Italian Express

Italian Express at Higher Cambridge Street is one of the longer-standing pizza-and-pasta takeaways in Hulme, first opening in 2006 and building a following among students at the nearby universities. The menu centres on thin-base pizzas, calzone, and pasta bakes made with good-quality ingredients—reviewers on TripAdvisor single out the bases as notably less greasy than chain rivals. Starters, salads, and gelato round out a compact Italian-focused menu. A four-star FSA hygiene rating, and regular praise for friendly staff and piping-hot delivery, has kept it relevant through years of student-area competition.