About Us

Established in 1987, we are an independent, family run traditional Italian restaurant

based at the start of Compstall Road in Romiley, Stockport. Specialising in rustic Italian

home style cooking, open evenings only - 5pm till 10pm everyday except Monday.

Who is the Italian?

Originally from Naples, owner Ferdinando Mercogliano studied at catering schools in Vico Equense and in the centre of Naples before working across Italy and Switzerland, settling in England in the early 80’s. Our recipes and the ideology behind everything we do and make come from Ferdinando. Many of the dishes we make here today are made the same way that he learnt from his mother and grandmother. Hailing from a part of Naples famous for its pasta making history, cooking is in the Mercogliano family blood.

Now a grandfather, Ferdinando is based both here in Stockport and in Lucca, Tuscany. Sharing his time between Italy and England means Ferdinando guarantees constant fresh and original menu ideas, using the best local and seasonal ingredients. Trusting the day to day running of the kitchen to a carefully selected team of chefs, including the experienced Sandro Frangillo hailing from Puglia, southern Italy. In charge of the restaurant you will find his two eldest sons Alessandro and Luca. A true typical Italian family business!

Ferdinando's deep passion for Italian cooking is infectious and it has truly passed down in the generations of his family. Our heads, hands and hearts are firmly in the kitchen and we are driven to offer customers good food, value for money and a true taste of Italy.

Photo galery

The Italian over the years

Ferdinando and son Alessandro (January 2011)

Alessandro and Luca (Summer 2018)

True passion for what we do

Ferdinando's five children at the restaurant December 2013

Newspaper cutting from February 1999 - we have done many pizza and pasta making classes over the years for local schools all over Stockport.

Our new downstairs bar, opened summer 2019

Compstall Road in 1905, before our building was built. Facing where we are now - and on the right the same image taken in 1987, the year we opened as an Italian restaurant	If only the roads were as quiet now as they were back then...!	Modern day
And the same image again taken on a warm summers day in 2019	Before we came along, in the early 80s our building was a unisex hair dressers. Do you know anyone that had their haircut here?	Our restaurant frontage in early 2002