THEY SAY: Jim Morgan co-owner: "I'm obsessed with pizza - always have been. My mum says I used to place my hand over the next pizza slice just so no one could take it. For me, there is no other option but to work with pizza every day and opening a pizza place in Manchester has always been the plan. Me and Kate saved for five years while we worked in street food, and we have opened Rudy's with no investors. This is all our money and we've put everything into it. With no disrespect to the current pizza businesses in the city, we knew there was a call for better pizza establishments and a gap in the Manchester market. We packed up in London and moved back up with this in mind."
...doughier than your average deep pan, wholesome, cool without the need to be ostentatiously quirky.
WE SAY: As the Northern Quarter continues to have its fill of burgers, 'dogs', ribs, flat whites et al, eventually the hip indie cup will runneth over into Ancoats - as it has done in Chorlton and West Didsbury. You can almost hear the original NQ hipster-lot muttering how Tariff Street has become too 'mainstream' and Ancoats is the new 'haunt'. Almost.
A similar 'foodie regeneration' scheme is on the cards for Ancoats - which will see more independent cafes and restaurants take up space in the countless vacant units in the area (read here). Based within the 3,000 sq ft Fairbairn building, Rudy's Neapolitan pizza forms part of the plan (as does the hotly tipped Goose Fat and Wild Garlic which will open in a neighbouring unit).
Young, independent and a fresh addition to the area, Rudy's have filled the unloved space with an enormous wood fire oven and a lot of love and passion for good dough-making.
At present, the 30-cover cafe is in need of little colour injection but there's room for this first venture to grow and develop in Ancoats.
Ancozze pizza WHAT TO ORDER? Pizza, naturally. Rudy's menu consists of just that, a concise list of nine pizzas (some tomato based others 'white') delivered with a homemade feel. There's a tiny dessert menu consisting of three ice creams. Less to choose from makes more opportunity to get the pizza right - that's the idea. On first taste this is mighty fine Neapolitan pizza - wholesome, cool without the need to be ostentatiously quirky. Go for the Ancozze, a generous sized white pizza that comes topped with chilli flakes, mozzarella, Tuscan sausage, wild brocolli and Parmesan (£8.50). Hot and freshly made, forego knives and forks and tear into it with your hands. The salami pizza (tomato, mozzarella, strips of Napoli salami, basil and olive oil) is a solid classic - £7.80.
WHAT ABOUT BOOZE? There's no late licence at this Ancoat's establishment but there's enough to complement your pizza. Beers include the Cloudwater Grisette, described as a 'light, very refreshing and balanced version of the Saigon' and wines come Sicillian (Palazzo del Mare Catarratto - £14 a bottle). The coffee is a great shout also. They use 'Rudy's espresso blend' crafted by Manchester-based roasters Heart and Graft.
WHAT ELSE? Pizza-obsessive Morgan also lends his dextrous pizza making hands to Altrincham Market favourite Honest Crust. Notably, while Morgan and co-owner Kate Wilson didn't initally choose Ancoats for their first business, Rudy's Neapolitan Pizza is a suitable fit on Cotton Street - an area with a well known Italian heritage and long dubbed 'Little Italy', housing approximately 2,000 Italian immigrants at the start of the twentieth century.
WHERE IS IT? 9 Cotton Street, Ancoats, Manchester
WHEN IS IT OPEN? Open Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-22pm, Sun 12pm-6pm. Kitchen closed 3pm-5pm each day except Sunday.
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