They hadn’t even advertised being back open, but had to turn people away because of demand
Vesuvio is back open in Boothstown(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
A popular restaurant which closed suddenly almost a year ago is back open and celebrating a sell-out weekend.
Giuseppe Lombardo hadn’t even officially announced the relaunch of Boothstown’s Vesuvio, but was having to turn people away because it was too full.
The chef and owner of the eatery, based at the Standfield Shopping Centre, says it’s been a whirlwind since he decided to reopen the place, which first opened in 2015 and was loved by locals and diners from miles around.
It was the financial climate among other issues that led to the closure last Easter. He and his former business partner have since gone their separate ways, with Giuseppe taking on Vesuvio alone, splitting his time between the kitchen and the restaurant.
Restaurant owner Giuseppe Lombardo (left) and his head chef Salvatore Di Donna (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
After a full refurb, they reopened on Thursday and were packed out without even advertising the relaunch.
“It’s been crazy,” said Giuseppe, whose wife Kate and teenage son Alessio have also been in the thick of it getting things back up and running.
“The phone line isn’t even working yet, but people saw me update the Facebook page with a new photo so that got people talking and saying ‘stop teasing us’. Then I had lots of messages and people asking was it true that we were reopening.
“I’ve always had lots of people asking whether we would reopen and this has made me realise how missed we were. I’ve had people coming in and bringing presents, one customer was crying, I didn’t expect that, but it’s made me feel very good.
“Someone said to me ‘Boothstown has come back alive’ and they’ve been waiting for it to reopen.”
The restaurant has had a full revamp(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
His team did around 250 covers from Thursday to Sunday, which surpassed expectations.
“People saw that we were open and they were coming in, some of them just coming to have a drink at the bar and maybe share some pizza,” he said. “We were having to turn people away it was that busy. It’s made me regret why it took so long to reopen and it’s made me feel wanted.”
The menu is reduced from the previous one, but there’s still a big focus on the fish specials that make up the majority of orders here.
“Our fish specials are always popular,” said Giuseppe, who learned the trade in restaurants in Napoli, where his late father was a chef and went to catering school in Sorrento.
The restaurant is based at the Standfield Shopping Centre, Boothstown(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
“It’s not a typical Carbonara Italian restaurant. We would make that for someone if they really wanted it, but we try to get people to try something different.”
The restaurant, in Simpson Road, Boothstown, Salford, will be opening Wednesday to Sunday for the next few weeks and eventually Tuesdays too. It will open 5pm to 10pm Wednesday to Friday, 4pm to 10pm on Saturday and 1pm to 8pm on Sunday.
Customers can contact the Facebook page to book, but the phone line should be up and running soon.