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Puccinis Swinton
Tel: 0871 978 9603
171 Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester, M27 4AE [map]
~ 4.5 miles (12 mins drive) west of Manchester ~
~ 4 mins walk to Swinton station (14 mins from Victoria) ~
superb family-ran Italian restaurant that's been operating in Swinton for over 20 years and is very popular with celebs
Puccinis Restaurant Manchester
 
 
 
 
Puccinis Manchester - overall reader reviews
food
price
service
smartness
overall:
most popular dish: penne alla neville
 
 
 
 
Puccinis Restaurant Swinton - our review
The Best Italian Restaurant in Manchester has Celebs Flocking to a 1970's Shopping Arcade

Trusted Reviewer "When we receive so many rave reviews for certain restaurants, especially from our trusted reviewers, we sit up and take notice, often rushing around there simply to add a touch of realism to the rating. Being big fans of Italian food we are normally left disappointed in Manchester - an exception to the rule was the superb Marcello's in Hale; popular with footballers and A-list celebs alike, it was well worth the trip until it sadly closed following the owner's unsuccessful battle with cancer. Carluccio's at The Trafford Centre may have filled the void but it's hardly a destination restaurant, especially for a romantic meal. This, we snobbily have to admit, was also one of our main reservations about Puccini's.

Located in an old 1970's concrete shopping arcade in Swinton, surrounded by banks, building societies and even a Victim Support Centre, it's hardly the most inviting places from the outside. This though doesn't seem to put off the many stars whom have visited here - which, looking at the photos on the wall have included virtually every player to have ever worn the red shirt of United and, believe it or not, the entire England team on one evening alone. In fact there's plenty of photographs of David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, Sven Goran Eriksson, Frank Lampard and John Terry to make you realise their visits were not just one off occassions. In fact, it turns out the entire England team have visited on eight (yes, 8!!!) occassions and the Great Britain Rugby team are regulars too.

On tasting the food you can understand why - this is real Italian food cooked to perfection. My Wild Mushroom starter (£5.95) took me straight back to a grotto I once visited in Domodossola whilst the Mixed Salad, complete with asparagus and olives, could have also proudly been served in any Italian village - if only all other restaurants in Britain could learn from our European neighbours what a £2.95 salad should contain!

For the main course, I opted for the Pollo Sorpresa, a stuffed chicken breast with parsley and garlic butter, or 'Chicken Kiev', as it's better known in Swinton. At £13.95 including plenty of vegetables, this was very good value and quite simply the best chicken I've tasted in a non-Michelin star restaurant in the UK, even if the chef had been a little too generous with his extra virgin Olive Oil. The not-so-traditional Hawaian Pizza (£7.25) was also excellent and proved the chefs could adapt to a more Anglicised menu without losing any of their Italian style. The portion sizes are more than generous and, as I undid the top button on my jeans, I wish we hadn't have opted for the pizza-size Cheese Garlic Bread (£4.50) as an additional starter. That said, I was very glad I still found room for the excellent home-made Creme Caramel (£4.30).

The service was incredibly friendly with each waiter taking time out to 'get to know' the guests, enquiring where we'd travelled from and if it was a special occassion - we almost had our cover as 'secret reviewers' blown - but as birthday cakes were being delivered to almost every other table, you guessed it was a sincere line of questioning. A large fruit salad arrived ahead of the bill with compliments of the kitchen, and you could fully understand why Puccini's has gained the reputation it has with other reviewers as the best Italian in Manchester. Like the England footballers, we'll certainly be returning!" - restaurants of manchester 11/10/07 (visited on a tuesday evening)


 
 
 
Puccini's Restaurant Manchester - member's reviews
"Puccinis looks unimpressive from the outside but as soon as you walk in, it's a mixture of gorgeous aromas from wonderful Italian food. The decor is very nice and the ambience of the place was buzzing. It was very busy and bustling but the atmosphere was still very nice and pleasurable. The food was amazing, although it was expensive. As it was delicious, that didn't seem to matter. I have a sweet tooth and my dessert was to die for. The service was very quick and nothing was too much trouble for them. " - patricia, manchester ~ NEW MEMBER ~ (3/4/11 visited on a saturday evening)

Trusted Reviewer "Having heard mixed reviews, we were interested to try Puccini's for ourselves. Our visit was around 4pm on a Sunday afternoon. It is in a slightly odd location being in a square at the side of a shopping centre next door to a buffet Chinese establishment. However, we had no problem parking and, despite the odd time, there were 2 celebration parties and a few couples in the restaurant already.

We were very warmly greeted by the owner and immediately made to feel welcome. This set the tone for our experience where service was at all times was warm, friendly and attentive. We were immediately shown to a pleasant table and the waiter was quick to take my coat, offer us drinks and provide menus.

Looking around, it is clear that this is a trattoria style family Italian restaurant - informal, relaxed and friendly. Its popularity with sports people is evident not only from the signed memorabilia, but also from the menu, where you can dine on Gary Neville's favourite pasta dish! Decor is in keeping with a trattoria style with photographs and memorabilia lining the walls.

The menu is extensive and contains all the Italian favourites you would expect to see in a trattoria. There was also a long list of specials including plenty of seafood.

