"Manteca has a large dining room that feels constantly full. There are people crowding into booths for lunches that involve pappardelle with duck ragu; early days relationships, hiding parts of themselves but sharing focaccia; and counter-cruisers ordering two plates of this, two glasses of that. The Shoreditch spot is stylish and assured, with accomplished, comforting dishes—deep-fried pig’s head with mostarda and brown crab cacio e pepe—that are just a little creative. Order pasta, yes, but don’t ignore the sea bass and house-cured Rizla-thin salumi." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, daisy meager
Aleksandra Boruch