Franco Manca Piccadilly Gardens Manchester

You'll smell the wood smoke before you even spot the Franco Manca sign on this corner of Mosley Street. The open kitchen dominates the space, where pizzaiolos stretch proper sourdough bases that have been fermenting for 20 hours – none of that quick-rise nonsense here. The menu keeps things refreshingly simple: six or seven pizzas that actually matter, plus a couple of seasonal specials. That signature tomato base tastes like it came straight from San Marzano, and they're not stingy with the buffalo mozzarella. The prosciutto and rocket number is particularly good, though the chorizo option feels perfectly at home in Manchester. Quick service, reasonable prices, and you can actually taste why they've built such a following across the country.