Lina Stores Manchester Reviews |
Decor & Ambience  |
 |
The location, slap bang in the middle of Quay Street's theatre district, right on the edges of both Spinningfields and also The Goods Yard, is first class prime real estate. It was lovely to see the dining room packed full on a Friday lunch time, in a month which is traditionally slow, at least for anyone who isn’t armed with a solid discount/deal.
We were given a nice table on the edge of the main dining space, which worked for us in terms of volume and proximity to other tables. All in all, it’s a good-looking place which won't disappoint.
|
 |
It's not as cosy as the London branches for me and the modern unit, as handsome as it is, feels a bit generic-modern and not very 'Lina'. I guess that when picking units to reside in, location trumps all else.
|
| |
 |
 |
Food & Drink  |
|
Rosemary Focaccia, 2 couple of slices of, was the menu's default starter. It was properly EVOO/salt laden, carried the proper chew and was served with a nice little dressed green salad. Simple, high-quality produce, and superbly delicious. We were ready for the main courses….
Spaghetti Carbonara was a little stunner. Well cooked pasta with nuggets of crispy, melting guanciale, coated in an emulsion of egg, Grana Padano and Pecorino Romano. No Parmesan, cream or pancetta in sight here. Just a 100% legit rendition of everybody's favourite Roman dish.
Pumpkin Ravioli added a veggie option to the set menu, which we ordered to try both. The veggie option easily stood up to its Roman accomplice. Extra flourish was delivered with some toasted hazelnuts, sage and a grating of Grana Padano.
Pistachio Gelato was simplicity in itself; a singular ball of really good gelato, as it is, no garnish. Modest in appearance, to the point, yet delicious and fully in keeping with that bargain price point and the menu in general.
Mini Sicilian Cannolo was so dainty and cute that the table sounded an audible 'awww', when this was plonked down. A lovely deep-fried casing filled with ricotta, pistachio and chocolate, and acted as the perfect end to our express and great value lunch.
Drinks wise we both opted for the Limonata/Lemonade, which was a quality branded bottle, not pre-mixed or other cost cutting tactic, so you can be sure of quality in the included drink department too. As touched on earlier would cost £4.50 alone if ordered off menu.
|
| |
|
The menu doesn’t rotate, which may deter return visits. Why not change it weekly throughout January to showcase 2 different main course options?
|
| |
 |
 |
Overall |
|
When Lina Stores Manchester first launched there was considerable murmur in local food media circles along the lines of 'another London chain moving up here etc', even though most of the same people still showed up at the launch event/s for a free meal.
Personally I'm a big fan of Lina Stores and used to frequent their OG deli in Soho for cook at home provisions a couple of decades ago when I lived in the capital and was indirectly forced into adopting such newly middle-class lark by my new work/social group, all of whom understood how to hold a wine glass and appreciated properly cooked and dressed pasta; things which were little more than alien pomp to this Bury lad at the time. I eventually moved back home long before it became trendy to embark on a Northern quality of life upgrade, but still missed an awful lot about the capital, despite the generally wise decision to up sticks. And I imagine that's a similar story for many people who've also moved to Manchester from other regions in recent years. Manchester's massive improvement in general food standards over the last decade is indisputably driven by that new market demographic, a large slab of which is Londoners who now demand the standards and also chains which they were accustomed to back 'home'. That's why we've seen so many London brands move up here; because there's a demand for it. If there wasn’t, they wouldn’t come/stay. End of story.
So for me, having a Lina Stores on tap for both their dine in options and also their mini take away deli section, is only a positive thing. I've been back a score of times since the aforementioned launch, and am also a massive fan and occasional customer of the takeaway deli too. We have some great independent Italian restaurants in Manchester, but there's 100% a place for chains too and Lina Stores does a great job of retaining the spirit and quality which made them so loved down in the capital.
