This week, I treated myself and my friend to lockdown lunch from Poco Sicilian Street Food, a tiny café on Kirkstall road serving authentically simple dishes made with high quality ingredients.
Poco may be small, there are just six seats and a breakfast bar style table along one wall, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in choice of food and the exceptional standard of service. The indie Italian located on Kirkstall Road is a true hidden gem.
The window display, which can be seen from across the street, is exceptional. Rows of scrumptious looking slices of freshly pizza and other Sicilian delights like arancini and calzone just waiting to be enjoyed.
After pondering what to order for a good 10 minutes, we opted for one slice of aubergine and spinach pizza and one slice of sausage and pepper pizza, as well as a selection of fruity pastries for dessert. I was tempted to order some granita, too, but wasn’t sure it would survive the walk home.
The pizza slices were impeccable. We asked for the slices to be warmed and loved the soft, airy dough, the crispy base and the generous toppings. Fully worth the two-hour round trip we made to get them. The fruity pastries were also delicious, although we both agreed they would have been better dipped into a steaming cup of tea.
Lunch from Poco exceeded our expectations and took us to the sunny climes of Sicily. It was authentic, tasty and affordable – lunch for two for less than £10. I will certainly be returning to Poco soon for more Sicilian treats. The Nutella arancini and fruity granita have my name all over them.
Now more than ever it is important to support local businesses however we can. Poco Sicilian Street Food is one of the many independent food restaurants in Leeds, and it, like so many others, will face turbulent times ahead. But, by enjoying a takeaway every now and then, we can all help to keep our favourite local businesses alive.
Photographs by Gemma Bridge.