I found the wine list in general to be rather pricier than I normally would expect for a trattoria with the notable exception of the house wine which was very reasonable. We ordered the house red which was a perfectly acceptable Merlot at £14.25 for a litre. This was quickly brought and poured. Indeed, drinks were kept topped up throughout our meal. Our request for a jug of water was met with a ready smile (no suggestion of bottled water which is refreshing) and brought with plenty of ice and lemon.

Our orders were quickly taken and the food arrived promptly. Mr B started with salmon & crayfish, whereas I commenced with mussels. Mr B was pleased that Marie Rose sauce was offered on the side rather than already being part of his dish. I was pleased to find that chef had ensured that there were no inedible mussels to discard from my plate. The portions were generous and we were glad we hadn't ordered garlic bread as well. My mussels were reasonably priced at £6.95 but Mr B's starter was a little pricy we felt at £9.50.

Plates were quickly cleared and our main courses arrived piping hot to the table. Mr B's Lamb Shank was served with roast potatoes, broccoli and carrots. His lamb was extremely tender and fell off the bone. Mr B found it very tasty and at £13.95 felt it to be good value. My Lobster Linguine was a generous portion which even I didn't quite manage to finish! At £16.50 it was reasonably priced for a lobster based dish. The lobster meat had been removed from the shell and incorporated into the pasta. The lobster shell had then been used as decoration on the plate. Whilst I did enjoy this dish, I would have welcomed a more delicate complexity of flavour to better complement the lobster meat.

Again, plates were cleared quickly and desert/coffee menus offered. We opted for a much needed break at this point while Mr B finished the wine. There was a good range of primarily ice-cream based deserts with a sprinkling of other favourites, as is generally expected in a trattoria. Some dishes were marked as home made and, following the waiter's recommendation, we opted for these. Mr B had the Home Made Tiramisu, which was well flavoured. I had the Caramelised Oranges in Grand Marnier. The caramel and Grand Marnier notes came through well in the sauce but the fresh orange segments had been placed in the sauce rather than caramalised first, as I would normally have expected. However, it made a refreshing end to the meal.

The bill came promptly, was accurate and service was not included allowing you to make your own decision in this respect. As service was impeccable we were certainly happy to add an appropriate tip!

This is an interesting restaurant and we can probably hazard a guess as to why it polarises opinion, which we've summarised below...

The service throughout was faultless and the staff definitely made everyone feel extremely welcome and relaxed from the minute you entered until the minute you left. This is a major selling point for Puccini's and a refreshing change from some of the 'fine dining' style Italian restaurants in Manchester, where service can often leave much to be desired.

If you're looking for somewhere trendy or with impressive decor then this is not for you. It is exactly as it purports to be - a traditional informal trattoria with matching decor and atmosphere. Similarly, if you're looking for fine dining or a modern culinary style then again this isn't for you - in keeping with it's trattoria roots, Puccini's offers traditional hearty Italian dishes well cooked with generous portions.

It wouldn't be our choice for a special romantic occasion but it's perfect for a relaxed informal meal including family events. We thoroughly enjoyed our Puccini's experience and will visit again on an appropriate occasion."
- melanie bryan, wigan - TRUSTED REVIEWER (7/9/09 visited on a sunday afternoon)


Trusted Reviewer "My second visit and it's certainly worth the 15 minute train trip from the city centre. It's a very nice family ran restaurant. The only problem was one of the waiters (sounds like the same one mentioned by a previous Trusted Reviewer). He was a bit 'much', kept making comments and flirting with the female customers regardless of who they were with. You don't mind one innocent comment, but he kept on going and for a long time and was also very loud - trying to be the comedian. Just spoilt it a little bit, especially if you were on a romantic date. Otherwise this is a great restaurant and I can't wait to go back there." - nancy, manchester 26/5/08

Trusted Reviewer "Another restaurant from the Restaurants Of Manchester Top 10 ticked off for me and, wow, what a find! Thanks for the tip. Having been let down in the past by celebrity haunts like San Carlo and Wings, I was a bit sceptical to the claims that so many A-list celebs and sport stars would flock to this aestically uninspiring shopping arcade in a suburb so far away from the Ferrari and Aston Martin packed roads of Wilmslow or Alderley Edge. One visit here and you can understand why they come - traditional Italian cooking in the most family friendly environments. Certainly the best Italian in the region, although I guess I'm not the first to proclaim that looking at some of the photos on the wall. I still have visions of the England team bus pulling up outside with the regulars like Sven and Gary Neville proclaiming 'trust me lads, it's a lot better than it looks from the outside'. Talking about Gary Neville, the Penne a la Neville was superb. I'll be back on a regular basis!"   - matthew, manchester - 20/5/08 (visited on a saturday evening)

Trusted Reviewer "I'd heard a lot about Puccini's and was also interested to see it included in the Restaurants Of Manchester Top 10 so I was pleased to finally get there. Everything about the place was up to my expectations. The owner and his family are charming people who know their job and look after their customers to a high level. The food was excellent, ambience great and staff brilliant. Nice little extras thrown in as freebies as well! Only one complaint - the over zealous (Moroccan?) duty manager thinks he's a great comic but he's not quite up to Peter Kay's standards and should stick to being an efficient waiter. Worthy of its place in the Top 10 and I will definitely be returning!"  - ian, stockton heath - 16/5/08 (visited on a sunday evening)

 
 
Italian restaurants in Manchester - Puccini's Swinton

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