Livin Italy Dough House, Leeds

Some of the best pizzas I have eaten in Italy have been from those family run restaurants that are hidden away where the locals know to go.

We were once driving to Sienna through a thunderstorm that was fiercer than a cricket match between Yorkshire and Lancashire. We stopped off at a Pizzeria that was thronging with families including toddlers and grandparents to experience food that was truly Italian, eaten with not another single English person in sight.

Livin Italy Dough House is just that too, truly Italian. The new Dough House restaurant is their second family run and owned restaurant in the city - the firmly established Livin Italy restaurant in Granary Wharf has been one of the best Italian restaurants in Leeds for years.

We visited on a late Saturday afternoon and the restaurant was buzzing. There is a cocktail bar towards the front with the dining area towards the rear.

An open kitchen lets you see your food being prepared and there is also a huge TV screen in the Cocktail bar area where you can watch the live cooking. That's the beauty of this place it can be whatever you want it to be - Cocktail bar, a place to drop in for a piece of pizza and coffee or to have a full meal.

In typical Italian style the place is bustling with young couples, families and groups.

The menu is printed on a newspaper broadsheet which can be quite confusing as there are a lot of options listed, though thankfully your server will guide you expertly through it.

From Salumeria Antipasti to Bruschetta to Italian Street Food the main draw appears to be the 20 inch pizzas which come on various dough bases like Tradizionale or Integrale.

Far too big for one person, unless you have an appetite as wide as the Grand Canal in Venice, they are best shared between two or three people. They will do a half and half of each topping too.

We started off with a selection off the Salumeria Antipasti with Prosciutto Crudo served with some Pecorino Romano cheese, the 18 month dry cured ham was excellent though the cheese for me did not have enough bite, perhaps I should have asked for a stronger cheese.

For the 20 inch pizza we went half and half - the Crudaiola (tomato sauce, Mozarella Stracciatella, Parma Ham and rocket salad) and the Indiavolta (tomato sauce, goats cheese, fresh sauce spread N'duja, Salame Spinata, black olives and basil). Priced at £13.90 for a 20" pizza, £6.95 for a 12" or £3.00 for a slice, it is tremendous value.

There are 20 options to choose from for your pizza topping though surprisingly there is no 4 cheeses pizza that seems to be a staple of Italian pizzerias. There is though the traditional Margherita.

Our pizza was crispy, tasty with a dough base that was as good as from that hidden Italian restaurant we discovered on our way to Sienna. The young couple sat next to us were on their second visit to the restaurant, not bad when the restaurant has not even been opened for a month.

Desserts are always minimal at restaurants in Italy, likewise here the option you have is Gelato - artisan Italian Ice Cream that you choose from a small ice cream cart! Served the traditional way, handcrafted into a paper cup with a spatula. The super creamy ice cream comes in yummy flavours such as Yogurt Amarena Cherry, Peanutella and Tiramisu with Marsala amongst others.

Close your eyes when you are eating this delicious ice cream - funny how tastes and smells take you back in time, for a moment I was back in Lucca sampling the best ice cream I had ever eaten, yes, it was that tasty, only it's Leeds not Lucca.

An enjoyable experience all round plus it's easier and quicker to get to Leeds than Sienna or Lucca!

Livin Italy Dough House, Cloth Hall Street, Leeds LS1 2HD

https://livinitaly.com/