PizzaExpress | Gluten-free in Manchester

Aaron
02/04/2026

2

Pizza Express on First Street is located right near HOME Theatre, at the back of Deansgate Station. While I’ve had a couple of very good experiences here in the past, I’ve noticed a decline in food quality and corners being cut, while prices are going up. Starting with the interior, I do like this location; they have a patio area as you enter, which is super comfortable and summery, the interior is more Pizza Express’ usual style with the open kitchen, and a nice number of booths and comfortable seating, so it does feel welcoming. On my most recent visit, I ordered a gluten-free pizza, going for the Create Your Own Option, adding tuna and red onions. While the toppings were tasty, the gluten-free base just wasn’t; the base was soggy and chewy and rather unpleasant. I also feel they could have been distributed slightly better on the pizza. I had the gluten-free dough balls alongside my pizza to go as a side, and the garlic butter was almost inedible; it was super watery to the point I couldn’t spread it as butter should be, and it clearly wasn’t fresh. I understand Pizza Express has made changes to its garlic butter for gluten-free customers, but this just isn’t right. The staff seemed friendly enough, although the restaurant was very quiet when I visited, so I feel they could have made a slight bit more of an effort, and were mainly talking amongst themselves. Overall, my experience was disappointing as it shows a huge decline in a chain that I used to love and visit often, with the quality of my pizza and my dough balls being subpar.