Liverpool restaurants feature heavily on the shortlist for this year's 'English Italian Awards'
Crust, Cucina di Vincenzo and Waterloo’s Eataly are among a clutch of Liverpool restaurants celebrating after making it to the final of the 2018 English Italian Awards.
The competition, whose comprehensive categories range from the best cafes to the best business to the best pizzeria and pasta places, attracts hundreds of entries every year. The final contenders are arrived at via public vote, which typically means contestants rallying their fans and friends via social media.
Successful Liverpool establishments galore can now expect visits from judges (food on the house of course) before a gala final at the Principal Manchester on Sunday October 7th.
Vince Margiotta’s Cucina di Vincenzo in Woolton Road is up for two gongs - Best Family-Run Restaurant, which “recognises restaurants who have their Italian family roots embedded in everything they do”, and England's Cuoco of the Year. In this latter category, finalists, which also include Amalia restaurant in Campbell Square, have to produce “a unique and first class dish” in cook off conditions.
Back in Bold Street, Italian Club Fish, owned by Vince’s cousin, Rosaria Crolla, is bidding to be named no less than England’s Best Italian Restaurant.
Meanwhile, Allerton Road’s Secret Place is up for England’s Best Aperitivio (cocktail happy hour) and at the other end of the city, Eataly in St John's Road, Waterloo, thanked all of its supporters with a special banner after making it into the Best Newcomer final and Best Authentic Italian Menu.
Nobody quite makes ice cream as precisely as Paolo and Donato’s Italian Deli in Williamson Square which is hoping to scoop the Best Gelateria award. The eponymous pair are also behind Bold Street’s enormously popular Crust, which is riding high in the Best Pizzeria section.
And talking of pizza, Crust appears again in the English final of the UK National Italian Pizza Championships along with Amalia and Secret Place. It’s a new thing in which chefs will apparently challenge themselves in a practical contest and the winner will go through to a UK final later in the year.
Last but not least, Castle Street’s very own upmarket favourite San Carlo is setting out its stall and hoping to be named England’s Best Italian Restaurant Group.
Here is the full shortlist:
ENGLAND’S BEST APERITIVO
Aperitivo Leeds
Fiume Restaurant
LIVIN’italy
Secret Place Liverpool
The Village Deli
ENGLAND’S BEST CAFE
Bellissimo Burnley
Cafe Italia Bolton
Dino’s Italian Cafe Lounge
FabRico Italian Coffee House
Six Hills Cafe and Pizzeria
ENGLAND’S CUOCO OF THE YEAR
Amalia Italian Restaurant
Antico Restaurant
Ballaró Restaurant
Cucina di Vincenzo
Ipsum Vinoteca
Mamma Mia Italiano
Mondello’s Restaurant
Montebello Ristorante
Rossi’s Italian Restaurant
Sardus Cucina
ENGLAND’S BEST GELATERIA
CafeGelato
Di Meo’s
Gelato Village
Paolo and Donato’s Italian Deli
Taste It
ENGLAND’S BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT
Al Forno – Darlington
A’Vucciria
Boboli Restaurant
Casa Romana
Cielo Birmingham
Don Giovanni
Antico Restaurant
Sapori Restaurant & Bar
The Italian Club Family – Fish
Valentino’s Wakefield
ENGLAND’S BEST NEWCOMER
A’Vucciria
Cafe Italian Bolton
Eataly Liverpool
Fritto Italian Street Food
Lido Di Meo
MonteLeone
Panzerotti Hut
PizzAmmore Napoli
Poco Sicilian
Signorelli’s Deli Cambridge
ENGLAND’S BEST FAMILY OWNED RESTAURANT
Bellini Italian Restaurant Seaburn
Boboli Restaurant
Cucina Di Vincenzo
DaQuino Italian Restaurant
Don Vito’s
Mario’s Skegness
Pagliacci Restaurant
Route 5
Salute at the White Swan
Saporita Norwich
ENGLAND’S BEST PASTA
Azzurri Italian Kitchen
Bellini Italian Restaurant Seaburn
Casa Tua -Cromer St
Don Giovanni
Pasta Factory
Pastasciutta
Sorella Sorella
The Pack at Belthorn
Villa Romana
Vince’s Kitchen
ENGLAND’S BEST PIZZERIA
Crust Liverpool
Culto
El Murrino
Faluso Pizzeria
Gattuso Pizzeria
Miaitalia
Quartieri Kilburn
Stable Hearth
Tomo Pizzeria
Uno Momento – Darlington
ENGLAND’S BEST RESTAURANT GROUP
Al Forno – Darlington
Carluccio’s Manchester
Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant Manchester
San Carlo Manchester
Uno Momento – Darlington
ENGLAND’S BEST TEAM
Fellini’s Restaurant
Mario’s Skegness
Miaitalia
Mimmo’s
Nonna’s Italian Restaurant
Poco Sicilian
Salute at the White Swan
San Lorenzo – Gosforth
Sorella Sorella
Ventola Projects
ENGLAND’S BEST WINE SELECTION
Bat & Bottle
Ipsum Vinoteca
LIVIN’italy
Sardus Cucina
Veeno Manchester
ENGLAND’S BEST ITALIAN AUTHENTIC MENU
Bar Unico
Casa Romana
Eataly Liverpool
Quartieri Kilburn
Route 5
ENGLAND’S FAVOURITE ITALIAN BUSINESS
Cielo Birmingham
Dino’s Italian Cafe Lounge
El Murrino
Geeks Headquarter Ltd
Mimmo’s
Nonna’s Italian Restaurant
Pastasciutta
Rossi’s Italian Restaurant
Saporita Norwich
Ventola Projects
UK NATIONAL ITALIAN PIZZA CHAMPIONSHIPS – ENGLISH FINAL
Achellos Italian Restaurant
Amalia Italian Restaurant
Azzurri Italian Kitchen
Ballaró Restaurant
Bellissimo Burnley
Crust Liverpool
Cucina Italiana
Culto
Di Meo’s
Donatello’s
Eddies Wood Fired Pizza
Mamma Maria’s Restaurant
Mamma Mia Italiano
Mondello’s Restaurant
Montebello Ristorante
PizzAmmore Napoli
Rosie’s Mediterranean Restaurant
Sapori Di Napoli
Sapori Restaurant & Bar
Secret Place Liverpool
Signorellis Deli Cambridge
Six Hills Cafe and Pizzeria
Sorrento
Stable Hearth
The Hop York
The Pack Belthorn
The Palazzo
Tomo Pizzeria
Valentino’s Wakefield
