Strada

Average chain, pizzas ok but nothing special, atmosphere sterile. Should impress Cheshire set. Croma cheaper and nicer atmosphere. Too much brown seating gives me indigestion.

I’ve been to Strada many times as we live nearby and although its not going to set your world on fire they do provide consistently good food at decent prices. The pizza’s are very authentic but we’ve tried pretty much everything. The staff and service have always been good too.
The only problem is that the room is very big and nearly always empty which doesn’t make for a great atmosphere when dining but is fine for lunch or a cheap mid week meal.

As a birthday treat in May 2012 a friend offered to take me with another friend for lunch and took us to Strada in Manchester.
I have to say that while I have seen it before I have never visited here before as it was always deserted down at the end of Spinningfields overlooking the canal.
As it was a nice sunny day we decided to sit outside overlooking the canal, the menu was very large but also had a lunch special menu on offer.
I decided on a Pizza, my friends opted for Lasagne and the Pork. The service was just right, friendly with drinks served quickly and the house red wine I had was great.
The food was not fast or slow but was worth waiting for the Pizza was perfect, thin crust and cooked just how I like it, my friends lasagne which I tasted was unlike most Lasagne that taste of just sauce, this tasted of meat, served with a green salad was perfect, the Pork was also great my dessert of Tiramisu was spot on.
I would certainly return on this experience and recommend to others and was surprised when I saw the other reviews, maybe I was lucky or they have improved.
UPDATE
On telling others about my great experience I decided to return a few days later for another lunch with some more friends, sadly I wish I hadn’t!
I will not go into details, but clearly it was a different chef and the food was clearly different (even though I had the same Pizza) and not half as nice as the visit a few days earlier. The table was dirty and they did not even offer to wipe it.
We also ordered a bottle of wine between two of us thinking we could have a glass each and take the rest away with us, as we were going out again later that day.
When we had finished eating we asked for the top for the wine so we could take it with us, they refused, saying Strada rules said that was not allowed, we protested strongly but we were forcefully told we could not take it, we were disgusted, so we either wasted it and walked away from our wine, or drank it, so we sat and drank wine we did not really want to drink then. As two of us were former licensees we had never experienced this before and sat not enjoying the wine, feeling we were being forced fed it and spoiling our afternoon. Just before leaving I managed to find the manager who confirmed it was a mistake!!! the waitress came over and said sorry, but by then it was to late, sorry is just not good enough, when we passed later that evening it was empty, I wonder if these are some of the reasons why this place just does not prove popular, maybe the company need to look into management, chefs, and training?
Not to mention the map ref on many review sites! I am very disappointed with you strada!

We went in and hovered at the entrance for a few moments not knowing whether to wander in or wait. We decided to just go in and round the corner were all the staff. One gave us the lunch and a la carte menu and seated us. There were 3 tables in the restaurant at the time. Drinks and food were ordered together. Our drinks took about 10 minutes and our arrabiata and risotto took about 35 minutes to arrrive. The risotto was slightly overcooked but the pasta very nice.
Once we had finished we sat with the empty plates in front of us for a while until we got up and paid at the bar.

Had a pleasant enough meal here but nothing special.
We went to Spinningfields planning to go somewhere and make use of the Yellowcard. We usually go to Samsi so tried something different.
The Yellowcard deal for Strada was only from a set menu and nothing took our fancy. Wasnt the best choice really in the set menu.
We therefore just ordered normally from the menu.
I have a black cuttlefish pasta and my friend has a pizza. Pasta was nice and came quickly — although we were there at 5 and only one other table so would expect it to arrive fairly quickly.
Total bill was about £28 — they added on the optional tip. (We also had orange juices. Think the pizza was about £10 and pasta about £12??).
Like I said, it was nice but nothing special but I think it could be worth another try. However, it wasnt as filling as a Bento box meal from Samsi and even though the Yellowcard deal at Samsi is just 10% Monday-​Saturday (compared to 25% off on Sundays), the price would have been about the same I think and would have had a lot more food.

Unlike many chain bars, this one is actually providing decent, tasty food similar to some of the better Italian restaurants I have visited. Though I always tip good service, this chain does like to auto-​add optional service charges to bills, which annoys me as this should be discretionary.
+Good quality food
+Wide menu choice and seasonal specials
+Excellent wine choice
+Nice looking, light and spacious interior
+2−4 – 1 Meals with Spinningfields Yellow Card
+Fresh and great tasting bread baskets for starters
+Very friendly and helpful waitress
–Strada auto-​adds tips to bill (quite rude and if there is slow service, we quite end up paying this rather than wait even longer for them to come and change it)
–No table water offered before or during meal

I went tonight (sat night) for a friends birthday. The ran out of my starter and main — salmon, so I picked alternatives. We were the only people there at 10pm, so I cant understand why they ran out of food. No toilet roll available except bits all over the floor in the ladies. No hand towels. No effort made for my friends birthday, despite me telling them. I wont be going again.

