Before trying the food at Purezza, I was sceptical.
Northern Quarter’s newest Italian restaurant has an entirely vegan menu and, as someone who has been a vegetarian for seven years but never quite managed to take the leap and become vegan (mainly due to the general nastiness of vegan cheese), I was unsure a plant-based pizza chain could win me over.
However, after reading about Purezza’s success in other regions (the Manchester site is the fifth of its kind to open in the UK) I put my reservations behind me and entered the restaurant with an open mind.
I was pleasantly surprised by the decor, an array of trailing plants hanging down from the walls and the soft pink and green colour scheme gives the place a very homely feel.
The furniture is all upcycled and the walls are painted with eco-friendly and organic paints, which gives the impression that Purezza is a company that cares. There’s also a playful touch downstairs with a set of swings.
image: Purezza.co.uk
The staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating throughout, despite the fact that I took an age to decide on my meal and kept sending them away.
After much deliberation, my boyfriend and I decided to share the roasted garlic and herb potatoes and the dough balls to start.
I am a firm believer in the fact that potatoes are the best food in the world and these did not disappoint. My only criticism is that the plate was not big enough, I could have continued to gorge on those potatoes all night.
The garlic and herb roasted potatoes were delicious
The dough balls were also delicious, they came filled with melted vegan cheddar and to my delight – it tasted like actual real cheese.
The pizzas all have fun names, too, which injects a little personality into the restaurant.
I went for ‘The one with all the Seasons’, simply because I thought it sounded quite poetic.
Purezza has its own patented brand of vegan mozzarella, and the authentic taste of this cheese made me momentarily forget that what I was eating was entirely plant based.
‘The one with all the seasons’ and ‘The Margherita one’
The garlic dip that came with the pizzas was also incredible – I would argue maybe even better than Dominoes’. I had to stop myself from bolting for the door with a crate of it.
We both wolfed down our meals and my boyfriend, a meat eater, proclaimed loudly through mouthfuls of pizza that if he had not been told, he would have had no idea that all of the food was vegan.
I was disappointed to find that there were only two gelato choices on the dessert menu, vanilla and chocolate – undoubtedly the worst two flavours. I opted for vanilla and, although I wouldn’t say it tasted like traditional ice-cream, it was still pretty tasty.
Given that gelato is arguably one of the most important parts of Italian cuisine, I would love to see Purezza expand its dessert menu in the future.
As we exited the restaurant we were met with a parade of topless men stumbling down the middle of the road screaming ‘It’s coming home’. The cosy interior of Purezza had allowed me to forget momentarily about the chaos of the Euros and that in itself is a five star review.
Purezza opened its doors this week on Monday 21 June.You can find the restaurant on High Street in Northern Quarter.
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.
Olivia Stringer -
23rd June 2021 
