- Pesto Italian Restaurant (Bar e Ristorante italiano)Pesto Italian Restaurant (Bar e Ristorante italiano)

Pesto’s Picks May

After a short time away, we are delighted to announce that Pesto’s Picks is now back, bringing you then best of what’s on in your area!

Over the last few months we’ve been working hard launching the newest member of the Pesto family, Pesto at the Waggon and Horses Sheffield.

Following a very successful opening we’ve spent some time in Sheffield and have shortlisted the best of what this iconic city has to offer.

First up we have troll-featured funnyman Bill Bailey at Sheffield City Hall on the 6th and 7th of May. Bill Bailey is one of the nation’s most unique comedians and his latest show, Qualimpeddler is not to be missed. Why should you go? Three words; Dubstep Downton Abbey. Tickets are a very reasonable £25 and doors are at 7pm – http://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/events/Bill-Bailey-2013

Up next for Sheffield is the Liquid Gold Charity Night at Sheffield City Hall on May 2nd. This night showcases the best of Sheffield’s up-and-coming musical talent and it’s all for a good cause! Tickets are only £5 and doors open at 7pm – http://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/events/Liquid-Gold

Heading east toward Wilsden we have the amazing Derren Brown at Alhambra Theatre in Bradford centre. The lottery-predicting hypnotist will be at the Alhambra for five nights from May 27th – June 1st, tickets range from £32.50 – £38.00 and doors are at 8pm.

Steering westward toward Cheshire, Wirral and Liverpool, for those of you who are keen golfers we have Open Events at Bromnorough Golf Club on May 27th. Open events mean you and your friends can head to the course to play as a team without the requirement for a membership, hurrah! http://www.bromboroughgolfclub.org.uk/open_events_2013/

Bromborough Golf Club is very close to the AA four-star accredited Pesto at the Dibbinsdale Inn, where you can make a real weekend of it by booking accommodation with breakfast, dinner and drinks for you and your team-mates – click here to make a reservation now!

Also in Liverpool and Manchester in May we have former X-Factor Queen Leona Lewis performing at the Manchester Apollo and Liverpool Echo Arena on the 14th and 15th May respectively. The Liverpool Echo Arena is only a short walk from Pesto Liverpool One, Paradise Street, ideal for pre-concert dinner and drinks.

: Tangerine Dream

Last years UK Eurovision representative Engelbert Humperdinck will be performing at the SECC on May 8th, a mere 10 days before this years Eurovision Song Contest. This year the UK is once again represented by one of our nation’s greatest musical exports, Bonnie Tyler. This might just be our year…

Tickets for the all-singing, all-dancing tangerine Humperdinck show are a very reasonable £37.50. http://www.secc.co.uk

Pesto’s Christmas Picks 2012

: Cairngorm Christmas Reindeer

Deck the halls it’s the first of December! Presents, parties and diet-busting over-indulgence are just a few weeks away and at Pesto we’re definitely in the festive spirit.

As it’s December, this months Pesto’s Picks delves into the best Christmas activities on offer in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire and Bradford and first up we look north to Glasgow.

St Andrews Day festivities are still going strong in Glasgow as the celebrations span over the weekend, culminating in an epic event on Sunday December 2nd featuring ceilidhs and kilted caricaturists soundtracked by none other than the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra.

You can join in the action today and tomorrow in Glasgow’s stunning George Square, which in addition to the St Andrews Day activities also hosts the Christmas market, perfect for grabbing gorgeous little stocking fillers.

George Square is a short walk from Pesto St Vincent Street, if you’d like to make a reservation for a romantic Christmas meal for two, office party or a get-together with friends click here or call our team directly on 0141 204 0979

: You probably won’t see anything like this at the zoo…

Looking southward to Cheshire, Chester zoo is a short drive from the newly opened Pesto at the Dibbinsdale Inn, Pesto at the Cabbage Hall in Tarporley and Pesto Widnes.

From November 24th – December 23rd Chester Zoo is running the Lantern Magic event whereby kiddie visitors can make Christmas wishes under the Cedar Wishing Tree and sit on Santa’s Lap. Adults are also welcome to make wishes, but having a go at Santa’s lap is probably not advisable.

Tickets for the Christmas Lantern Magic events are selling fast and are £9.99 for an adult lantern walk and £8.99 for kids, while under 3′s are free. After a magical day together why not visit one of the three closely located Pesto Restaurants, or if you’re coming from further away treat the whole family to an overnight stay at Pesto Dibbinsdale. Click here for dining reservation enquiries and here for room reservations.

