An Italian pizzeria serving ‘the best pizza in the world’ is coming to King Street
The first Da Michele restaurant outside of Italy opened in London in 2017 - and now it's coming to Manchester, taking over the former Zizzi unit on King Street.
One of the ‘best pizzerias in the world’ is moving to Manchester city centre.
L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele – which is famous for serving the ‘only two types’ of Neapolitan margherita or marinara – is officially moving to King Street; having gained a global reputation as the ‘Sacred Temple of Pizza’ since opening in Naples over 150 years ago.
Founded in 1870 by the Condurro family, a self-confessed group of pizza fanatics, the slices at Da Michele have always been made according to simple but uncompromising principles.
The fifth-generation pizza masters now running the restaurant continue to be ever-faithful to the original instructions, using the same recipe created all those years ago.
Pizzeria Da Michele is famous for serving the ‘only two types’ of Neapolitan pizza / Credit: Instagram (@pizzeriadamichele)
Da Michele still uses the same recipe today as when the first restaurant opened / Credit: Instagram (@pizzeriadamichele)
The restaurant shot to international fame in 2010 when Julia Roberts visited in the film Eat, Pray, Love, stating: “I am having a relationship with this pizza, almost an affair” in a line taken from Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 memoir, from which the film is adapted.
The first Da Michele restaurant outside of Italy opened in London in 2017 – and now it’s coming to Manchester, taking over the former Zizzi unit on King Street.
The news was announced by property company Barker Proudlove on their Instagram page last week, when they posted an update stating: “Barker Proudlove are proud to have completed a deal with @pizzeriadamichele to bring their world famous pizza to Manchester, in their new home at 53 King Street!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPINXkAlWD1/
While the restaurant keeps the simplistic approach of only serving two options of pizza in its homeland of Italy, the London arm of Da Michele appears to have a little more variation, with a lengthier pizza menu, pasta and other Italian treats.
Although unconfirmed, it’s expected that the Manchester branch will do the same.
No date for the opening of the Manchester branch of L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele has been revealed yet, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled for updates.
Food & Drink
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Georgina Pellant -
27th May 2021 
