Fennel Sausage Pizzas & Tiramisu: We Chowed Down At Rudy's Fifth Manchester Restaurant

Since humble beginnings in Ancoats, this Neapolitan pizza restaurant has spread its wings far and wide, from Manchester to Leeds and Liverpool. Its fifth home in our city alone, Rudy's Didsbury, threw open the doors at the end of last month, promising the same Italian slices freshly whipped up from '00' grade flour, prooved for a minimum of 20 hours, and fired to perfection in a tiled oven. In what universe would I turn down the chance to munch these beauties? Definitely not this one. 

Spy into the open kitchen and watch the masters hand-stretch these doughy delights.

When entering Rudy's Neapolitan Pizza Didsbury, my partner and I were pretty taken with the place immediately. Warm smiles greeted us and the interiors were stripped-back, featuring cool industrial touches, exposed wood and plants around the windows. There's outdoor space here too, thanks to streetside tables topped off by overhead cover - a signature look you'll see so often around Didsbury and nearby Chorlton. While it was all the 'za we were looking forward to the most, aperitivo was the first order of the day: an amaretto sour (£7.20) for me, which was laced with limoncello for a delicious extra touch, and a blood orange Malfy G&T (£7.20) for him.

As gluttons for carbs, while being owners of a pizza oven ourselves, we try to strike a fine balance between being a bit more critical and wanting to scran the whole lot when eating this Italian staple. So, we skipped the starters and went straight to the main event, as I know how much of a failure I'd feel to not gobble every morsel of the 14 inchers here. I chose a special from the blackboard; the fennel sausage pizza (£11.90) with a fior di latte and scamorza base. I'm not usually a white base girl, but this one caught my eye and certainly didn't disappoint. The garlic and oregano-roasted chestnut mushrooms, caramelised onions, basil and chilli perfectly complemented the aromatic pork - nobody's missing tomato here.

Cheers to these little circles of heaven on the Rudy's Didsbury pizza menu.

My other half's was more of a classic choice and, again, well-cooked while being packed with flavour. The chinghiale (£10.90) promised a moreish combo of rich wild boar salame, fior di latte, spicy 'nduja, roquito peppers for sweetness, basil and a dash of chilli. It delivered. But, we both agreed that mine was the best pick of the two pizzas we tackled. To wash down our slices, there was Amanti Primitivo (£6.50 a glass) and Rudy's pale draft (£5.70 per pint), although an impressive choice of other Italian wines or local craft beers were available too. The former was a wonderfully plummy and smooth example of the red grape, while we heartily guzzled the refreshing ale too.

Next, onto dessert. Because he can't visit anywhere Italian without trying the signature sweet serve, it was an easy choice for my date: the homemade tiramisu (£4.90). This pot of lighter than usual, coffee-flavoured goodness was gone in a flash. I just as happily scooped up every last bit of the Munnelly's cheesecake (£5), a pud whipped up by the local business, which had a lovely, delicate vanilla flavour.

The perfect foldable pizza.

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Rudy's have done it yet again with their Didsbury venue. Serving up proper, authentic bases alongside a luscious amount of quality toppings, this is a great place to get your pizza fix. Not only that, but the desserts and drinks are really affordable too, while being total winners. Whether you're out with someone special or munching alongside mates, these guys will keep things pocket-friendly and tasty.

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