The Joy of a Family Meal Out in Manchester

This is a collaborative post

The busy school weeks have a way of swallowing your energy for fun over the weekend, don’t they? You know what it’s like. You find yourself hustling and bustling your way to Friday, and by then you feel like you’ve used up all your energy to plan something new. All you want to do is grab the kids, some sweet treats, and cosy up on the sofa together. But before you know it, the summer holidays roll around again, the kids are a year older, and you find yourself thinking, “have we made enough new memories together?” Mia and Lottie are at the age where they really do remember days out now so Mario and I have been making more of an effort lately to plan things that pull us out of the usual loop.

For us, a good compromise that breaks with routine but doesn’t exhaust the energy bank is popping out for supper on Saturday evening. It feels like a special treat and, you know what, it is. The girls love choosing a special outfit. Mario and I love not cooking or washing up. When you count it all up, no shop, no cook, no wash up, no entertaining, eating out feels like a bargain, actually.

We wanted to head into town to show the kids the Science and Industry Museum so we picked a restaurant close by. We’d been on the hunt for some of the best pizza in Manchester so this time we settled on Pizza Pilgrims on Deansgate. I’d seen on Instagram that the decor was fun, they were great with kids and that they stay true to the Neapolitan pizza method, which we thought we could talk to the girls about over dinner. A little escape to Naples while we ate sounded like a fun little trip through history (and memory lane for me and Mario).

I love taking them places where we’re guaranteed to have a good time, but where they’ll also leave having learned something new. And with so much history in that area, from the story of Pompeii and the buried town of Herculaneum, to the beautiful islands of Ischia and Procida, we’ll probably end up there when they’re a bit older for a bit of a half-term getaway. Even though it’s been decades since I first learned about it in school, I’m still captivated by those stories and I know the girls will too. We subscribe to the BedTime History channel on YouTube and I saw they have a feature on Pompeii there which I can’t wait to watch with them.

I also read recently that eating out together is one of those small family rituals that matters far more than we think for the kiddos. Talking to family-friendly strangers, choosing and ordering their own food, problem-solving if there’s a menu change, all of it builds confidence in expressing themselves and communicating clearly. So with that in mind, we told the girls in advance that they were in charge of ordering. Can you guess what they thought of that? They loved it.

The restaurant was easy to find on Deansgate. It’s set over two floors so it feels nice and roomy, and even though it was busy we didn’t feel on top of the other diners. We all loved the decor. The Naples-style mural on the wall and the vintage Fiat Panda built into the bar were brilliant fun, and the girls had a mini photoshoot beside the Fiat. Unfortunately, it looks like we will be saving up for one for Mia’s first car. As long as I can drive it, I don’t mind!

We chose it because it promised to be family-friendly, and it really delivered. It’s actually run by two brothers from Manchester, which makes it feel even more of a local find. We felt welcome from the moment we walked in, and the wait staff were patient and encouraging with the girls as they ordered for the table like absolute bosses.

We had delicious, proper Neapolitan pizza, slow-proved for 48 hours apparently (blowing my hopes of recreating Neapolitan pizza at home!), with ingredients sourced from Italy. Although I’m not strictly plant-based, I liked seeing that you could make any pizza vegan by switching out the cheese for plant-based burrata, and that they offered a gluten-free base too.

Thinking ahead to kids’ parties, or even girls’ nights (when I can get them), it’s good to keep a note of flexible places that make it a breeze to cater for everyone. Of the pizzas we ordered, the Margherita and the Double Pepperoni & Hot Honey were the family favourites. Chewy crusts, light and airy bases, properly delicious toppings. It felt like we were travelling to Naples from the table. Really lovely. Though they do have a dedicated kids’ menu, the girls decided to share a pizza between them this time. The other perk of eating out as a “special treat” is that they were voluntarily on the very best behaviour, well done girls.

Overall, we had a perfect evening and woke up feeling pretty fresh the next day (without any straggling washing up to do!). As they say, sometimes a change is as good as a rest. And every now and then, we all need reminding that making memories doesn’t take a week away or a big family holiday. With so many fantastic international restaurants right on the doorstep, you can escape to Naples, Rome or even Lebanon for an evening and still be home in time for bed.