Novello

Novello represents the second generation when it comes to fine Italian dining in Lytham. Owned and operated by Tony and Vera Lioveri, who ran L’Aragosta at the other end of Clifton Street for over a decade, it’s their son Salvatore who now heads up the kitchen; having learned from the best Italian restaurateurs in the Lytham St Annes and broader Blackpool region, this talented young chef turns out a comprehensive menu of Italian delicacies both to locals and those visiting the popular seaside town. While the a la carte menu is uniformly masterful, one of the best ways to enjoy Novello is to book in for an exclusive food and wine evening.

After a stint honing his formal skills in Napoli, head chef Salvatore has returned to Lytham St Annes, bringing with him an intimate knowledge of the Italian kitchen and the confidence to give innovative twists to time-honoured classics. Carrying on a long family tradition, all of the dishes available on Novello’s long and classically-structured menu are prepared fresh on site, from the breads to the desserts, using seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients alongside fine imported goods from the shores of Italy. Here, along the beautiful Fylde coast, diners are invited to enjoy Novello’s prime location along Clifton Street, in the heart of Lytham, taking a seat either in the stylish, split-level interior or out on the covered street-front terrace.

As for Novello’s menu, not only does it satisfy the structure that Italian culinary connoisseurship demands, but it is also finely attuned to regional Italian specifics. Begin your meal not simply with antipasto (which is of course represented) but with cicchetti, a Venetian term for small and shareable plates that fosters a mode of dining not unlike that of Spanish tapas. Diners to this Clifton Street gem can even stick solely to these, making a meal out of several and best accompanied by a couple of bottles from Novello’s well-stocked and continentally-inclined wine cellar. The primi and secondi piatti at this Lytham Italian restaurant are at once restrained and innovative, and absolutely delicious: venison Carpaccio, lobster ravioli, and slow-braised pork cheeks lead into mouth-watering mains like the merluzzo, pan-roasted cod with avocado puree, tomato and basil salsa, and sea foam candy, and the anatra, pan-seared duck breast with spicy braised red cabbage, pickled beets, and pulled smoked pancetta. It’s bold dishes like these that mark Novello out among the Italian restaurants in the Lytham St Annes and Blackpool region.