Cibo Manchester — Restaurant in Manchester

Where to start! There was very little positive about this experience here from the moment we arrived.

When we arrived 10 minutes early for our table we were asked to wait at the bar as the reserved table obviously wasn't ready - which was fine. However 35 minutes later having watched numerous people come in and be seated before us we chased this up to be scowled at and told our table was ready so we had to quickly gather up our wine bucket and drinks to rush after the member of staff showing us to the table.

We then ordered food from another not so friendly member of staff (I believe was called Anibal) though we thought he may just be very busy - this most certainly became apparent not to be the case as the meal went along - he was in fact just RUDE.

When our food arrived our starters were OK. Nothing stand out, just average. The focaccia that we ordered to share sadly was the worst ever sampled anywhere.

We then ordered a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine which we proceeded to watch sit on the bar while we had empty glasses on the table for that long we were almost for fetching them ourselves.

The main courses arrived and the order was wrong. When we pointed this out the waiter did offer to swap this but we didn't want to have a member of our party sat there without a meal and then having to eat alone so we kept the incorrect meal. Again all of which were very average, except the steak which was I'm told very nice.

Now...the one good thing was Gerardo, our then waiter. Exceptional service and personality, he built a rapport with the table and had a good sense of humour. Genardo for Manager please!! A different person came to ask if we were OK and when I went to point out we'd had the wrong order and it wasn't even that nice the gentleman walked away smiling ....he obviously just heard what he wanted to hear or chose to ignore the not very satisfied customer as at this point the issues were mounting up.

We shared a Tiramisu and called it a day.

Now when the bill came we were charged for the meals we had ORDERED even though it was the wrong order that arrived with us and the incorrect meal charged was actually more expensive that what was brought out. We queried this and whilst the small difference could be changed there was no care on concession for the fact we had clearly not had a very good experience as ..."the food had be eaten". The money here wasn't the point.

To add to our dismay, despite telling Anibal who we were once again speaking to that we had been offered the opportunity to swap but didn't want someone eating alone he still proceeded to openly address Gerardo in the middle of the restaurant about this. So unprofessional!

I therefore stood up and stepped in to make it very clear that, as above, we'd had the opportunity to change the meal and reiterated again why we didn't. This was NOT Gerardo's fault and to my absolute disgust I was then called "Darling" by Anibal in the most condescending tone achievable. How this man is front of house is beyond comprehension.

Despite not being enamoured by the food and some of the issues like being forgotten at the beginning, Gerardo had turned all this around for us but unfortunately the staff could not be at further ends of the spectrum as Anibal made this restaurant stand out for ALL of the wrong reasons.

I would have given the service score 1 star were it not for Gerardo (who alone deserves 5), however due to everything and everyone else we encountered I cant give it more than 2.

I would not recommend at all and I most certainly will ensure when asked that I warn people not to visit CIBO. There are considerably better restaurants in Manchester nearby in...

Rude manager and disappointing food and service. I visited Cibo Manchester for my birthday with my friends, two of South Asian descent and one North African wearing a hijab, and unfortunately, we felt discriminated against. The experience turned out to be the most disappointing restaurant visit I’ve ever had.

To start with, we waited over an hour for our main courses, watching as several tables who arrived well after us were served, checked on, and attended to before we were. The staff were warm and attentive with other guests, yet our table seemed to be completely overlooked, apart from taking our order and dropping off the food, there was barely any interaction or acknowledgement.

When our food finally came, it was only slightly warm and tasted very average. Having been born and raised in Italy, I can confidently say this was not authentic Italian food, neither the flavours nor the quality reflected genuine Italian cuisine.

To make things worse, when I asked for my birthday cake, after being told I can’t cut it but they would make a presentation, the staff simply placed it on the table still inside the box, with no presentation or effort at all as if it was a takeaway. It was careless and embarrassing.

When the bill arrived, we were initially given the wrong bill for another table, which was already concerning. Once they brought the correct one, we noticed an additional £20 service charge.

Given the slow service, disappointing food and no effort in presenting my cake, I politely asked whether the charge was optional. Instead of handling the question professionally, the manager became defensive and rude, insisting we “had to pay” and saying “the service was good” as if he was the one who got served, he completely dismissed our opinions. He even said “you spent half an hour taking pictures, but we didn’t say anything about that” which was completely irrelevant and frankly disrespectful. It was my birthday, and taking a few photos in a restaurant known for its aesthetic should not be a problem, other guests were doing the same without issue. His tone and behaviour was completely unprofessional and made us feel looked down upon and discriminated against, as if our concerns didn’t matter.

The difference in how we were treated compared to other customers was so apparent that it made us feel unwelcome and even hinted at discrimination, which was deeply upsetting on a day that was meant to be special.

This restaurant clearly relies on its beautiful décor and instagrammable image rather than delivering genuine hospitality or good food. The manager’s lack of professionalism and basic courtesy completely ruined what should have been a special evening. I have since seen several reviews mentioning the same rude manager, so it seems this behaviour is not an isolated incident.

I would not recommend this restaurant for any special occasion, the beautiful décor cannot make up for the poor food, rude staff, and...

Visited here on Friday for a celebratory meal.

I will say I am a frequent visitor to Cibo Hale, more so Cibo Wilmslow and have had no issues on any of the visits. I have also spent alot of monies these past few months at Cibo Manchester.

We ordered Lasagne and T bone steak with sides. The request for steak is that this was to be well done. The Manager came to the table a few moments after commencing our meal and asked how things were to which we responded 'fine'. Which was indeed the case.

As we continued to eat the steak, the meat was at best medium rare towards the middle. We informed the waiter. The waiter confirmed this was not well done (not that we needed his affirmation) however the acknowledgement was welcomed and he stated he would inform management. Most of the remainder of the food was eaten and plates taken.

Management came over with a FULL bill, in addition to OPTIONAL service charge. We asked whether he had been informed of the issue with the steak to which he confidently stated yes. His response, is that he asked us earlier in the meal and we stated everything was fine. Again we informed that we clearly was not aware the steak was underdone at this time. After a ridiculous back and forth I affirmed that it was expected that some acknowldgement was made for not being able to finish the T bone steak due to it not being cooked as requested. The 'Manager' if you could call him that - as he clearly did not have the prequisite skills nor experience in customer service stated - stated he will not be doing anyting with regards to the bill (as he asked us after a few mouth fulls how things were and we stated fine) but he will after all the back and forthing take off the service charge. I made it clear at this point this point that the service charge was 'OPTIONAL'.

After going around in circles, I informed I will pay the bill in FULL however he is to return the steak, that he claims there should be no issue with. He REFSUSED. This was requetsed on a number of occasions during this embarrassing, arduous, rude and unprofessional encounter. The 'Manager' refused this on all requests with no rebutle.

After what was a continued, uneccessary back and forth and attention drawing circumstance, the chips and salad were removed with no acknowldgement of any issue of the steak and only because he had refused to return the steak, which I informed was for the pupose of a picture. I had paid for the steak in FULL hence what is left was my property and refused to provide this with me.

The manager was rude, condoscening and for this experience alone, after spending exoribtatnt amounts of monies at the Cibo chain, I will NEVER return.

The lasagne at its best was mediocre however I do usually order the goats cheese starter, and lobster pasta which are fab but you can find this standard in most restaurants that charge these prices with decent management...