Onda Pasta Bar — Restaurant in Manchester

Overhyped and Underwhelming Experience:

My recent visit to Manchester's much-hyped new pasta bar was, unfortunately, a major letdown. We were excited to try the place, having heard so much buzz, but the experience left a lot to be desired.

We had a 4 pm reservation, just as the restaurant opened, and were seated promptly by a hostess. Almost immediately, things started to go downhill. The hostess informed us that the pizzettas were unavailable, yet we overheard another hostess telling a nearby table they would be available from 5 pm. When we pointed this out, our hostess seemed embarrassed and flustered, awkwardly backtracking and saying they might be available later but wasn't sure when.

For our meal, we ordered:

Spaghetti with parsley, garlic, chilli, and breadcrumbs Spaghetti with slow-cooked tomato sauce, garlic, and basil Bucatini cacio e pepe Mafaldine with beef shin ragu Focaccia with a trio of butters Garlic, parsley, and mozzarella pizzetta (if available)

Initially, we were pleased with the speed of service, but that quickly turned into a red flag. All four pasta dishes and the focaccia arrived almost too quickly, and it became clear that some of the dishes were pre-prepared. The bucatini cacio e pepe was served cold and congealed, which was especially disappointing considering we were among the first tables to order. It felt like the dish had been sitting out long before it reached us.

The standout dish was the spaghetti with slow-cooked tomato sauce. The rich, flavorful sauce was easily the highlight of the meal, but it wasn’t enough to salvage the overall experience.

The disorganization continued when our hostess returned to inform us that the pizzettas were now available. We decided to order one to go, as we had anticipated taking some food home. To our shock, she then revealed they had no takeaway boxes. This should have been mentioned earlier, especially given that we had ordered extra food with the intent of taking some home. Instead, we were advised to "find our own takeaway boxes." This is something I've never experienced in any restaurant, especially not after spending close to £100 on food and drinks.

I ended up asking nearby diners for takeaway boxes, which was both awkward and frustrating. Having to pack my own food after such an expensive meal is not something I would expect from a restaurant, let alone one that has garnered so much attention.

In summary, while the pasta bar has a lot of potential, it seems to be struggling with basic service and communication issues. For the price point and the hype, I expected far more. Cold food, unclear messaging, and the strange takeaway situation really put a damper on what should have been an enjoyable experience. I hope they can work out these issues, but as of now, it feels like style...

We booked a table months in advance whilst they were still operating from their old place and had really high hopes for it. We were seated directly opposite the bar which gave us a great view of both the bar, and the pasta making table in the opposite direction. Firstly we ordered a zero beer, aperol spritz, and a bottle of tap water for the table. The aperol and beer arrived, I poured the beer bottle out, tasted it, and thought it tasted odd. This led me to look at the bottle. It had an expiry date of 04/2024, therefore serving me a beer 3 months past. After several attempts to gain a waiter's attention to make them aware of this, they took it away, and came back to ask what replacement drink I'd like, they said it's old stock and they only opened a few weeks ago. They opened 8 weeks ago, and potentially served out of date beer to other customers, and surely should have been checked before re-stocking in their new place. I was told they had no more in date of the same zero beer. I asked for a coke, but advised they only had diet coke. I changed to a lemonade on the spot. As soon as the waiter left, having a clear view of the bar, we noticed their fridge had several red glass bottles of coke. Therefore being told they'd "run out" was untrue.

We ordered our mains, and advised to order 2/3 mains to share. We ordered 2 pastas, and a pizzetta. It all arrived together, and the pastas are truly tasty pastas and combinations. The carbonara was by far my favourite. We felt the portions for the cost were very much on the small side. The pizzetta was disappointing as it was approx 2 inches of crust all the way round, with maybe a bite full of topping in the middle.

We were still hungry after that so ended up ordering a 3rd bowl of pasta. After finishing our mains, the waiter came and told they'd just had a delivery of coke and offered me one on the house, which I refused as it was too late, and already finished.

We also ordered the tiramisu, it was good, not overly alcohol soaked which we liked! The portion for the cost was small.

To end we asked for the bill. It came promptly, however they tried to charge me for the out of date beer they took away. They assumed I was getting their attention to pay so came straight over with the card machine, for me to tell them to remove the beer. They came back with the revised bill with a service charge included. I requested to pay the amount without the service charge due to the service experience being pretty poor, prior to this we were on the fence about the place, however the attitude changed when we requested to not pay the service charge.

Small plates with a high price....

We visited Onda on a Wednesday around 5:30pm. After hearing the hype when they first opened, we were eager to try the place although we went in with open minds.

To start with the positive, the service was lovely from the start. Our waitress was great the whole time, and I can't fault her.

We had their: Foccacia with added Trio of butters (Garlic & Parlsey, Parmasean and 'Nduja) Mafaldine With Beef Shin Ragu Fettuccine With Mussels, White Wine, Garlic, Parsley & Breadcrumbs House Made Lemonade & Orange Soda

Now for the negatives: I've had better versions of everything I tried.

The foccacia was crispy on the top and fluffy inside but didn't have much flavour running through it. The butters were okay, the best being the garlic & parlsey. For £7 altogether it was an acceptably priced starter but I'd argue they should offer the individual butters at £1 a piece for those who know what they like.

The pastas were despressingly average. It felt like no amount of salt was enough to bring the flavour out of the dishes. Especially the ragu. A meat sauce that's supposed to be packed with flavour just tasted bland. Zero seasoning. I get they're simple meals but for a pasta bar I was underwhelmed. The fettucine was better but I don't feel that the white wine, garlic and parlsey element shone in the dish.

The sodas were garbage. Sorry to be frank but they really were. Both the lemondade and orange soda tasted like someone squeezed a wedge of each fruit into almost flat soda water and crammed a ton of ice into it. I get they're £3 but if you're going to made a 'house' drink, it should taste better than something you'd give to a 5 year old. When they arrived, we were shocked at how small the glasses were but ended up thankful they were.

Overall, the food wasn't for me. I'd give the restaurant another go because it's so reasonably priced for two people (£45 for 2) and I know people rave about the pizzetas and tiramisu so I'll defintely be going back, but not for the dishes I tried.

My recommendation is, if Onda seems like your style, definitely give it a go but take all the reviews and hype with a pinch of salt.

PS: When I asked for salt they give you coarse sea salt in a small bowl - not sure if this is normal procedure but I...