In Liverpool this month Christmas revellers can visit the world famous Cairngorm Reindeers at Queen Square on December 6th, 13th and 20th from 4pm til 7pm and best of all it’s completely free!

Other festive freebies include the Christmas classics screenings at the Big BBC Screen in Clayton Square on December 6th, 13th and 20th.

The special screenings kicked off last Thursday with a the Dudley Moore classic ‘Santa Claus, The Movie’, the upcoming titles are still firmly under wraps, but we’ve got £20 and a box of Quality Street on a screening of ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’.

Our team at Liverpool One are on hand to make your festive outings genuinely special and can help arrange a bespoke reservation for you and your family and friends.

Lastly we look to Manchester where our brilliant Trafford Centre and Deansgate restaurants are located at the heart of two of the best shopping spots in the country.

Last night Manchester enjoyed the opening night of the theatrical production of Disney’s classic 1994 title The Lion King. Running from November 30th 2012 to 20th April 2013, the Lion King at the Palace Theatre is a show not to be missed. With dazzling staging and highly imaginative costumes, masks and puppets, this production is family theatre at its best.

If you’d like to treat the whole family to a spot of shopping, Pesto have locations at both the Trafford Centre and in the city centre on Deansgate, both ideal for an early bird lunch (check out our special menus) or a relaxed meal before a special festive theatre trip.

To make a reservation enquiry for any of our restaurant please click here or click here for our phone numbers, our team of staff are always on hand to help.

http://www.scotland.org/culture/festivals/st-andrews-day/
http://www.fiddleorchestra.com/
http://www.chesterzoo.org/
http://www.pestoatthedibbinsdaleinn.co.uk/reservations/
http://www.cairngormreindeer.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bigscreens/locations/liverpool
http://www.manchestertheatres.com/lionking.htm

Pesto’s Picks for October

It has once again been another hectic month for the Pesto team; just six months after the opening of Pesto Widnes we are preparing for the opening of Pesto Wilsden on October 8th 2012.

Situated in scenic West Yorkshire, Pesto Wilsden is the seventh addition to the Pesto family, and the third Pesto in a Pub. The restaurant is just a short drive from the City of Bradford, where this month in Pesto’s Picks we’ll be highlighting the best of what’s on.

Friday October 5th till October 14th sees the people of Bradford treated to the spectacular light show Garden of Light at City Park. Described as an ‘amazing and magical garden of light’, fire jugglers, slilt creatures, oceanic nymphs, exotic birds and a host of other-worldly creatures comprise this unique and visually astonishing light show.

So wrap up warm and bring your friends and family down to City Park for a fantastic light show created by French master light artists, T.I.L.T. The show runs from 6pm – 8pm and is completely free – hurrah!

After the light show, why not head over to the brand spanking new Pesto Wilsden on Prune Park, where our team welcome you to warm your cockles in a traditional pub environment with a roaring fire, delicious food and hot drinks.

At half-term this October there’s a Scooby-Doo extravaganza taking place at the National Media Museam in Bradford. The whole family can step into Scooby- Doo’s animated world to help him solve spooky mysteries, pop behind the scenes and make your own superscary Scooby-Doo animation, then get hands-on and create spooky Scooby-Doo sound effects!

According to the National Media Museam there’s a whole host of Scooby-Doo related activities yet to be announced, so why not keep up with them on Twitter at @mediamuseum – don’t forget to say who sent you!

Entry to the Museum and the Scooby-Doo event is free, although some small charges may apply for certain activities.

http://www.visitbradford.com/thedms.aspx?dms=13&venue=1581635&feature=1111

https://twitter.com/mediamuseum

http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/9957439.Magical_garden_to_light_up_City_Park__Bradford/

Pesto’s Picks for September

Goodbye summer, if you dare call it that; September is almost here we’re just a few sunsets away from the first fallen leaves of Autumn.

Lament over 2012′s lost summer weather we shall not, it has after all been rather an epic few months, what with the release of several fantastic summer blockbusters, the Queen’s Jubilee and a little ol’ sporting event called the Olympics.

Looking forward to Autumn there’s a lot to be excited about, including the opening of a brand new Pesto in a Pub on Prune Park, Allterton Bradford!

