Restaurateur Attilio Sergi is to open his fourth Liverpool city region outlet selling freshly-made Italian pasta at a popular market. Andrew Brown reports

A new food outlet selling freshly-made Italian pasta is opening soon at Southport Market.

Pasta 51 Express opened its first venture in Liverpool city centre last year. It is owned by well-known local restaurateur Attilio Sergi, who already operates two popular Trattoria 51 restaurants in Southport and Liverpool.

He has 45 years of experience in the business and even more experience of making fresh pasta. Attilio was born and raised in Santa Maria di Leuca, Puglia, at the heel of Italy. His family grew special wheat crops for pasta and his childhood was spent helping his mother to prepare fresh pasta, just like many generations have done before.

Visitors to Pasta 51 Express will be able to choose from one of several hand-crafted fresh pastas on offer before adding from a range of slow-cooked pasta sauces such as bolognese, arrabiata, carbonara, cacio e pepe, chicken ragout, lentil ragout, and others.

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Pasta 51 Express is adding a modern twist to the classic Italian dining experience by serving its pasta dishes in a cone, ready-to-eat. A new take on fast-food, they’re ideal to eat on-the-go, offering a quick and convenient alternative to a sit-down meal.

Attilio said: “I am looking forward to going into Southport Market with Pasta 51 Express. I tried to go in there last summer when the market first opened, but all the units in there were taken. Mark Catherall (Sefton Council head of tourism) said he would let me know when one became available, and I am grateful for him doing that.”

Pasta 51 Express will be situated on the Market Street side of Southport Market, near to the Vincent Hotel Pacific and The Allotment units.

“There has been something missing at Southport Market, and Pasta 51 Express is looking to fill that gap,” added Attilio. “For people who love Italian food, there is already an excellent pizza outlet – 600 Degrees Pizza.

“I am looking to provide customers with fresh pasta and fresh sauce, along with appetisers such as bruschetta, antipasti, meatballs, panzerotti and others. There will be some great sharing experiences, and some nibbles. I have tried to keep the prices down, so it will all be very affordable for people.

“I make all my own pasta, pasta fresca. We make all our sauces fresh too. I think we will be ready to open in a couple of weeks. We will start with three members of staff there, and will see how things go – we might get busier and soon need more people. It seems to be very busy there in Southport Market already.”

The first Pasta 51 Express store opened at Whitechapel in Liverpool city centre in July last year, and has been a huge hit with people looking for something fresh, tasty and quick to eat. Attilio said: “Pasta 51 Express in Liverpool is doing very well. It is a big place, but it is very busy.

“I now have six restaurants I am supplying fresh pasta to now, plus my own two restaurants in Southport and Liverpool, and Pasta 51 Express in Liverpool. I am using top ingredients, using the best flour, which is from Puglia in Italy – the Rolls Royce of flour.

“I can make around 60 types of pasta, from spaghetti, to penne, to orecchiette, to tagliatelle. Thirty years ago in Italy every family made their own pasta at home. At Southport Market we will be offering a choice of five or six types of pasta, people can then choose one of 12 different types of sauce to go with it.”

Southport Market opened its doors in July 2021 following a £1.4million transformation into a new food, drink and events venue, led by Sefton Council and supported by funding from Southport Town Deal and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

It includes a large central feature bar, and several units selling food from around the world. The first two days of trading saw an incredible 10,000 meals served in the first 48 hours alone and the attraction has been busy ever since.

This article first appeared in Stand Up For Southport