
Bruco
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Quick info
About Bruco
Bruco is an Italian bar and kitchen at 5 Murray St in Manchester, built around a menu of Italian small plates with larger plates alongside. The kitchen team names the lasagne as its most popular dish. Gnocchi appears in several varieties, including wild garlic and butternut squash, and the arancini and a flatbread with tomato sauce are also on the menu. Broccolini is listed as a vegetable dish for the table. Gluten free options are available for guests who need them.
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Menu & Prices
50 dishes · mains £5–24- Olives£5.00
- Focaccia With Olive Oil & Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette£6.00
- Crispy Artichoke Hearts£9.00
- Salmui Board£20.00
- Truffle, Mushroom & Parmesan Arancini£10.00
- Nduja Ribs With Basil Yoghurt£15.00
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention gnocchi, lasagne, flatbread and broccolini.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention gnocchi, lasagne, flatbread and broccolini.
Customer Review Summary
Gnocchi is the dish diners name most, though opinions split. The wild garlic version and a fennel orecchiette are called standouts, while one reviewer found the gnocchi closer to giant doughballs and another was let down by a vegetarian butternut squash gnocchi with only seven pieces. The lasagne comes close behind. Staff called it their most popular dish and two diners praised it, though one found it a little too rich. Arancini, flatbread with a flavourful tomato sauce, nduja chicken wings, broccolini and artichoke hearts with romesco also draw praise, along with the gluten free options. Complaints centre on portions judged against full price rather than the January discount, and on overcooked, slimy linguine in the vongole. One diner described a server who pointed at tables, rushed the order because the kitchen was closing, and a bill that included a starter never served. Most call the staff friendly and brilliant, and a free glass of Prosecco or fizz for a birthday and a wedding is the gesture they recall.
Customer Review Summary
Gnocchi is the dish diners name most, though opinions split. The wild garlic version and a fennel orecchiette are called standouts, while one reviewer found the gnocchi closer to giant doughballs and another was let down by a vegetarian butternut squash gnocchi with only seven pieces. The lasagne comes close behind. Staff called it their most popular dish and two diners praised it, though one found it a little too rich. Arancini, flatbread with a flavourful tomato sauce, nduja chicken wings, broccolini and artichoke hearts with romesco also draw praise, along with the gluten free options. Complaints centre on portions judged against full price rather than the January discount, and on overcooked, slimy linguine in the vongole. One diner described a server who pointed at tables, rushed the order because the kitchen was closing, and a bill that included a starter never served. Most call the staff friendly and brilliant, and a free glass of Prosecco or fizz for a birthday and a wedding is the gesture they recall.
Featured reviews
- Andrew Brown
“Brilliant brunch location; we were actually heading somewhere else but saw this spot and loved the look of the place and the menu choices on offer so immediately changed our mind and asked for a table at Bruco instead. We received a warm welcome, a cosy table and prompt, friendly service. Buzzy atmosphere but not loud. As we were waiting for our food, got chatting to one of the team (Mike) who kindly gave us a glass of fizz each upon finding out we'd had our wedding reception the previous day at The Hallé St Peter's opposite, which was a lovely & unexpected gesture. The food was absolutely fantastic - really incredibly flavoursome and generous in size. We thoroughly enjoyed everything about our whole experience at Bruco and we're thrilled we stopped by and did not head to our original destination. Would definitely recommend!”
- Aggie Challis
“Incredible. I came here for my graduation meal and loved it! The atmosphere, staff, and most importantly the food. So so nice! Mike was really cool”
- Lauren Dickson
“Very disappointing visit sadly. Martin was our server, we turned up a few minutes early for our 8.15 reservation, immediately we had to seat ourselves as Martin stood and pointed at 2 tables and told us to pick. From there, there was no explanation of the menu, for instance how many small plates and larger plates are usual for a party of 3 to order, or what would be recommended. For the price point of the dishes, we would expect some conversation from the server in that respect! The only run-through of the menu was to tell us the multiple dishes that were not available, there were about 3 other tables in the restaurant at that point so we couldn’t excuse this to being busy. We had to order there and then because Martin emphasised the kitchen was closing - we are understanding of chefs working long hours, but we are puzzled as to why reservations are accepted for that time? We had originally booked for 8pm but called ahead hours early to see if a delay to our reservation was possible and were assured 8.15 was completely fine. At that point of ordering, we had to insist to Martin that we needed 2 more minutes to decide on our order as he stood over us rushing. Nowhere online was the kitchen closing time advertised as 8.15 nor would we have known that being as our reservation was accepted for that time. We ordered some bread plates as starters and went elsewhere for mains. For the price point of the restaurant we would expect basically pleasantries from front of house staff! Can’t fault the food we did have, the kitchen staff were let down by the front of house service unfortunately, as we were also charged for a starter we didn’t have - sadly didn’t notice this until after we’d paid and left. Won’t be returning.”
- Rebecca
“Gorgeous little place in Ancoats! Staff were brilliant - gave me a free glass of Prosecco as it was my birthday! We tried the lasagne, gnocchi, nduja chicken wings, flatbread and broccolini - all fantastic. Margarita cocktail also amazing! Highly recommend!”
- Sophie
“Friendly service and lovely decor. The flatbread was delicious, the tomato sauce was super flavourful. Sadly the pastas did not live up to expectations. The clams in the vongole Linguine were so tasty but unfortunately the pasta was overcooked and slimy. The gnocchi was more like giant doughballs than gnocchi”
Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Good to know
“Italian Bar and Kitchen”
- AccessibilityWheelchair-accessible entrance · Wheelchair-accessible seating · Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Amenities
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 2
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Location
Restaurants near Bruco
| Place | Rating | Distance | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruco | 4.8449 | — | gnocchi, lasagne, flatbread |
| Erst | 4.8814 | 0 mi | flatbread, beetroot with ajo blanco, wine list |
| Elnecot | 4.51,383 | 0.1 mi | sunday roast, soup and sandwich lunch deal, tuesday steak night |
| Rudy's Pizza Napoletana - Ancoats | 4.87,554 | 0.1 mi | garlic bread appetizer, triple pepperoni pizza, burrata |
The 3 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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