Harden's says
Hand-rolled pasta is a highlight at Chris Leach and David Carter’s modern Soho trattoria.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Outstanding Italian food served in a buzzy, crammed atmosphere” has made a hit of Chris Leach and David Carter’s dazzling, ‘nose-to-tail’, “bistro-esque” outfit in Shoreditch, where “watching the kitchen from a spot on the bar is an amazing backdrop to a top-notch meal”. “Prices are reasonable too – so many small-plate restaurants use the concept to charge excessive amounts for tiny portions. Not here”. Top Menu Tips – “Brown crab is the famous dish but it’s hard to go wrong with anything”; “Pasta is fantastic… e.g. fettucine with venison ragu is exceptional”; “Grape sorbetto small but subtle… Cherry and almond cake is large and far better than most Italians offer in London”.
Summary
Chris Leach and David Carter’s “of-the-minute hot-spot is still packing ’em in” to this “Shoreditch icon”, where “some lovely Italian dishes propel it above your ordinary Italian place”: “small plates of interesting pastas, salads and exceptional meats” (the latter often “cured on the premises”). “The utilitarian seating and the too-small tables are not designed for lingering, but they are still failing to put off the hordes heading to its unlovely location in trendy old Shoreditch. Book ahead”. Top Menu Tip – “the brown crab Cacio e Pepe remains one of those legendary dishes that you have to try”.
Summary
“Packed fuller than a tube train, but the blinding food makes it all worth it!” – Chris Leach and David Carter’s “bustling” two-year-old “in the heart of hipster Shoreditch” has “made huge waves and deservedly so” thanks to its “punchy, honest, original and surprisingly good-value” Italian cooking which includes some notable pasta dishes (e.g. “shout out for the duck fazzoletti – homemade, with a perfectly balanced sauce”); and whose meaty options “make full use of lesser cuts (the pig’s head croquette is a special treat)”. “Always a good night out”… “superb!”
Summary
“A fabulous range of super-tasty Italian small plates with some very memorable flavours (that pig skin ragu!!!!)” and incorporating “terrific homemade pasta” are making a smash hit of Chris Leach and David Carter’s “absolutely rammed” venture, which relocated from Heddon Street to Shoreditch in October 2021. It wins nothing but praise and many nominations as “the top food experience of the last 12 months”. “Enthusiastic” service can suffer under the weight of custom and – with its “deafening noise” – the setting does “slightly reek of (the former) PizzaExpress the site used to be” – but “given that it’s exceptional, you’ll get by… they can polish any rough edges later”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Manteca?
49-51 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3PT
Manteca Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Second visit. Quite noisy as tables very close. Excellent unusual pastas and fab espresso with Zabaglione - quite a find."
"Return visit with lessons learned! This time passed on the main courses to focus on small starters and the amazing pasta. Then small expensive desserts. Plus a new coffee with Zabaglione to die for. Wine by the glass is great value. This time we had the most incredible waitress who took intense interest in our meal bringing out endless plates and cutlery. Best service for ages - thank you"
"Rammed on a Tuesday night, no guessing why - outstanding menu, enthusiastically delivered. Crab cacio e pepe, may raise Italian eyebrows, but is a fiendishly delicious thing. Also outstanding salume from the collection in the basement. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £29.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
49-51 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3PT
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
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