If you’ve still not been to the original Ciaooo location over on Swan Street, we implore you to make amends and try the exceptional ‘classiche’ and ‘con burrata’ pizzas being served. Not least the regularly changing specials, which are some of Manchester’s most inventive culinary creations. Just around the corner, though, the team have another incredible offering to the hungry people of our shared hometown. Opening its doors on the hustle and bustle of Shudehill for the first time in 2023, Ciaooo Loaded Garlic Bread does exactly what it says on the tin.
Suffice to say, at least half the people reading this will already be making arrangements to test out this small but well-formed eatery. Let’s face it, garlic bread ranks among the best starters on the planet, but when you start to add things to the top of it, effectively turning the appetiser into a full main course all of its own, it takes on new levels of deliciousness. Especially when this is done with the typical Ciaooo attention to detail, meaning your base is guaranteed to arrive somehow both fluffy and crispy, which isn’t the easiest trick to pull off.
Two types of garlic bread form the basis for the menu, with ‘plain’ referring to garlic butter-only, and ‘cheesy’ coming with additional mozzarella and parmesan. The combinations go well beyond these, though. ‘Nduja and honey, Cacio e Pepe, pesto, marinara and truffle are just a handful of examples that give an idea as to what we’re talking about. The options don’t end there, mind — 10” pizzettes, essentially smaller versions of the iconic pizzas from the main Ciaooo site, are also available, and make for a wonderful light meal. Options for these range from marinara with green pesto, to chorizo and salami, and smoked pepperoni, crispy onions and burrata.