Cibus

Sitting modestly amid the hustle and bustle of Levenshulme’s frenetic Stockport Road, Cibus has grown from a market stall to a consistently popular neighbourhood restaurant. Indeed, when you enter you could almost be in the Italian tratt of your dreams – 'it’s always a good sign when one hears diners speaking Italian with the staff,’ observed one reporter. During the pandemic, Cibus delivered pizzas to the housebound and that community-minded service continues.

At first glance, the menu might seem like a roll call of trattoria standards but it also features regularly refreshed regional specialities, coupled with a level of cooking, sourcing and service that would shame many a fancier joint. Alongside top-class Italian ingredients, the owners support local suppliers, and can regularly be seen shopping in the nearby market. Their approach is flexible. You can pop in for a glass of wine and some cicchetti (perhaps aubergine arancini, baked portobello mushrooms with salmoriglio dressing or cod cheeks with peperonata) or settle in for something more substantial – including traditional roasts with a twist on Sundays.

The mainstays of the menu are the highly rated, crispy sourdough pizzas and interesting pasta dishes – ravioli stuffed with salt cod or orecchiette with meatballs and braciole ragù, for example. In addition, there's always a meat dish of the week (perhaps Italian sausages with goat's cheese, mash, onion gravy and greens) as well as a catch of the day. To finish, check out the salted doughnuts fashioned from little parcels of pizza dough – although the ‘gorgeous’ limoncello and Prosecco sorbet also comes highly recommended. Cocktails and digestifs have an Italian accent, likewise the well-chosen craft beers and wine list.