"There's not many independent restaurants in Manchester nowadays, so it's always great to support the ones that are still trying to make a go of it in the city centre, where rent and council taxes are normally too prohibitive. Don Marco is a relatively new kid on the block and located in the beautiful Campfield Market Arcade, on Liverpool Road in Castlefield.

The food was nice, flavoursome and fresh without being anything to write home about. The £17 price tag of the Seafood Skewers however seemed slightly expensive though for food of this quality, especially when you can get the far superior signature Rock Salt Seabass at Evuna, around the corner for a similar price. Comparing menus, nearly all of the dishes at Dan Marco seem to be around £1 more than San Rocco, Don Giovannis and Croma.

That said, the service was outstanding, friendly and efficient, the picturesque location brilliant for a warm May lunchtime and the largely Italian based wine list is very reasonably priced. All in all, Don Marco is a nice little independent that is well worth supporting!" - matthew, manchester - TRUSTED REVIEWER (6/5/11 visited on a thursday lunch)

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"Don Marco has a nice vibe. The 'outdoor' tables might be nice in summer, however indoors is the only sensible choice in March. Some of the tables are a little cosy - you can eavestrop with ease. If there are just two of you, choose the odd little corner seat behind the bar - it's quite private and you get a good view.

The food was very nice. The Risotto di Mare (£9.50) was a decent size meal and had a good balance of ingredients instead of being the usual big pile of rice or big pile of mussels. As I'm dieting, I tried to leave about half of the portion on the plate but, because it was so tasty, I ate most of it. My pal's chicken Risotto Paesana (£8.95) was wolfed down too. The food was made fresh to order, and as we're fussy eaters substitutions and recipe changes were honoured too. The only downside with the food was that some of the bread in the basket was stale and the olives were a bit tasteless. Overall, I was very happy with the cost of the meal and the total bill was £40 with the tip, which is about right given the quality of the meal.

In true Sicilian style, don't eat here though if you're in a rush. Instead, chill out, have a beer (Peroni and Moreti £3.35) or Italian wine and wait for your food to be cooked rather than nuked. Oh yes, the house red wine (Trentino Merlot at £13.95) is tasty. You'll likely have half a bottle whilst you wait." - christian williams, manchester - TRUSTED REVIEWER (4/3/11 visited on a thursday evening)

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