Mani Osteria & Bar
Mani fires its pizza in a wood oven few Michigan kitchens still run, and the crust comes out built for mopping up the vodka rigatoni.1
Why go
Mani means hands, and the kitchen has been open on E. Liberty since 2011.2 The oven is the argument. The Infatuation calls it one of the few pizza spots in Michigan to use a traditional 400-degree wood-fire oven,
and puts the crust first on every pie: pillowy and perfect for scooping up sauce from other dishes like vodka rigatoni.
1 The room fills with bachelorette parties, parents buying dinner for students and small kids working through pasta.1 The booking rule is unusual and worth knowing before you walk over. Six to twelve people book up to thirty days out. Five or fewer just turn up and wait in the bar.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: the cippolini with bacon and balsamic, or the arugula and prosciutto on a garlic cream base. Both are The Infatuation's picks.1
- Order: the vodka rigatoni alongside a pie, and use the crust on it.1
- Avoid: Monday. The kitchen is shut.2
What locals & experts say
- Bella Simonte, The Infatuation, 23 October 2025:
It takes a pretty good pizza to get college kids to pay $20 for them on a regular basis, so take that as a sign of merit.
1 - The Infatuation, on the crust:
The best part about each pie is the crust, pillowy and perfect for scooping up sauce from other dishes like vodka rigatoni.
1
Good to know
- Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 4pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday noon to 10pm, Sunday noon to 9pm, closed Monday.2
- Booking: parties of six to twelve only, up to thirty days ahead. Smaller groups walk in.2
- Aperitivo hour: Tuesday to Thursday 4pm to 6pm, Friday to Sunday 3pm to 5pm.2
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Rated one of the best Italian restaurants in the US, this family run osteria offers wood oven pizzas and small plates. Some of the best pizza in ann arbor." No list behind that national rating turned up here, and the local half of his claim is the one The Infatuation backs.
Verdict
should-visit — Fifteen years on Liberty and a wood-fired oven that The Infatuation says few kitchens in the state still run, which is the difference you taste in the crust. Bella Simonte names two pies worth ordering and points out that students pay twenty dollars for them without complaining, in a town where a cheap slice is never more than a block away. No published piece names the chef or the family behind it, so the case is about the oven and the room. The booking rule alone makes it worth planning around.