Rojanos in the Square is a charming Italy meets Padstow combination, offering a winning atmosphere and good tucker. Plus it is run by Paul Ainsworth, who is utterly lovely and brings passion and talent to the little restaurant. Billed as a taste of Italy in North Cornwall it offers exactly that. Think big pastas and delicious sourdough pizzas with moreish antipastis and secondi/
.....embrace your inner Italia and indulge in the wicked pizzas which are freshly made....
It would be a mistake not to embrace your inner Italia and indulge in the wicked pizzas which are freshly made and thus so far away from the usual pizza and oven chips option. The sourdough bases are rolled to order ensuring a light-as-a-feather base which makes the dough ‘blister’ when cooking. This is a good thing I hasten to add because it creates a wonderful crispy texture. Whilst there are a variety of toppings, the Capricciosa remains a firm favourite. For the uninitiated it consists of Pepperoni, Parma ham, anchovies, capers and black olives. It also offers the delightful opportunity to order in an authentic Italian accent, lending itself to Italiano much more so than Margherita, for example.
Rojanos actually began life back in 1905 as a bootmakers. Inhale deep and smell the leathery workmanship of Tonkin Bootmakers, who were attached to two seperate houses and used to sell hand-sewn sea nailed boots for Padstow's fishermen. It became Rojanos in 1974 and was taken over by the dapper Paul Ainsworth in 2010. Pre-Paul Rojanos was still an Italian restaurant with a 30 year strong reputation for deliciousness. Hence when Paul took over he was careful to retain the atmosphere as the type of place he and his wife Emma like to relax in.
He has a selection of dishes that remain his favourite to this day including the rather resplendent calamari with sweet chilli sales and Italian tartare sauce. This is a really nostalgic dish that will take you back to being on holiday in the Med. The squid is so tender and slightly rich and works so well with the tartare sauce.
Rojano's in the Square is an ideal spot for supps allowing you to heartily indulge in the pleasingly Italian focused wine selection. However for lunch or a quick coffee and cake pit stop it also works well.
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Website | 9 Mill Square, Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8AE | 01841 532 796
