A neighbourhood Italian restaurant praised for its 'authentic' cuisine has become a regular haunt of almost the entire Manchester City squad. Vero Moderno in Salford is known for its rustic Italian menu with a contemporary twist - and its warm welcome from Italian owner Beppe Piccoli and his team.
And word has rapidly spread among the Blues - with a succession of City's top players and coaching team heading to the Chapel Street eaterie in recent months. Players including Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland, Aymeric Laporte and Rodri have all been spotted there.
The restaurant has posted photos of some of the stars who regularly join them, most recently of Jack Grealish, saying: "Our Man City family grows by the day!" But when followers have asked what the players like to eat the owners reply: "We are sworn to secrecy".
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On a photo with Ruben Dias in February, the message said: "Fed and watered as champions should be! At Vero Moderno it's our mission to help make sure the City team are in tip top condition ready for the Premier League title race!"
A bit like Manchester City, Vero Moderno also sits at second in its own league table, as it is currently rated number 2 of all 131 restaurants in Salford on Tripadvisor. Reviewers on the site have praised the 'charming' and 'authentic' Italian - with one hailing it the "best Italian food we've had in years."
But it's not only City stars flocking to the neighbourhood Italian - as a host of TV stars love it there too. Maxine Peake is a fan, and a host of TV stars and soap favourites from Coronation Street and Hollyoaks have dined there over the years.
The restaurant has been at Vimto Gardens on Chapel Street since 2017. Owner Beppe Piccoli, who is originally from Rome, said his inspiration for opening the restaurant was to bring an authentic taste of Italy to Salford.
Some things customers definitely shouldn't expect at the venue include Italian classics like spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne or carbonara though - as Vero Moderno has a policy of NOT serving those dishes. On the restaurant website it says: "There's nothing wrong with these classics, we love them too. But we wanted to offer a completely new approach to Italian dining, in a modern way, and true to our roots."
Beppe says that the connection with City started after the team's Italian coaching and physio staff first gave it a try. Beppe says: "I think that's how it started as they have three Italians working in the medicine department and they were looking for good, authentic Italian food.
"Once they discovered us, word got out across the team and some of them have been coming here now ever since we opened on Chapel Street in 2017. Naturally they like their privacy and they know they will get that here."
Beppe adds: "They are all very good guys, and very kind and generous customers. They just want to be treated as normal customers and naturally we treat everyone in the same way here.
"We are a small independent business and we love to make people happy."
Beppe had previously run restaurants in Manchester city centre, but when it came to opening his own Italian he chose Chapel Street in Salford to become more of a 'destination restaurant'. He says: "We are not too far away from the city centre, so people can still come to me, but we have people coming here who want to come here, rather than people simply walking in off the street.
"We don't do all the classics like carbonara, lasagne, we do something more modern. There's nothing wrong with the classics but I wanted to do things to step out of your comfort zone."
Popular dishes include their lamb ragu pappardelle for £17.95 and a range of pizzas from £15.95, while they also do Italian 'slow roasts' on a Sunday for £17.95. On Saturdays they do 'brunch Italiano' where you can have bottomless food or drink - or both from £24.95 per person.
Beppe said: "It's very rewarding, we are very busy. We have other celebrities coming in all the time but the only trouble is I don't watch a lot of TV so I often don't know who they are until they've left and someone will say: 'did you see who that was?'"
"Everything we do here is to build friendships, not just for one meal."
Beppe, 41, left Rome 18 years ago to come to the UK to improve his English, but fell in love with the lifestyle and the culture in Manchester. His family remain in Italy, and he says: "Whenever I feel homesick it's only two-and-a-half hours on the plane."
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