Sud Pasta team unveils new concept

Rigatoni’s will make its debut this Friday (6 January), taking over Sud Pasta’s restaurants in Ancoats and Exhibition food hall in the city centre, with sites in Altrincham and Sale set to launch next week.

It comes after Sud Pasta founders Michael and Alex de Martiis announced last month​​ that they would close the four restaurants they ran under the brand in order to go ‘back to their roots’ and develop a more broadly affordable pasta concept.

The pair originally launched the business as Sugo Pasta back in 2015, but changed its name to Sud (meaning 'south' in Italian) last year​​ following a challenge from a rival business.

As the new name suggests, Rigatoni’s will specialise in bowls of house-made rigatoni that will be extruded fresh daily at each site and served with the likes of white beans, garlic, fresh chilli and parmesan; brown crab, vodka sauce and tarragon; and nduja meatballs in amatriciana.

Prices for pasta dishes will start at £7.50, with the menu also featuring a range of appetisers such as fried mozzarella and pesto sandwich; salami and potato crocchette; and chickpea fritters with parmesan.

“Change has been a regular thing for us recently - that stops with Rigatoni’s,” says Alex de Martiis.

“We want to build a sustainable business that allows us to serve the customers in our communities for years to come.

“The next chapter in our journey is all about creating an accessible, uncomplicated menu that makes Rigatoni’s somewhere that people come to time and time again.

“Whether it’s a quick lunch on a Tuesday, or a Saturday night with mates, pasta shouldn’t just be for occasions.”