Calabrese cooking, Yorkshire style – Pranzo is a local favourite that’s opened its third restaurant in Horsforth.
If it wasn’t already, Horsforth has cemented itself as the go-to Leeds suburb for foodies in 2024. We’ve already seen the arrival of fine French fare from Bavette and Mexican street eats from Birria Bandits, and now it’s the turn of Italian cuisine. Renowned Yorkshire restaurant Pranzo has opened up on Town Street, taking over the former Barclays Bank to bring their authentic take on proper Calabrese cooking and homemade pasta.
This is not their first restaurant, in fact it’s their third, with Horsforth following on from their much-loved Ilkley and Harrogate dining rooms. But where does Pranzo come from? It’s the brainchild of chef and owner Marco Greco, stemming from his desire to show off Calabrian cooking. It’s the type of food he learned to make from his Nonna in Southern Italy, where she would show him how to make homemade pasta mixed with garden-grown ingredients.
So why Horsforth and why now? Stephen Peace, Operations Manager at Pranzo, told us. “We love these little old mill town places so not just in the city centre, we like the outer city centre towns, we think they’ve got a really nice neighbourhood feel to them. Horsforth’s a big town but it’s got a nice community feel to it. It’s full of independents as well. We went to Forde last week, we’ve been to Bavette. They’re all really good, we like supporting the community.”
You’d struggle to believe their new home is a former bank. From the outside, it’s clean and simple, but inside, it’s a more rustic affair with modern touches. Exposed brickwork and dark wood flooring create a base for a large, open dining room. Mustard and teal booths create comfort, the industrial light fittings set the tone and the pictures on the walls of Marco’s family going back over 100 years make it feel like you’re in a proper Italian trattoria.
But it’s the food that really matters and that’s where Pranzo comes into its own. Many of the ingredients on the menu are unique to the region of Calabria, which they use to make dishes you’ll love. Starters take you from deep fried squid with king prawns, courgettes, squid ink mayo and lemon to bruschetta with warm ‘nduja, mascarpone, rocket and honey. For us though, it’s the pan-fried cod cheeks that stand out – finished with an irresistible combo of garlic, samphire and cream sauce.
© Copyright Leeds-List 2024
© Copyright Leeds-List 2024
We couldn’t get enough of this bruscetta! © Copyright Leeds-List 2024
For your mains, it’s all about their homemade pasta, which is front and centre. You’ve got classics with a Pranzo touch, like the lasagne made with a 4-hour ragu, topped with mozzarella and parmesan, burrata is an optional extra. Or how about the cannelloni filled with basil pesto, goats cheese and sun-dried tomato? There’s even a handmade lobster ravioli dish from heaven, served in a rich and creamy lobster, samphire and parsley sauce.
For Stephen, however, there’s one dish on the menu that stays true to Pranzo’s ethos. “Marco and his and his dad Antonio, they created a dish together that is absolutely unique to Pranzo, you won’t find it anywhere else and that is the ‘nduja paccheri,” he told us. “We make our own homemade fennel sausage, mix it with ‘nduja and then add white wine and cream, a little bit of spinach with a homemade paccheri pasta, which is like a thick tube. You can’t get that dish anywhere else and it’s just an unbelievable dish.”
There’s a homemade touch to nearly everything on Pranzo’s menu, in fact, it’s one of the things they’re most proud of. Whether it’s sauces for their pasta, that homemade sausage, their homemade focaccia, served with a guanciale butter they make in house every day, or the Pugliese bread that they use to make their bruschetta, they’re careful to make sure the authenticity isn’t just talk, it’s visible across the menu and in the dishes they serve.
It goes for the desserts too, as Stephen told us. “We make our own crumb for the pistachio cheesecake – pistachio is beautiful anyway, but as a cheesecake with crushed pistachios on top, it’s fantastic. Our tiramisu is a really old school traditional recipe, you’re not going to see five, six, seven layers of everything stacked up. Again, it’s a really simple dish. We’ve got a seasonal rhubarb frangipane that’s on the menu. The rhubarb we get is from Yorkshire, the pastry base we make ourselves. Everything is homemade.”
The same attention to detail is in their drinks offering too. Aperitivos take you from Negronis and Aperol Spritz to a Pranzo Birra Italian Pale, while Digestivos range from classics like Limoncello, Grappa and Vin Santo to cocktails like the Mulled Negroni Sbagliato and the After Eight Espresso Martini. That’s just a glimpse, though. They have extensive wine lists, from white, red and rose to Prosecco and champagne, as well as plenty of cocktail and beer choice too.
A celebration of Calabrian cooking in the heart of Horsforth, Pranzo looks to stand alone when it comes to Italian restaurants in Leeds. If you’re still not sure whether to book in, Stephen might just convince you. “We’ve got pictures of Marco’s family on the walls, we’ve got pictures of Nonna making pasta with her children. You’re not just sitting down on a bowl of pasta. You’re getting a story, you’re getting heritage, you’re getting sort of a tiny snippet of someone’s life and I think that’s incredible.” With that, buon appetito!
Pranzo Italian, 68 Town Street, Horsforth, West Yorkshire, LS18 4AX. It’s open from 12pm to 11pm, Monday to Saturday, and 12pm to 10pm on Sundays.
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