Rudy's Pizza Napoletana - Ancoats — Restaurant in Manchester

My first time at Rudy’s, was super excited to try - love pizza and was going with friends who are a big fan of another branch elsewhere. Service started out great, we were sat outside and our orders were taken quickly despite this by a friendly waitress named Inez (I think!). Drinks came back immediately and pizza was no more than 10 minutes later which we were pleased with. The pizza looked fab and for the most part tasted amazing too, the burrata on top was lovely. It was just a bit oily and then liquidy with the honey, which was also a bit odd but my own fault for not reading the pepperoni pizza description properly. The only thing forgotten was my friend’s dip but this was brought as soon as we told the waitress. It began to bucket it down with rain but our waitress was quick to come out and put down the umbrella which we appreciated. Later I nipped in to use the loo and walked in that direction, before being called back by the hostess and questioned whether I was a customer. I can’t describe it but something was just super off about this interaction, the hostess asked where I was going and I replied to say the toilets - the look she gave me back was like I’d killed someone which I thought was really weird, but she quickly clarified I was sat outside and let me pass. Once the rain got too bad for the covers to handle we asked the hostess if we could move inside for drinks and maybe dessert. I think they had some reservations so it took a while to see whether this would be possible but we were eventually sat and ordered a drink and a dessert. Again, it was so strange - we were sat (she gave us an eye roll as we were sitting down) and ordered immediately but the hostess went aside and was throwing some crazy dirty looks and gesturing a waitress over in a hushed manner. I think she was annoyed by us wanting to wait until the rain was better to leave but we’d just spent 50 quid on pizza and were ordering more food and drinks so I didn’t think this would be a problem. Anyway, dessert came and unfortunately had a hair in it (we were desperate at this point to avoid any further interaction after my friends had pointed out some looks she’d given behind each other’s backs as well) but we found another super friendly waitress who replaced it for my friend with a fresh one as well as deducting it from the bill - above and beyond because my friend was more than willing to pay. I can’t think of anything we’d done wrong, my friends and I have worked at the same restaurant together for years and have had our fair share of annoying customers but we’ve never handled anything like this woman did, especially given we’d done nothing annoying as far as I knew. It was just so odd, very uncomfortable but in summary - won’t be back and shall be sticking to the regular branch which is a shame cause this spot was super cute and the other staff looked...

I recently visited the Ancoats branch of Rudy's Pizza Napoletana with my husband for the first time, and unfortunately, our experience left much to be desired. We arrived around 4 pm on a Saturday when the restaurant was busy but not packed, as there were clearly some empty tables available. Despite this, we were the only ones waiting to be seated, standing at the entrance for about 5 minutes before another couple joined us.

What followed was a frustrating 10 minutes during which multiple staff members walked past us without so much as a glance. None of them seemed occupied with anything of importance—they were just wandering around the restaurant while only one staff member appeared to be actively serving food. The couple behind us eventually left, commenting on the slow service. At this point, we had been standing there for 15 minutes without being acknowledged.

Finally, a man came over and seated us at the back of the restaurant, where there were even more available seats. We were placed near the bar, and there were two staff members in this area: a man behind the bar preparing drinks and a woman serving customers.

After a few minutes, we were ready to order, but once again, no one approached us. I tried to catch the attention of the staff, but they avoided eye contact. When the female staff member came to the bar to get some drinks, I asked if she could take our order. Her response was shockingly rude: she snapped, “I can’t take your order right now, can you give me a few minutes? I need to serve these drinks,” with a lot of attitude. I was stunned and just said, “Okay.”

The man behind the bar, noticing the awkward tension, immediately offered to take our order. The female staff member then realised her mistake and half-heartedly apologised, saying he would take our order instead. As someone who has worked in customer service, I understand how busy it can get, and I wasn’t demanding that she take our order right then and there. I just wanted her to know we were ready so she could come to us when she had a moment. Her reaction was uncalled for and made the whole situation unnecessarily uncomfortable.

The rest of the service didn’t improve much. It took forever to get the bill, and we were left sitting there, waiting to pay, feeling completely ignored. Eventually, my husband had to flag down the same man who had seated us to ask for the bill.

What should have been a lovely meal with my husband turned into a frustrating and disappointing experience due to the lack of basic customer service. The staff needs serious training on how to handle busy periods without ignoring customers or responding rudely. We won't make the mistake of returning to this...

Rudy's was really great. It was our server's first day (Dec. 9th), and although they didn't know the answer to a few of our questions, they promptly found them out for us! One of our inquiries was if we could pull Christmas Crackers at the table (not everywhere allows it nowadays), and the answer was yes! (To be honest, I'm not sure it should have been, as there were lovely candles on the table that added to the wonderful atmosphere, and we had a couple of close calls... but no flames, thankfully, and its permittance made the occasion even more special. 😄)

The server and other staff were fantastic. They checked on us just the right amount, which I appreciate is a tricky balance - letting us take our time deciding what to have without leaving us twiddling our thumbs; making sure our food was good and drinks topped up without disturbing the festivities. Bubbly and friendly, and very complimentary about our festive attire! ☺️🎅

And the food! I only ordered a pizza, but it had to have been in my Top 5 of all time (not that I have a physical list!) Friends said the same. My pal next to me could not get over how good his was (I've never seen someone so content after a meal!), and that was on top of his little pot of olives on the side. My vegan friend down the other end of the table was accommodated for without issue - in fact, I think she ordered a custom pizza with every vegetable going; it was one of the first out and she was also a very happy customer. And you could get little bowls of crisps with your meal! Bizarre in the best possible way (and very British, I imagine).

I will say we were windswept and wet when we came in, and had to wait another five or so minutes for our table out in the rain, because to wait indoors would be to block the fire exits - so I guess, if you're reading this review in advance of going and you've made it this far, that's something to be aware of in terrible weather and for those unable to stand for long... But we were in high spirits, and what's a bit more rain in England? It didn't stop us thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

Edit to say we were also offered a free shot of Limoncello each, which - although I'm not a drinker myself - was very lovely of...