The chef behind celebrated Stockport-born pie shop Ate Days A Week is getting into the pizza business. In a tweet celebrating the New Year, owner Andy James revealed ‘it’s 2023 and I’m opening a pizzeria this year’, followed by some mouth-watering shots of his work so far.
He then added: “I'm launching a pizza gaff. Opening this month. New York style pizzas, mega flavours, incredible drinks and will be available until very late night and on delivery, too!”
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Andy revealed that the new pizza spot will be setting up on the ground floor of the ‘Deep South dive bar’ Notion on Vernon Street, which he also owns and where the Ate Days A Week concept was first launched.
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The new pizzeria will serve pizzas whole or by the slice, and will be open late into the night, with plans to close the bar at 4am and the kitchen at 2am. “The space was going to waste, so it just makes sense,” he said. “It’ll be a late night kitchen. All the kebab shops in Stockport close at midnight, so it makes sense to have the kitchen open late too.
“Pizza is accessible to everyone, and there’s nowhere doing a good New York style pizza in Stockport, and certainly no one late at night. It’s another arrow in the quiver for us. We’ve done all our research, bought dozens of books, and we’re planning a trip to New York in May, to go and compare what the product is like too.”
The work on the venue starts tomorrow, and he’s aiming to have the place up and running by January 19. And as you might expect, some of the pizzas will be edging towards the wacky.
The so-called ‘Lightening Balt’ will feature a balti sauce base, with chicken tikka pieces, onion bhajis, mango chutney and poppadoms, while the Meat Me Halfway features British mozzarella, bacon, pepperoni, bacon, n’duja, salami and ham. There will also be a burger-based calzone, featuring smashed burgers, burger cheese and mustard.
Andy started making and selling his pies - as well as fish and chips - a couple of years back from the ground floor unit of what is now Notion, before moving his music-pun heavy kitchen to a new unit on Cooper Street off Albert Square last year, which boasts a takeaway downstairs and a restaurant upstairs.
He also makes the official pies for Stockport County FC.
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