An eagerly-awaited new restaurant has just opened in Lindley … and it’s booked up this weekend already.

Sapori – which means ‘taste’ in Italian –  is the first restaurant venture for Huddersfield couple Antonio and Bianca Nardone and specialises in pasta, meat and fish dishes.

It’s been a massive renovation job after the old ST Shaw pharmacy on Lidget Street was gutted right back to its bare walls in January. The restaurant opened on Friday (May 5) and bookings are flooding in.

Antonio said: “The opening day went great. It was busy but manageable and the feedback was great. We are fully booked all weekend.”

As for the menu, starters include calamari coated in seasoned flour, deep fried and served with garlic mayonnaise; parma ham served with fresh burrata cheese, rocket and drizzled with truffle oil; a selection of traditionally cured sliced meats, cheeses, marinated olives and pickles.

Mains feature fresh pasta stuffed with lobster and a seafood bisque; spaghetti carbonara – cured guanciale cured meat with egg yolk, pecorino cheese and black pepper; risotto with leek, asparagus and king prawn; a classic lasagne made with rich beef and pork ragu; seabass served with stir fry vegetables; pasta of the day in a fresh tomato, basil and mascarpone sauce.

Desserts include tiramisu, chocolate fondant and an Italian pastry cake filled with lemon custard and covered with pine nuts.

Starters are priced from £9.50, mains from £13.25 and most of the desserts are £7.25. Wine starts from £20.95 a bottle.

Scroll through a gallery of images below showing some of the dishes on Sapori’s amazing menu

Antonio and Bianca both have an Italian heritage. Bianca, 39, said: “My heritage goes back to the Calabria region of southern Italy so I love the spicy dishes with the hot chillis. Antonio’s family are from Cassino which is further north which makes a great combination.

“We both love cooking and are passionate about food and wine. We know people in Huddersfield love Italian food so we are aiming to serve them something special.”

Bianca’s parents used to run an Italian restaurant in Ilkley called Greco’s On The Grove and her brother, Marco Greco, has two restaurants both called Pranzo in Ilkley and Harrogate.

The couple live in Birkby and have a four-year-old daughter, Valeria. Antonio, 45, has always lived in Huddersfield, growing up in Salendine Nook. He is now commercial director for a construction company. Bianca is front-of-house, running the restaurant day-to-day.

The first review from a customer who dined on Friday states: “Absolutely amazing food and fantastic service. It’s just like being in Italy. I highly recommend the tortellini with mushroom sauce, it was delicious.”

The restaurant’s website is https://sapori-lindley.com/ and it also has a Facebook page.

  • Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.