First up we head to bustling Manchester where from September 4th – 27th there is a stunning exhibition of photography by Stephen Fallows at the Manchester Library. The show is the product of a two year long project, capturing more than fifty locations across the North West of England, beginning in Carlisle, visiting the artists home town of Barrow in Furness and ending at the location of the show in Manchester. A truly beautiful collection of photographs not to be missed. Entry is free and the library is just a five minute walk from Pesto Deasgate.

http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/The-Portico-Library/Sidetracked-An-Exhibition-of-Photography-by-Stephen-Fallows/11706464/

Heading north to Glasgow, this month the Galilean Society, who aim to promote science to the general public will host a free talk on advances in medical imaging. You don’t need to be a boffin to enjoy the lecture, as all Galilean Society lectures are at the level of ‘popular science’, last around an hour and are followed by a brief Question Time where you can put your questions to the speaker. The talk will take place at the MItchell Library on Saturday September 15th from 3pm – 5pm and is just a short walk from Pesto Glasgow – if you fancy making a day of it why not reserve a table now?

http://www.list.co.uk/event/250972-advances-in-medical-imaging/

Now, if you’re distraught at the prospect of there being a sudden lack of obscure sports airtime once the Paralympics draws to a close, fear not, the Liverpool Echo Arena is all set to host the International Series netball game between England and Jamaica. OK, so strictly speaking netball isn’t that obscure, but at £20 in it’s cheaper than a lot of Olympic tickets and guaranteed to provide an entertaining afternoon. The match takes place September 24th at the Echo Arena, which is just 10 minutes from Pesto Italian Restaurant Liverpool One – to make a party reservation enquiry call the team on 0151 708 6353 or enquire online.

http://www.echoarena.com/whats_on/england_jamaica12.asp

Lastly we look to Cheshire and the surrounding areas, where this month if you’re feeling inspired by the Olympics to do something other than scoff pies and watch television the Ramblers Association have a healthy six-mile walk planned. Most walks are intended primarily for RA members, although non-members are welcome to join as guests on a couple of walks. After the walk why not enjoy a relaxing meal at Pesto Cabbage Hall or Pesto Widnes, where we have a range of delicious food that won’t break the bank or your belt-buckle. Have a browse through the menu here: http://www.pestorestaurants.co.uk/menu/

http://www.wherecanwego.com/event/569515-the-ramblers-group-walk-distance-6-miles/events.aspx

Pesto’s Olympic Alternatives

Now, don’t get us wrong, we love a good bit of sport, but if you’re already a little bored of the Olympics ( they don’t actually start till July 27th…) and are in need of some sport-free activities for the weekend then look no further than our Olympic Alternatives!

In not so sunny Glasgow this month we have the City Council sponsored Glasgow Show, running on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd July. The weekend events are suitable for all the family and will (amongst others) feature a dog and duck display, a birds of prey flying demonstration, a circus, floral zone and street theatre.

: The best thing since Tchaikovsky

In addtion to the various animal focused activities, revelers can also submerge themselves in the poptastic stylings of gifted, inspirational artists such as Jedward, Stavros Flatley and S Club at the live music stage.

Family tickets are £12 and can be purchased at the gate. If watching Jedward furiously gyrating for half an hour doesn’t put you off your dinner, why not stop by Pesto St Vincent Street for a tasty meal? We’re only a short walk away and offer a varied and healthy kids menu and can cater for large parties.

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/theglasgowshow.htm

If you’re in Liverpool this weekend and feel the need for an unhealthy dose of saccharine pop music why not get yourself down to Liverpool Echo Arena for Radio City Live 2012?

Pop favourites Will Young, Little Mix and Alexandra Burke join headliners One Direction to form quite possibly the UK’s most poptastic weekend of the year. The Echo Arena is only a 10 minute walk from Pesto Liverpool, situated at the heart of Liverpool One with ample parking and post-scrumptious-dinner activities. Check out the menu here

Radio City Live line up and tickets: http://www.echoarena.com/whats_on/radio_city_live_2012.asp

Moving onto Manchester…there’s a slight possibility you may have heard something about a new Batman movie…? Well, the latest installment in the Dark Knight franchise is now in cinemas and the Odeon Imax is quite possibly the best place to see it!

In case you didn’t know there was a new Batman movie out this weekend, watch this trailer, get shifted out from underneath that rock, grab some super-trendy 3D glasses and get yourself down to the Pesto for some pre-movie mealtime action. The Imax is only a short walk from Pesto Deansgate where we have an excellent selection of cocktails, beers and wines.

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/theglasgowshow.htm

http://www.echoarena.com/whats_on/radio_city_live_2012.asp

http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/imax/s11/

Pesto’s Picks May 2012

Pesto Italian Restaurant Widnes In this month’s Pesto’s Picks we take a look at the best of what’s on across Glasgow and the North West, congratulate Pesto Italian Restaurants Glasgow and welcome Pesto in a Pub Widnes to the family!

