Croma is one of those homegrown success stories to be proud of. Born when a former-Pizza Express franchisee lost his business because the company was restricting towards in-house ownership, the original Croma restaurant on Clarence Street, amid the hubbub and high class of King Street and Spring Gardens, opened to deserving fanfare in 2000 as a three storey, 140 cover eatery designed by the celebrated Enzo Apicella. Two decades and then some later, the first site has sadly closed, but before shuttering it spawned three other locations — Chorlton, Didsbury, and most recently, Croma Prestwich.
The expansion into the northern suburbs is yet another sign that, more than 20 years after inception, it remains up there with the best gourmet pizza spots the city has to offer. A place that began thinking well beyond Margherita slices and pepperoni thin crusts long before it was really fashionable to do so, and continues to retain a loyal following. Many drawn here thanks to the menu’s mix of authenticity and bold, contemporary, eye-catching ideas.
So that means alongside classic pizza styles like Florentina, Americana, Funghi di Bosco and Gamberoni Piccante, you’ll also find some northern specialties such as Garstang & goat’s cheese (with red onions, field mushrooms, and sun-blushed tomatoes). And the Anglefino (smoked haddock, leeks, free range egg, Emmental cheese, lemon and creme fraiche). Not just a pizza joint, other options at Croma Prestwich stretch to Italian icons like Melanzane Parmigiana (roasted aubergine baked with parmesan and provoloncino cheese), ‘nduja & Tuscan sausage rigatoni, crab & king prawn linguine, and beef lasagne. You’ll also find a great choice of main course salads (tandoori chicken, Peking duck, smoked Caesar, to name but three), a large selection of staple starters (baked dough balls, baked mushrooms, garlic prawns), and some rather irresistible desserts. And, of course, an extensive range of drinks behind the bar, including a dedicated cocktail menu.