A Taste of Naples in the Heart of the Peak District - Coco Ristorante, Chapel-en-le-Frith |
Fresh pasta made every morning, ingredients flown in from Rome, and an owner who comes out of the kitchen to welcome every guest, this is Italian hospitality done properly. |
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There is a story behind every great restaurant, and Coco Ristorante & Pizzeria in Chapel-en-le-Frith has one of the most charming in the High Peak. Head chef and owner Mas, a man who describes himself as having had his life changed forever by food, fell in love with Italian cooking the old-fashioned way: through a family. When he met his future wife and was welcomed into her Neapolitan family, he discovered a world of cooking that was passionate, generous, and rooted in tradition. He has been trying to share that discovery with the people of Chapel-en-le-Frith ever since.
The result is a restaurant that feels genuinely different from the standard Italian fare found on most high streets. Ingredients are sourced from Rome every single month. Pasta is made fresh each morning. The Limoncello is homemade. Even the calamari batter is prepared in-house, a detail that does not go unnoticed by regulars, who describe it as some of the best they have tasted. The duck ravioli has become something of a signature dish, with reviewers returning specifically to order it again.
The dining room is small and cosy, with Italian-themed décor, tables spaced generously apart, and soft music playing in the background. But what sets Coco apart from the moment you walk in is Mas himself. He has a habit of leaving the kitchen to welcome guests personally as they arrive, and of coming around the tables during the meal to check that everything is as it should be. It is a touch that reviewers mention again and again, "a lovely touch not often seen anymore," as one TripAdvisor visitor put it.
Coco Ristorante is consistently rated among the very best places to eat in Chapel-en-le-Frith, with a near-perfect score across hundreds of reviews. For visitors to the High Peak looking for something beyond the usual pub lunch, it is well worth the detour into town.
Booking is recommended and can be made via cocoristorante.com.
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