And when you only need to shell out £15 for 3 courses and a drink, you don't even need to tolerate the southern menu prices which are now the norm in Manchester.
|
| |
|
Lina Stores - Press Launch
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
The long-anticipated arrival of Lina Stores in Manchester is here, and to celebrate/give their team a thorough test run, invited guests last night descended upon Quay Street to take an early look at what customers can expect.
Lina Stores will feature an all-day restaurant serving antipasti, fresh pasta, secondi and dolci for lunch and dinner. There's also a delicatessen stocked with homemade panini, healthy salads, takeaway coffee and indulgent desserts for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the go. And to complete the trio is Bar Lina, a classic Italian cocktail bar, all under one roof. |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
On the night we started with Sea Salt & Rosemary Focaccia, with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is an obligatory kick off. Three slices of perfectly formed bread, with a textbook crumb structure.
Grilled Prawns were sweet, vibrant and delicious. A bit less cooking on the prawns would have been ideal, but when you're serving 100+ press and influencers all at the same time, with the maximum possible strain intentionally being placed upon the kitchen due to the evening being a bit of a test run, that's absolutely acceptable. Some diced Datterini Tomato, garlic, lemon completed the flavour menagerie. |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
Burrata with Extra Virgin Olive Oil was a true display of quality produce needing nothing else. All the work is done before things even make it into the hands of Chef. Super creamy burrata with superb quality olive oil; it needs nothing else apart from being eaten.
The above Burrata was so delicious that we wanted more, this time in the form of Burrata Ravioli, two huge ones in this case, both full to the brim with that same dreamy burrata, gently sauced with sweet tomato sauce, plus some added garnish from pine nuts and basil. |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
On the search for more pasta, we opted for 30-Egg Yolk Tagliolini, served with black truffle, butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. A refined plate, showcasing that top end pasta, with a library of simple yet similarly top end garnishes. The scent coming off this was unbelievable.
Now we do try to balance our meals, so had to offset the carbs with some veggies. Grilled Hispi Cabbage ticked that box and was grilled to bring some lovely charred noted to the table, complemented with chilli, pinenuts and capers, for a spice, texture and acidity hit. |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
Our main course of the evening was Chicken Milanese; a dish which was absolutely shareable for 2 in terms of sheer scale. Two perfectly breadcrumbed chicken portions, topped with rocket, Parmesan shavings, and a wedge of Amalfi lemon, which is of course the best lemon. Juicy inside, yet super crispy at the same time, this was the perfect protein addition to accompany all that pasta. A true crowd pleaser.
Tiramisu is everywhere these days isn't it? We are almost a third of the way through 2025, and I can count at least a dozen Manchester articles where I've written about the dish. That’s one a week pretty much. Fortunately, despite the repetition, Lina Stores' version is as solid as you would expect from such classy operator. |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
Sicilian Cannolo, freshly filled to order with ricotta, pistachio and chocolate, was sublime. A crunchy, perfectly thick casing, with a filling which was as tasty as it sounds. This was in fact the very last thing which left the kitchen at the press launch which this article is based on, so a bit of a claim to fame too!
So the food was generally fantastic quality, made with brilliant produce and cooked to the standards which people have come to expect from Lina Stores over the last circa 80 years. But what jumped out for me personally was the warmth and personality of the staff who've clearly not only been trained to the highest standards, but have been selected for their natural personalities; something which you simply can't train. |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
It's easy to see why Lina Stores has been one of London's most loved venues since 1944, and the Manchester branch is the very first one to offer the entire combination of a restaurant, deli and bar! It's absolutely an essential addition to your must do new places to try in Manchester. |
|
| |
 |
 |
|
|
** Our experience was gratefully comped **
|
|
Lina Stores Restaurant Reviews |
| After 80+years of trading Lina Stores in opening thier first UK venue outside of London with a Restaurant, Deli & Bar on Quay Street. Opened April 17th 2025 |
|
St Johns Court, 17 Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3HN
=
WORLD CLASS! 
= FANTASTIC 
=
Good 
=
OK 
=
Poor