Strada was the venue for le birthday meal. Pastas, pizzas, risottos, authentic Italian food in stylish contemporary surroundings. Yes please.
I was impressed with the restaurant interiors, anything on Spinningfields hardly disappoints. But Strada’s interiors had extra potential for a lovely birthday meal.
It was cosy, although pretty empty. We were only joined by one other large group in the whole restaurant and this was a Thursday night. My choice was a Risotto alla Zucca, a Pumpkin and butternut squash
risotto with sautéed pancetta, wilted spinach and pine nuts. Mouthwatering mix of ingredients. I can never cook a good risotto, so I was intrigued to see what Strada would dish out. My partner in crime ordered a Rigatoni Speck e Gorgonzol, that’s Gorgonzola a grana padano & cream sauce, finished with northern Italian smoked mountain ham and rocket to me and you. All pretty fancy eh.
The menu does bog you down with authenticity and fancified ingredients accompanying the dish names. The type you always err on the side of caution on attempting to order your desired dish.
The best thing about the meal was the glorious red wine, actually wish I’d noted which one it was. My trusty Spinningfields card saved the day, as unfortunately I wouldn’t rate my risotto, it was average and short of any pancetta. I’m not quite tempted to go again, many other restaurants in the complex fare better and as for Manchester on the whole, Strada wouldn’t get a look in again.

I’m surprised about the split in the reviews here. For me Strada is the best option for Spinningfield munching. Last time I went was a Saturday lunchtime. Spinningfields is a weekday area, with the main custom coming from those young professionals lucky enough to work in its high class surroundings. So Saturday was basically dead, and though I saw Strada at its worst, I was still well impressed.
Its not the cheapest place, but the quality is enough to make up for it. In terms of pizzas its only a pound or so more expensive than Pizza Express anyway. £8 should cover most pizzas, and they’re gorgeous.
The Rossa pizza, which has spicy southern Italian salami, roasted red peppers, chilli, caramelised onion, garlic and oregano upon it, is a challenger for the sought after Manchester’s Best Pizza In Alfie’s Opinion Award, currently held by Croma’s Chorizo Piccante.
Lovely setting, with lots of glass walls and good lighting. Walking a great balance between posh and classy yet informal and friendly.

I went there for a meal when they had a 2 for 1 offer on, sadly I did not feel like I was getting a bargain… more like my friend and I were given one meal between two!?? Even with the offer it was very expensive.
The portions were minute. There was barely enough to stop you feeling hungry… and a top up was definitely in order about one hour after leaving! Apart from that, I thought the staff were rude and almost invisible for a large portion of my visit! When you have a better choice of eateries along this stretch to choose from (like GBK) I can see why this place was almost empty when I went (and that was during the day on a Saturday) The food was cold to boot, and did not taste very fresh at all! In my opinion the «restaurant» highlights all that is wrong with badly run chains!

Uh-​huh, I’ve mentioned Strada before… not in the most positive vein, but I did talk about their excellent bread basket. They’ve recently launched a new menu, but it would appear that the bread basket is still intact — and if you like Italian food, are you not tempted by stretched pizza bread with garlic and rosemary? I know I am. And yes, the critics do tend to slate the chain restaurants, but it’s effortless to take a pop at them and I for one try to remain realistic. If it tastes good, why would it offend your morals to eat there just because there’s more than one in the country? Surely you’d be more offended if you found out that all the food was handmade by toddlers in a sweatshop, frozen and microwaved at the venue. Case in point. We only have one Strada in Manchester, and I feel it is my duty to tell you if it’s good or not.
My good friend the brunette lives in Southport, so when she comes to visit me she experiences city-​living. And for her, Strada exemplified that. A good bottle of wine for less than a tenner, shared between us, along with high quality food, smartly attentive service and a spot-​on location. We sat, we looked across the river, we clinked glasses and she said that she wanted to live in Manchester and do this on a far more regular basis. And I know it wasn’t just the wine talking. Strada had a great deal to do with that. She loves her Italian food and the bread and pizzas here were just mouthwatering. My caprino pizza with goat’s cheese, tomato, artichoke and oregano was exactly what the doctor ordered.
It occupies one of those prime riverfront locations in Spinningfields which makes it perfect for a lazy evening, unwinding in the summer or looking through the glass from your cosy seat in the winter. And as Italian restaurants in the city go, it’s reasonably priced, it’s delicious, the décor is ambient, clean and simple, and the staff are wonderfully friendly. And they’ve tried, I mean, the menu subheadings are in Italian. That’s an effort at least. So Mancunian magazine writers can whine all they want about authenticity and l’ennui and traditionalism, all I know is that if I’m in Spinningfields and craving a pizza or a pasta, I’ll be heading here. Ciao, bella.

OK service, crap kitchen — uncooked egg in a fiorentina (complete with bits of shell) and a pasta dish (still dirty) that tasted like Pot Noodle. Oh, and that standard of food took an hour to arrive

We went there for a meal when they had a 2 for 1 offer on.
Even with the offer it was very expensive.
The portions were minute. just enough to stop u getting hungry., but a top up was definately needed after the meal!!!