Gino D'Acampo has confirmed the location for his luxury Italian restaurant opening in Manchester next year. The new restaurant will sit under the Gino D'Acampo brand rather than the Luciano brand, which has a site in Alderley Edge and London.
Gino was at Luciano's Alderley Edge site on Tuesday evening to celebrate almost one year in business, treating a packed out room of diners and close friends to a preview of the restaurant's winter menu. The restaurant, formerly Piccolino, was taken over by Gino for his first northern Luciano Italian back in January.
He revealed to the M.E.N. that his new Manchester branch will be located in the former site of The Restaurant Bar & Grill on John Dalton Street - the glamorous restaurant loved by celebs that shuttered for good in August 2021.
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Bringing some of the best Italian dining to Manchester, the chef revealed that his new city centre restaurant would be "the biggest Italian restaurant in Manchester" based on the number of seats. He told the Manchester Evening News : "All the planning has been done, all the designs too. We are starting to go inside the building at the start of next year, and we'll be open before the summer.
"In terms of covers it will be the biggest Italian restaurant in Manchester, that's why I'm taking my time. I want to make sure everything is perfect."
The restaurant, which spans three floors, will be based on 14 Dalton Street and will feature dining areas on all three floors, in addition to a showstopping terrace area. There will also be a areas that can be booked out for private dining, meetings and events.
Gino did have a warning for Manchester's existing Italian restaurants though. "When we do open it will be a challenge for a few Italian restaurants in the area. I've got something planned that is insane and I've got a huge amount of money to spend in it."
The chef was also able to confirm a second venture in Manchester, leading on from his partnership with hotel group Melia. He will be working on a new concept with the hotel, Innside by Melia on First Street, at some point next year.
Giving guests a taste of the new seasonal menu, diners were also treated to a taste of Italy on Tuesday night. Dishes included a delicate truffle arancini, warming pumpkin and ricotta tortelloni served with sage butter and toasted pine nuts, and an autumnal slow-cooked beef, with red wine and potato puree.
Speaking candidly about the success of his restaurants so far, Gino also said that what he feels sets his restaurants apart is his time spent in Italy. "What is more or less unique about all my other restaurants is that I spend six months in Italy and the other six I come here to work so whatever is happening in Italy food wise, I will always be the first to know.
"That's because of my Italian shows I do, I work for Italian TV and I have a huge connection of chefs - plus I live there. It's very different from people who have an Italian restaurant and the only thing that is Italian is their surname and they probably go to Italy once a year, and some of them have never been, which if fine, nothing wrong with that as such.
"But the difference is that I want a traditional Italian restaurant, cooked in a traditional way, served in a modern way, in a beautiful atmosphere. There really aren't many restaurants that can match that and I’ve been around for a long time."
With restaurant sites across the UK, including the original Luciano at the five-star ME London hotel in the capital's West End, and eyes on big openings in Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield, the chef was also keen to heap praise on Manchester's food scene.
" I think the restaurant scene in Manchester is good, much better than it used to be 25 years ago when I arrived. I would comfortably say that after London - London just because of the scale - Manchester has nothing to fear - it's the second capital of food by far."
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