Cucina and Co. is a 65-seat Sicilian restaurant with a formidable wood-fired pizza oven. It was opened by Riccardo Bianchini (ex- Caffe e Cucina and D.O.C. Albert Park, Peter Aloi, Peter Kisvarda and Leonardo Alfieri in 2016, before Aloi became the sole owner in 2021.

Cucina & Co. isn’t reinventing the wheel. It’s just good, reliable pasta and pizza and a few recognisable go-tos in between: burrata with prosciutto San Daniele; oven-baked pasta al forno with beef ragu; and eggplant parmigiana. All of the pasta is homemade and cooked on the spot.

The cotoletta alla Milanese (crumbed veal, rocket and lemon) has been on the menu since day one, and is still a favourite. As for the pizza, 72-hour dough is topped with basics like margherita through to the more left-of-centre. Take the zuccotta, which has a base of pumpkin cream and is topped with buffalo mozzarella, sausage, thyme and extra-virgin olive oil.

Located under an apartment complex on Brighton’s New Street the restaurant has a palette of washed concrete, glass and black marble.