New pizza restaurant to open in former Worksop pub premises by canal

They are bringing a taste of Italy to the town and hope to open their restaurant, Liquirizia, in mid-October. Its name means Liquorice in Italian and they chose it because of Worksop’s historic liquorice gardens.

They are transforming what was The Waterfront bar on Bridge Street in Worksop, and envisage "lemon trees, hanging baskets and seating areas with views of the canal" outside, while inside they are aiming for a similarly welcoming vibe, to bring families in during the day, and becoming more muted for evening clientele.

The husband and wife, who met in 2019 when Alice complimented Antonio on his dreadlocks while walking along Electric Avenue, Brixton, are used to working as a close team, as they ran their own pizza truck in London as a joint enterprise for four to five years.

"We started out at festivals then took a plot on the Bermondsey Beer Mile in south-east London," said Antonio. "We were so busy, producing around 180 pizzas a day. We learned to work fast in limited space without killing each other!"

Born in Italy, Antonio, 40, moved to England when very young with his family. He has worked on the railways, but later returned to Naples to learn his craft as a skilled pizza chef. He also worked in Rome before returning to London.

Alice, 44, is a behavioural therapist and currently returns to London two days each week to work with adults with autism. She has family in Rotherham, which is one reason they decided to move north.

She said: "I made many trips to Naples with Antonio. I fell in love with the city and the food there. This is our dream to have all this space and a lovely setting by the canal."

Their much loved truck was sold so that they could buy their state-of-the-art pizza oven that stands proudly in their new workplace.

"I have a real passion for pizza cuisine,and Italian ragu", explained Antonio, who says he loved watching his grandmother cook from being very young.

"We'll be cooking everything from scratch, using many local supplies. Diners can watch the pizzas being made, and there'll be a varied menu, with speciality coffees, paninis etc..

"A couple of guys who worked for me in London are moving up here to join us, and will take the flat upstairs. We may have an Italian chef join us in the kitchen."

The pair saw the potential in The Waterfront immediately, they said, although the building was a mess when they first arrived.

Vandalism has been something of an issue in their early days but with new security they feel those problems are dissipating.

"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel," added Antonio. "It's been hard work getting the place into shape but we think it's going to be good.

"We hope everyone will come and support us and enjoy what we have to offer."