Noco Kiosk, Halifax

Rushing through Halifax the other day I was stopped in my tracks by the smell of good coffee. In a dull shopping arcade I saw a kiosk populated by two bickering Italian men throwing out pizzas and, from a gleaming Gaggia, espressos. What? It’s unlikely, but there they are, tutting and eye-rolling like Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough. On the blackboard, some things beginning with ‘P’: pasta, pizza, prosecco & Peroni. Turns out the owner Italo has been in the business all his life, rattling pans for the likes of Rio Ferdinand’s Manchester gaff Rosso, and San Carlo.

There’s a baby pizza oven, and Italo’s long-suffering side-kick is making them, the real deal, right there in front of you, at the same time cutting slices of ‘our famous’ nutella cheese cake to accompany said espresso. There’s Arrabiata, Zuccini & Cipolla pasta and chunks of bruschetta under four quid and some fabulous looking rosemary and seasalt focaccia. Sooo much more interesting than Costa, with the added value of a comedy sketch by a couple of central casting Sicilians.