A new family run Italian restaurant has opened its doors in Rainford.
The intimate restaurant seats 16 and is already thriving just weeks after opening. Little Italy is run by brothers Francesco, Fabio and Valerio Cangemi who are no strangers to the restaurant scene as their parents owned St Helen’s based Italian restaurant Bella Roma for 20 years before its closure in 2017.
The brothers have always been passionate about the idea of running their own restaurant but were scared to take the leap of faith - until the farm shop where Little Italy is now based became available on the market.
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Francesco told the ECHO: “My daughter goes to school in Rainford and we’ve been going past this old farm shop for years and we’ve always said it would be a good spot for a restaurant. We said it again and again and eventually said ‘lets just go and have a look’.”
The brothers have completed Little Italy’s renovation themselves, working "two months non-stop day and night". Both Francesco and his twin brother Fabio are also electricians so they did all of the electrics at the restaurant.
When discussing the different roles the brothers play at the restaurant, Francesco said: “We all share the roles in the restaurant - Valerio is mainly kitchen as he has a lot more experience than us but we all do whatever we need to do to help out.”
He added: “On the days that the Buratta arrives from Italy, that same day it will go on the sharing platters but then the next day we may have lots of lasagne and cannellini and the next it may be lots of meats and cheeses - we change it up every day. Every day, we go to the fish or veg market, so if we see something fresh that we like, we will then make something new for the day”.
Francesco joked that agreeing on the final menu choices involved lots of arguing between the brothers but after looking at the menu, it was worth the arguments.
All drinks on the menu were also carefully chosen as they originate from the brothers' Italian roots. The beer ranges from Beer Moretti on tap as well as bottled, Peroni and special Italian beers such as a beer from Rome.
In addition to the Italian inspired beer, the restaurant serves Italian wine, Aperol spritz, Limoncello spritz, Italicus spritz, along with the classic Pornstar martinis and Espresso martinis being available too.
Initially, the brothers were thinking of also including a takeaway service as part of the restaurant but since opening have realised it would be impossible. Francesco said: “The restaurant is fully booked over the next few weeks so then to have say 40 or 50 takeaway orders as well, it’s impossible to keep up with that demand. We would have to rush and to rush, means you make mistakes.”
Little Italy is open Tuesday and Wednesday 11am to 5:30pm and Thursday to Saturday from 11am to 10pm, with both indoor and outside seating available. You can find Little Italy at 10 Ormskirk Rd, Rainford, St Helen's, WA11 8BT.
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