Mid Range Italian Restaurant Chain in Didsbury- Gusto

High expectations, but lukewarm in reality.

Thanks to the January deal, S had a chance to try out more restaurants for only half price! Gusto was the one on the list that S wanted to try, and S finally got the opportunity! Gusto is a chain restaurant which has branches all over the north of the UK, the one S visited that day was the one in Didsbury town.

It was a Sunday night and probably because of January deal, the restaurant was quite packed. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere of the restaurant was lively, so at the time you could still enjoy your conversation without any problems!

There are couples of menus you can choose from Gusto which you can see on their website like the standard menu, lunch/evening menu, or set menu with different pricing. S couldn’t find the starter that she wanted to try, hence, S ordered Truffled Funghi (£12.5) for the shared starter, and the mains were Crab, King Prawn and Mussels Spaghetti (£17.25) and Honey-glazed Duck & Balsamic (£16.95).

The dish was served relatively fast compared to the waiting time for ordering it. S has always loved fungi in pizza or risotto, and this pizza was just as great as S expected. Moreover, if you are looking for the best pizza in town, you should also check out Rudy’s which you won’t be disappointed!

The honey-glazed duck was rather chewy than tender, so if you are looking for some tender meat, this might not be the best option for you. The taste of the balsamic dressing was tasty and went pretty well with the duck. The mashed potato with the dish had a stronger potato flavour than a butter/milk flavour. Overall, S liked the dish but was not really amazed by it.

The dish S looked forward the most was the spaghetti since S is a seafood lover! However, it was not as good as S expected. Firstly, the staff didn’t ask if S needed any extra cheese on top which S saw other table was offered directly right after the dish was served. Secondly, either S has really bad taste buds or there was really just no crab in this dish as it should be. The taste of this dish was not bad but nothing really stood out either.

Overall, the service was absent minded by lacking certain cutlery and not offering grated cheese, it might because of the busy time period of January deal. Furthermore, there was a long wait between the waiter checking on the table and the courses. The food quality was good but S wouldn’t say it’s the best value for the money for the original price. However, it’s still worth a try if there’s a great deal like January deal!

Restaurant info:
Address: 756 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M20 2DW
Phone: 0161 445 8209 
Opening hours: Mon.-Thur. 11am-10pm/Fri.11am-11pm/Sat. 9am-11pm/Sun. 9am-10pm
Site: https://gustorestaurants.uk.com