Don Giovanni

Reviews

• Adarsh N.

  star star star star star_border 7 June 2026

  I think it's only right to appreciate the venue! It does not mean they get any extra stars for it!!
  
  Lucky them and we vegetarians, they have good food to get them the stars!!
  
  There are not many veggie mains but my girlfriend and I shared 3 starters as the mains ( don't forget the antipasti) and it was worth it!! They were all tasty and It appears being smart definitely helps when it comes to food
  
  Don't forget the Tiramisu

• Aaron S.

  star star star star_border star_border 1 June 2026

  Don Giovanni is Manchester's longest-running independent Italian, founded in 1984 it is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary of opening.
  
  It is in a pretty good location on Oxford Street, just turn left at the end of St Peter's Square (do not carry on towards the Premier Inn, or turn right going along Peter Street the opposite turning to the Midland and Radisson hotels)
  
  The staff here seemed really friendly - especially the manager who I contacted in advance who replied rather promptly in regards to my question regarding their gluten-free offering - as stated on the menu they can do both gluten-free pizza and pasta, the latter is penne so obviously a spaghetti carbonara becomes a penne carbonara.
  
  They are currently running a 50% off promotion - reading through reviews this seems to be common throughout August but this year they carried it on through to September, which I liked - this discount makes the food much more affordable as currently, I'd say it is a place for a special occasion, rather than a casual place to grab some lunch or a little more which I was looking for - it is worth noting there are numerous exceptions to the 50% off promotion which are explained in detail as you get there, with surcharges of certain dishes (in the end some more premium dishes such as steak and lobster might only work out 20% off)
  
  A high-end more formal place yet without a dress code - they do have a service charge  here which is in line for similar restaurants of 12.5% - I'd say the service was worth it as the staff were great with me however I really hate service charges being added as a tip should always be decided by the diner rather than the awkwardness of asking to remove it - this is made worse by another charge which is also added onto the bill as a charitable donation - I wasn't aware of this either but they were happy to remove this. I also don't like the idea of being pressured into donating into a charity which you don't know anything about - what is this mystery charity and why should I donate?
  
  I ordered a gluten-free carbonara, having really missed an authentic Italian pasta since enjoying really good pasta in Rome and more recently Amsterdam - I had high hopes which is why I was originally a little disappointed to find the spaghetti would have to be substituted to penne - my meal did have nice flavours, especially with the added freshly-ground black pepper and grated parmesan cheese, the carbonara sauce was also pretty nice (there wasn't much of it), but a good portion of my pasta was dry and I had to even spit it out - it is pretty common to get this at a chain but for a place which feels so authentic, you'd just expect better than dry pasta, which tasted wet than water, not with the sauce.
  
  My meal came to £10.03 with the discount - I ended up asking to deduct the extra charges, they ended up just discounting the charity donation, however, but considering how good the staff were, making sure I was topped up with tap water and communicating with me before-hand, I'm not too frustrated about that.
  
  This place has a real authentic, romantic and nice feel to it which you can't really get elsewhere in Manchester, a city dominated by horrendous chain Italians which are just really big let-downs - the food might have been seasoned well from the sauce to the finish but it was let down by the pasta its-self which was a real shame - the confusing added pricing structure and even the pricing when using a voucher also does let this place down, I also dislike how you have to book in advance online to get 50% off (I was one of three diners in there at the time so there would have  been more than enough room for walk-ins), and the construction of the place could be better as they had a huge pole in the way basically covering the open kitchen which I just feel is a huge waste of potential again.
  
  A-OK - it might feel like the best in the city with good service but it is let down by multiple factors and the food wasn't anything spectacular, making it really overpriced at £14.45 so I'm glad I did have a coupon here!
  
  3*

• Dave S.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 25 May 2026

  Maybe a Saturday night during the height of business isn't representative, but if that's so they need to try harder on weekends. It was packed and perhaps the LOUDEST restaurant I've ever been to. Our party of seven took a while to get our food and my gnocchi was bland, even worse than a can of Chef Boyardee. My wife's pizza was also flavorless and soupy. A friend's lasagna wasn't worth finishing. A cheap chip shop would've been far more satisfying. I'm writing this review a day later and my tinnitus from last night is epic.

• Veronica J.

  star star star star star_border 25 May 2026

  Lovely food, central location and quick service, what else could you possibly ask from a restaurant?  I went in there for a lunch time meal, which is a great way to save costs without quality compromise.  Despite the limited selection the choice was fantastic and I don't think you can go wrong.
  I have to mention that a charity donation has been added to our bill without asking us wether wanted it. I haven't made up my mind yet whether it's a good thing or not. As one hand if you can afford a restaurant maybe you can afford to donate a pound to charity, on the other I don't like when others decide what should I spend my money on.

• Cecilia J.

  star star star star star_border 12 May 2026

  I was most impressed with the service. Management and wait staff were very attentive and polite. The food was good, but not the best Italian I've had.
  
  For a starter i tried the calamari which tasted very fresh BUT, the batter had absolutely no flavor. Even with the lemon wedge and side of tartar it fell very bland on my tongue. I was a little disappointed because I LOVE calamari. And the food presentation could have definitely been improved. At least it did taste very fresh and not frozen.
  
  For my main I had the salmon. I'd give it a 4 out of 5. Was cooked perfectly and the sauce was very flavorful and creamy.
  
  The Panna cotta for dessert was excellent, mainly for the food presentation. Was beautiful to look at haha. The Panna cotta was rich and creamy and the fresh berry coulis was a nice complement.
  
  Overall, good food but nothing special worth going back to.