Dough Pizza Kitchen, Manchester

There’s not much to report on Dough. Typeface fans will probably like the logo on entrance (I did, but I’m a font-fiend) and the food, once you get in, is decent enough.

Mercifully, the menu is a little more exciting than most other pizzerias. I took a punt on a smoked mackerel and cashew pizza, which must’ve been decent because I ate the whole damn thing.

That said, I have very few lasting memories of the place which, crucially, means that it isn’t bad in any way, shape or form. That’s a good thing. However, negatively, it’s not really that memorable either.

It is a place I’ll probably return to at some point and I wouldn’t put anyone off if they said they were going to eat there… I just wouldn’t enthuse over it.

Decent enough.

Had a really nice meal there, Food was fresh and the range of pizza's were interesting (made pizza interesting anyway)

The price was good too! What really made it though was the staff - they were pretty busy for a Tue, but the service was second to none

Highly recommended!

Whilst only offering an average range of Italian food, it was refreshing to eat out at a pizza kitchen that wasn't one of those bland chains that seem to be everywhere.

The food was very good, fresh and not that expensive. The staff working there were also very welcoming and the service was fast.

Dough is pretty good... Like many italians it doesn't stand out as a place to find any new and interesting dishes, but what it does offer is tastey, fresh and affordable food (not unlike the kind of cuisine you might expect in Pizza Express).

It scores extra brownie points for offering wholemeal dough-balls and pizza bases, but looses marks in the evening when the stereo volume is turned up and the attached club next door seems to spill into the dining area...

Staff are polite (one of them was kind enough to show us his 'frozen chicken' napkin trick!) and the atmosphere is lively and welcoming.

Overall I find it a cheap and friendly place to spend with friends.

I don't think places like Pizza Hut, Pizza Express or Domino's Pizza inspire anyone any longer. Therefore, if you are in for a great night out, a glass of wine, and good food (pizza, that is), then head towards High St in Northern Quarter. Fresh pizzas and pastas are served in the pleasant, modern interior, with a hint of old-style classic in the form of the building's design and decor. Make sure you plan this night out well because there are many bars around Dough Pizza where it may be nice to go, from up-market and trendy Apotheca and Bluu to more relaxed Trof and Odd, not to mention The Northern and Matt&Phred's jazz club further up, in Tib Street.

I went to Dough for my birthday celebrations last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. The prices are very reasonable for a city centre restaurant, the selection of wines is decent and the service was impeccable.

Dough offers a variety of different pizza bases (gluten free, regular, wholewheat) and some unusual toppings (Asian chicken). I, however, am a bit unadventurous sometimes and ordered the American Hot. The base was thin and perfectly cooked, the tomato sauce was flavoursome and not overpowering and the toppings were very generous. The jalapenos were super spicy (elsewhere they seem to be far less hot than they should be and it makes me sad) and the cheese was plentiful.

The service was great, as I said before, but there did appear to be rather a surplus of staff. And they ran around a lot. Rather distracting.

I'm just being picky though because it was one of the best pizzas I've had in Manchester.

There should be more restaurants like this. Cool yet still child friendly, it has a great range of pizzas and Italian dishes that the whole family can enjoy. The menu is particularly good if you’re dining with coeliacs or vegans, as there are some great gluten and dairy free options.

If you haven’t got the whole family in tow, Dough is a great place to let your hair down, too. You can enjoy some great spirits, wine or choose from a quirky range of Bellinis as you dine. And if you want to keep enjoying them afterwards, there’s an indoor walkway that takes you straight through to Apotheca next door!

A relativley new restuarant in the heart of the northern quarter, and a good place for an inexpensive night out;

In summary

independant
good pizza
cheap
nice stylish decor

The only criticism i can think of is that i once ordered take away from there and they had no take-away boxes so they wrapped the pizza in foil

Also it might not appeal to the real foodie snobs out there, but i'nm not one of them so i wouldnt know

First of all don’t get too seduced by the orgasmic syllables spewing from the gullivers of previous reviewers here.
Overall this place is pretty good, not outstanding - Service was excellent, very friendly and on point. Ambience was less enticing, we were here at lunchtime the place was half full, but quiet noisy due to sound reflecting off large glass windows and internal brickwork - on a busy evening the noise must be similar to standing naked in the middle of Madison Square Garden at a critical New York Rangers game. One thing that is so important when people are eating is music. They had a Ska CD from the early 80’s of the Specials etc playing loud - hardly conducive to a beautiful pizza restaurant, being serenaded to the Selector’s 'Missing Word’ at full volume whilst having lunch was about as conducive to our digestive tracts as being kidnapped at gunpoint and tied to a sycamore tree in a Bavarian forest by The Baader Meinhof Gang.
Sorry but I never got Ska music I found it contrived and driven by a superficial fashion movement from the South. The speakers too were very tinny and sounded irritating especially so loud, it’s a big old space to fill. If you are going to ram music down peoples ears make sure its tasteful, like Barry Manilow or Chris de Burp or anything from the second Viennese School;)
Moving on to the food and wine, we ordered a bottle of Californian Rose which was very sweet - a bit like Ribena although besides that it tasted ok. One nice touch was that we ordered a bottle of sparkling water to share and they brought glasses filled with ice and a slice of lime - very civilised. The pizza’s arrived mushroom/margerhita - they were ok, the tomato sauce had a bit too much sugar in it for me and the base was thin (as pizza should be) but pretty unremarkable, a bit stodgy. Shape of pizza was more like a Naan bread (Maybe some new EEC mandate on restriction of spherical shaped food in Northern Quarter restaurant at lunchtimes?) Rocket and Parmesan salad was ok. Bill came to £31, not bad and may go back as its about the only pizza place in the Northern Quarter.
If you like this type of modern pizza restaurant then I think Croma and Piccolino does this slightly better although they are across the other side of town, the best pizza I have had so far in Manchester that comes close to a proper Naples thin crust is 'Rustica’ on Deansgate although it’s a but pricey for what you get, not trendy decor but good food. To me a good pizza is where the base and sides are slightly charred, thin where you eat the whole lot (not leaving crusts! I have been spoilt in London as we lived near to Il Bacio in Hackney which is an amazing pizza place selling proper Sardinian pizza, also on numerous visits to New York where good pizza is an institution. I may go back here it nots to baddiwad, bit I’m not in a hurry to go back…if only they had played some Fad Gadget instead;)

