UK’s ‘prettiest’ restaurant with world’s best pizza is opening a second site
Circolo Popolare, one of London’s most hyped restaurants, is heading up North this year.
With its wisteria-covered ceiling, walls lined with countless bottles of booze and cosy little booths, it’s frequently dubbed ‘London’s prettiest restaurant’.
The picturesque Fitzrovia-based eatery, described as a ‘Sunny Sicilian trattoria’, is unsurprisingly a TikTok sensation.
Hundreds of influencers have declared it a ‘must-visit’, with most raving about its signature gooey carbonara – served straight from a giant wheel of pecorino.
And now, the much-loved restaurant, owned by Big Mamma Group, is making its way to Manchester.
The Big Mamma group is behind London’s Gloria, Carlotta, Ave Mario and Jacuzzi, as well as La Bellezza in Birmingham.
They’re known for their maximalist and Instagrammable restaurants across Europe, with locations in Barcelona, Milan and Brussels, and they were recently named as one of the best artisan pizza chains in the world.
Circolo Popolare’s northern debut will be part of the St Michael’s development in Deansgate, set to open in June.
While based in the heart of Manchester city centre, the new spot aims to ‘transport guests straight to an alfresco festa on the Island of Sardinia.
Spanning two floors, it will feature a ‘vibrant overgrown courtyard-inspired space downstairs’, while upstairs will boast an ‘intimate setting with cosy alcoves and an open Kitchen’.
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Campanian-born Head Chef Alfonso Esposito, who has been with Big Mamma for two years, is crafting an exclusive menu with ‘never-before-seen dishes’ for the opening.
It will feature their largest ever selection of exceptional produce, sourced directly from over 170 small Italian artisans.
If the London menu is anything to go by, expect fresh pasta, wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, and extravagant desserts – like their towering lemon meringue pie
Co-founders of the Big Mamma Group Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux said: ‘Having visited Manchester multiple times to find this unique spot, we have both been bowled over by the sheer plethora of hospitality talent within the city.
‘We are hugely excited to be even a small part of this, and to bring our superb Italian products we spent three years personally sourcing to another major European city.’
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