Will someone please give Popolino’s a Michelin star

I love Popolino’s Pizza. It has been there for me through thick and thin. It forgave me when I had a phase of getting takeaways from Archie’s, welcoming me back after I saw the error of my ways. It was there for me when, in first year, my flatmates set fire to my kitchen and sprayed the fire extinguisher over every damn thing in the vicinity so I was unable to cook. It made me look good when my boyfriend came up and didn’t believe that their pizza could be better than the one in his hometown.

The only bad thing I could every say about them is that they don’t deliver which is pretty heartbreaking considering I live in Fallowfield now and none of the pizza places compare, c’mon Mr Popolino get on the Deliveroo hype.

Forget the golden arches, it’s Popolino’s time

If you got it, flaunt it

The first thing that I admire about Popolino’s is its confidence. Popolino’s is so confident in itself that it sells T-Shirts saying ‘I [heart] Popolino’s.’ This iconic style of T-Shirt implies that the owners feel that their takeaway pizza joint compares to such tourist attractions as New York, London and Tokyo.

I whole-heartedly believe that this is not far from the truth; a night out in Manchester is definitely incomplete without the guzzling down of a scalding slice of cheesy garlic bread from Popolino’s. Said T-Shirt is an absolute steal at £1.50, just half the price of a cheese and tomato pizza and the same price as a shot at most clubs. It goes without saying that the buying of this T-Shirt initiates you into a certain club, a club of annoying students who drunkenly bang on about how by wearing the T-Shirt you are giving them free advertising. This has been known to result in members of staff giving you free chips to make you shut up and go away. Result.

The staff are way nicer than the angry blokes in Abdul’s

Secondly, I admire the general sound-ness of everyone who works there. When you go in there, hungover and therefore unable to cook, on a Wednesday afternoon after making an absolute knob of yourself after Tektu at Joshua Brooks they don’t bring up the fact that you actually ate some pizza in a box left on the table by complete strangers. They understand that the student life often results in a life or death decision: whether to spend your money on another drink or pizza. They also understand that you will always choose drink, and they do not openly judge you (they possibly/probably judge you behind your back).

This photo was taken whilst I was drunkenly telling them that I was writing an article about them so they needed to smile. They didn’t. But I swear, normally they’re lovely.

Someone give this place a Michelin star

Last but not least, I admire their culinary excellence. Popolino’s hands down offers the best tasting cheesy garlic bread in the whole god damned world. If you’re a regular, they will even make you – as the people at Starbucks call it – Secret Menu items. One time, when I was making the impossible decision between their legendary cheesy garlic bread and a pizza, THEY MADE ME A CHEESY GARLIC PIZZA! So simple, so elegant, so cheese-and-garlicky. Whilst their garlic dipping sauce game is kind of poor, it is just a few steps from Babylon who have the best sauce in the world (and they normally give it to you for free).

*internally screams ‘YASSSSS’*

When it all comes down to it, Popolino’s is all any student in Manchester needs, especially after a night out. Forget that kebab from Abdul’s, put down the weird z-list celebrity sponsored burger from Archie’s and feel the warm welcome that envelopes you the moment you walk through the doors of 119 Oxford Road, Popolino’s Pizza.