April has been a brilliant month for Pesto Italian Restaurants, with the official opening of Pesto in a Pub Widnes and Pesto Glasgow landing second place at one of Scotland’s biggest award ceremonies.

Pesto Glasgow placed second in the Best New Restaurant category at the Scottish Entertainment Guide Awards last Sunday, just eight months after opening its doors. The Glasgow team have worked very hard to turn Pesto St Vincent Street into one of Scotland’s best up-and-coming Italian restaurants and we’d like to extend a massive thank you to Francis and the team for all their efforts! We’ve added pics of the Pesto Glasgow team at the awards ceremony on our Facebook page and our web gallery.

Pesto Widnes opened its doors today, officially making it the sixth member of the Pesto family! If you fancy a scrumptious dinner with an ice-cold pint why not reserve a table at Pesto in a Pub Widnes now? Online booking for the restaurant is now available, or if you’d prefer to arrange with a manager directly please call: 0151 424 3729

As the summer months beckon marathons are cropping up all over the place, and this month we recommend participating or helping out where you can with the Great Manchester Run and the Ignis Asset Managements Women’s 10k Run.

The Great Manchester Run takes place on Sunday 20th May, with the route finishing up on Deansgate, just a stone’s throw from Pesto Italian Restaurants Deansgate. If you’re participating in the run and fancy a well-deserved treat afterward, why not reserve a table with our Deansgate team now? https://www.facebook.com/greatmanchesterrun and http://www.greatrun.org/events/event.aspx?id=4

If you’re north of the border and participating in the Ignis Asset Management Women’s 10k run on Sunday 13th May, why not arrange a slap-up meal with the ladies afterwards? Pesto Glasgow is our biggest restaurant, located centrally on St Vincent Street over three floors, so there’s plenty of room to bring the whole team down! https://www.facebook.com/W10KGlasgow?v=wall

For those of you who are less inclined toward hours of grueling exercise, why not check out the Trafford Centre’s Summer of Hope and Glory launch party on Thursday 24th May. Taking place throughout the Trafford Centre, the Summer of Hope and Glory is a celebration of all things British, the Trafford Centre will be alive and kicking with music, dancers, fun and entertainment throughout the evening. http://www.traffordcentre.co.uk/whatson/hopeandgloryparty

: Brooding

Our final pick of the month actually spans over two months, it’s Westlife’s Greatest Tour, which also happens to be their farewell tour. The Irish quartet will be performing at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on Tuesday 15th May and Wednesday 13th June. http://whatson.visitliverpool.com/files/2.html

Mothers Day Pesto’s Picks

Mothers Day is just a few weeks off, and with that in mind Pesto’s Picks takes a look at some of the best Mothers Day entertainment on in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.

The Moscow City Ballet’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s epic tragedy Romeo and Juliet has a two-night run scheduled at the Manchester Opera House on the 15th and 16th March. A stunning combination of artistry, technique and narrative accompanied by an emotive dramatic score from the late award-winning composer Sergei Prokofiev is sure to make for an original and moving Mothers Day gift.

http://www.atgtickets.com/Moscow-City-Ballet-s-Romeo-Juliet-Tickets/172/956/#overview_tab

Now, if you’d rather go for something a little more upbeat, why not treat your dear old mum to tickets to the Glasgow International Comedy Festival?

The festival runs from the 15th March till the 1st of April at venues across the City. Our personal highlights are Loose Women panelist Jenny Eclair and Father Ted’s Ardal O’Hanlon appearing at the Citizens Theatre, March 30th and the King’s Theatre, March 29th respectively.

http://www.ticketsoup.com/tickets/jenny-eclair-old-dog-new-tricks-2012-13444/default.aspx
http://www.ticketsoup.com/tickets/ardal-ohanlon-2012-13493/default.aspx

Perhaps a little nostalgia would make the perfect Mothers Day gift, and what better way than to reminisce than a trip to the flicks to watch a modern-day classic? 80′s sci-fi romp Back to the Future returns to the big screen at Glasgow Cineworld on March 30th – this is set to be a sell-out so be sure to get tickets well in advance!

http://www.cineworld.co.uk/cinemas/28

Over in Liverpool we have something that will delight music-loving mums – International Guitar Night – the world’s premier touring guitar festival. Lulo Reindhardt (nephew of the late, great Django Reindhardt), Brian Gore and Adrian Legg, touted by slick-fingered legend Joe Satriani as “simply the best acoustic guitar player I’ve ever heard” have been wielding their axes across the globe, and March 1st sees the show come to the Liverpool Philharmonic.

http://www.visitliverpool.com/whats-on/search/international-guitar-night-p305161

Whatever you do for Mothers Day you can be sure that a delicious meal washed down with our special Mothers Day cocktail the giola Di Mardi (Mothers Joy!) will be the perfect accompaniment to a perfect day! Why not book a table at your favourite Pesto now?

