We cook the food of the old Austro Hungarian map: traditional Swabian spätzle, hand made dumplings and pasta from the German speaking corners of Europe. That means Franco's personal take on Russian pelmeni, Polish pierogi, Italian ravioli and fresh rolled pasta, with traditional and regional sauces and bread baked daily. Spätzle is serious business where it comes from; in 2012 Swabian spätzle and knöpfle were given the European Union's protected geographical indication seal. We take it about that seriously here too.
Hand made spätzle, dumplings and fresh rolled pasta of central European origin, cooked in a small room behind a plain yellow door. Low light, paper on the tables, good bottles on the shelves. Book ahead, it fills up.
The menu changes with the seasons and everything is prepared and cooked in our own kitchen by our team. Pasta is fresh, hand made and served in 100g and 110g portions, so you can order a few things and share. One honest note: the kitchen is open plan, so all our food is contaminated with gluten. If your intolerance is mild, there are non flour dishes such as burrata, sausage, goulash Tyrolese and any of the sides.
The shelves of bottles are part of the room: organic Austrian wine, Swiss craft beer and fine Japanese sake, to drink here or take home. Ask before you choose a wine and the staff will pour you a taste first. Italian coffee and Japanese green tea cover the daytime; a glass of Austrian wine with the goulash Tyrolese covers the evening.
Menu and prices as in the restaurant.
There is no shopfront to speak of, just a door in the brick with a small sign, which is probably why the Michelin Guide called us a Manchester hidden gem when it named us among its inspectors' favourite new restaurants in January 2023. We take bookings for up to six online; for six to twelve, email us and we will do our best. There is no private room, and there does not need to be.
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 17:00 - 23:00 |
| Wednesday | 17:00 - 23:00 |
| Thursday | 17:00 - 23:00 |
| Friday | 12:00 - 23:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 - 23:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 - 22:30 |
People keep writing about the staff: knowledgeable about the menu, generous with recommendations, happy to pour a taste of wine before you decide, and careful with intolerances, down to annotating a menu by hand.
Portions run small on purpose and diners like it that way. Groups order widely and share, and the käsespätzle and rainbow trout are the plates named most often. Photogenic it is not; delicious it is.
The entrance surprises almost everyone. No obvious shopfront, then a dim, relaxed room inside that feels like a find. Nearly every review says the same thing: book before you come.
Been in recently and left with good memories?
Leave us a review on Google.