visit and it makes the restaurant a lot more relaxed and comfortable than before. In typical Italian fashion, there's plenty of outside seating, facing the street and allowing you to watch the world go by albeit with the cruelist of Mancunian weather. The concept is wonderful - over 35 different dishes, each representing the various regions of Italy and served in small tapas sized portions, allowing customers to sample various dishes from the many pasta’s, seafood, meat, salad and mini pizzas on offer. We opted for the Cannelloni al Ragu (pancakes filled with scallops & prawns), which was very tasty and great value at just £3.25. The Arancini (fried balls of saffron rice stuffed with mozzarella) was even better value at £2.95. Pesto's own Genoese fish stew, Cioppino, contained a fair selection of aquatic vertebrates for a dish so small and again was worth it's £3.75 price tag. The only disappointment was the Gnocchi con Pesto Basilica & Parmigiano, which was very poor it has to be said. The gnocci was overcooked, the fresh basil pesto too powerful & the parmesan had not been melted, was still rock hard and shaved in large chunks which made it almost impossible to swallow. Would we be returning? The answer would still be a 'yes'. Pesto offers a great concept in dining, Italian food in portions small enough that you can eat as much or as little as the rest of your afternoon requires. It's also in a great location - just a short walk to the shops on Deansgate and King Street, very close to the Royal Exchange and Opera House and only a short stroll to the MEN Arena and Bridgewater Hall meaning the tapas size portions are perfect for a pre-show bite to eat. It's also very good value for money at £3 to £4 a dish and offers one of the most welcoming dining areas and unique bars in the city centre." - restaurants of manchester - 24/11/07 (visited on weds afternoon) |
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