Pesto’s Picks February 2012

With the Celtic Connections festival in full swing and the Glasgow Film Festival 2012 gearing up for kick-off on the 16th February, Scotland’s biggest city is certainly living up to its reputation as a hub of creative activity.

Pesto Italian Restaurants Glasgow is located right at the centre of the city on vibrant St Vincent Street, just a stone’s throw from Central Station and countless music venues, cinemas, nightclubs and theatres – the ideal place to fill up before throwing yourself into the action!

For all the mums and dads out there, this years Glasgow Film Festival has put together a special parent and baby screening; in short it’s highlights from the eight international competition programmes condensed into an hour-and-a-half long ‘film’. The selection of clips is set to remain a secret right up until the curtains open, but the folks at Glasgow Film Festival promise and “entertaining and thought-provoking drama, documentary and animation from around the world” with “no extreme content or sudden loud noises” with the lights remaining on low to allow easy movement during the screening. Tickets are a very reasonable £4 and all babies go free, but must be accompanied by an adult, obviously.

http://www.glasgowfilm.org/festival/whats_on/3624_short_stuff_parent_baby_screening

Now, this year at the Glasgow Film Festival there’s said to be festivals within festivals, which all sounds a bit Inception to us, but apparently it’s just “mini festivals within the Festival that both complement and diversify the programme as a whole”. The mini festivals are the Short Film Festival, Youth Film Festival, the Music and Film Festival and Frightfest – ooh er!

The Frightfest is brought to Glasgow Film Festival by Film4 and will premiere a massive eleven movies this year, including Crawl, War of the Dead and The Raid. The two-day-movie-marathon starts at 13:30 on Friday 24th February and ends Saturday 25th February at 23:15. All screenings are rated 18+ and are likely to put you off your tea, so if you are heading out to Frightfest be sure to stop by Pesto Italian Restaurants Glasgow for a spot of lunch first.

Heading down to the North West for February, highlights for the month include Irish superstars Snow Patrol at the Manchester Evening News Arena and the X Factor Live Tour 2012 also at the MEN.

Snow Patrol’s sixth album Fallen Empires was released on November 11th 2011 and was the band’s highest debut on the Billboard chart. Almost nine years after their commercial breakthrough album Final Straw, the band are have just started their fifth major tour with

dates scheduled across Europe, the US and Canada. The Irish lovelies will take to the MEN stage on Friday 3rd February with support from Manchester lads Everything Everything.

: Not part of Fright Fest

Last years X Factor competition was easily one of the most explosive yet, with fiery exits, band break-ups, bitchy judges, Kitty Brucknell and more Adele renditions than your average karaoke bar on a Saturday night. And all without Simon Cowell.

We reckon the X Factor Tour 2012 is not to be missed, and there are still (just a few) tickets left for their two

-day-stint at the MEN Arena on Saturday the 25th and Sunday 26th of February. If you want to treat your other half to a flamboyant Valentine’s gift tickets are £38 (inc booking fee) available from Ticketmaster.

Highlights in Liverpool this month include a show at the Liverpool Philharmonic from Mike and the Mechanics legend Paul Carrack and a special Valentine’s screening of the Audrey Hepburn classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Former Mike and the Mechanics frontman (you’d think he’d be called Mike…), Squeeze keyboardist and the voice behind Ace’s How Long and Squeeze’s Tempted and The Living Years has a reputation as a brilliant live performer. His velvety voice oozes soul and his talent as a multi-instrumentalists makes him one of the last century’s most underrated artists.

Friday 17th February from 7:30pm, tickets are available from Ticketmaster.

Truman Capote’s charming fairytale is once again brought to life this Valentines Day at the Liverpool Philharmonic. For those of you who don’t know the story, or haven’t got round to seeing it yet (really, what’s your excuse?!), young New York writer Paul Varjak (George Peppard) moves into a flat and meets the eccentric Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) who has a penchant for the dramatic and leads highly glamorous social and emotional life. Holly is a party girl whose extraordinarily stylish facade masks bleak inner anguish and a hidden past. Henry Mancini’s Oscar-winning ballad ‘Moon River‘ underscores a beautifully romantic end to the 1961 classic.