Went to dough as I thought it’d be nice to try an independant pizza place as opposed to the multiple Pizza Expresses,Bella Italias and the like littering Manchester.

Unfortunately, I’ll probably be sticking to the big boys from now on. The food was really poor.

The starter of chilli prawns consisted of minuture overcooked prawns in a sloppy, greasy sauce. My boyfriend however found the cured meat in wine dish was quite tasty.

For the mains, myself and mother-in-law got the Asian pizza, my boyfriend the Spicy chicken pizza. (both £7.25).
For a restaurant called 'dough’, the doughy base was by far the worst part. It was too thick, and not in a fluffy deep-pan way. The bottom of it was very hard to cut through.

Upon leaving, I saw one couple who actually just ate all the toppings and left most of the base - so we surely can’t be the only people who felt the same way!

Staff were lovely and v. attentive, my one critique would be there seem to be too many of them! It’s quite distracting seeing so many staff running around yet seemingly doing nothing.

Overall - good location, attractive restaurant and friendly staff… shame about the substandard food.

Its a great alternative to Croma or Pizza Express. The upside is that its in the Northern Quarter which is really very vibrant and now boasts a chinese, Sweet Mandarin, modern english, indian and now a pizzeria. The food was lovely (had the vegetarian delux). I’d give it 3 stars rather than more because I thought the service was not very friendly.

Croma has been my favourite pizza restaurant for a long time, with the various Pizza Expresses around the place coming in not far behind, so I was eager to try out Dough when I saw it had opened.

The restaurant is nestled in the heart of the Northern Quarter, opposite Bluu. It is joined to the new bar Apotheca next door, another one of my favourites.

My partner and I dined out on a weekday evening and were surprised at how busy it was. Service was attentive and friendly and our orders arrived without too much delay.

We ordered the Dough Flat Mushroom and the Cured Meat Sautéed in Red Wine (both £3.95) to share between us to start. Both dishes were delicious, although the cured meat was very, very oily, which isn’t so much a criticism but a warning!

For our mains, we ordered the Moroccan pizza (£6.95) and the Asian Chicken pizza (£7.25). Both pizzas were a good size and tasted great - a pleasant surprise given the unconventional toppings; I’m more of a fruits de mer kind of guy, so to go for lamb and chicken was a departure for me.

As well as their range of regular pizzas, Dough also offers pizzas for people with special dietary requirements, offering gluten-free, wholewheat and dairy-free pizza bases. This is a great thing to remember as dining out with people with these requirements can be tough. The menu also features pasta, salads and a good selection of dessert. Prices across the menu rarely breach the £7 barrier, so two can easily dine out for about thirty quid, including wine.

The children’s menu is cute and will keep younger diners amused while they draw their dinner to give to the chef. Prices here range between £3.25 and £3.95, kids’ salads and desserts are available too.

As you’d expect Dough has a wine list featuring a good selection of wines over a broad price range. We had the Trulli Pinot Grigio (£14.50/£5.20/£3.65) which was very tasty. The restaurant offers one draught beer, Poretti (£1.95 for a pint) and three bottled beers (Peroni, £2.95; Modelo Especial and Modelo Negro, each £3.50), which is quite a narrow choice but are a bit different from usual, as well as a range of spirits and mixers.

Dough is a modern, comfortable restaurant, which I would highly recommend.

Dough hasn't been open for long (although I'm not sure of its exact age) but it's already my favourite pizza place in town (with Croma a close second). Dough have some amazing and unusual pizza combinations: my favourites so far being the Moroccan and the Vegetarian Deluxe, along with all the toppings you'd expect from a decent pizzeria. Dough has the feel of a casual diner but its ever-so-slightly more swish and provides a decent warm atmosphere (helped by a great deal of red but somehow this isn't OTT). On the first occasion I went here the doughnuts were not available which was a great disappointment to me else I would have given it 5 stars. On the following times I've been too stuffed for pudding!

The service is fast and pleasant, and the menu is well presented. In addition to this there is a cute little menu for children which can be found at www.doughpizzakitchen.co.uk/menu.asp#Dinky where children can literally design their own menu by drawing what they'd like (assisted by the neat little tick boxes on the outer area); a nice touch.

To top it all off, they are launching (some time this spring apparently) 'Dough to Go' and I absolutely cannot wait.