Loft 24, Italian tapas restaurant in Westhoughton is a hit

Loft 24 opened on February 28 on Market Street, Westhoughton, and has already proven to be a much-loved addition to the local area with customers flocking to the restaurant to try their range of small plate dishes and large cocktail menu.

Manager Matthew Oliver, 34, said he is "over the moon" at the response so far.

He said: “The response so far has been unbelievable, I couldn’t be happier to be honest, if you check on Google and Facebook all the reviews have been five stars.

“People like that is just different, it is a different concept and there is nothing round here that is like us. There are a lot of traditional Italians, but this is just a bit more out there.

“It has definitely been a success, on a scale of one to 10, I’d probably say nine and a half on the success scale.

“On Saturdays it is full and on Fridays it is busy as well, every week it is getting busier and busier.

“Westhoughton is definitely up and coming, there just seems to be a lot of new places opening on Market Street, it is a really good area.

“We are over the moon, we just couldn’t be happier, it is all going really well.”

Matthew said the menu is Italian with a twist.

He said: “A lot of the dishes on the menu are Italian-inspired but with a twist, so we visited a few different places in Italy last year and we got a lot of inspiration and ideas from there.

“And then we hired our chef and he is Italian, and he had even more ideas than us and he has put the entire menu together based on our influence.”

Loft 24 will be open Wednesday and Thursday 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to midnight and Sunday will 12pm to 9pm.

Dishes ready (Image: NQ)Read more stories here:

• New restaurant and cocktail bar to open - bringing something 'unique' to town

• Mr Chaat, Indian street food restaurant in Bolton is a hit

• Bolton Food and Drink Festival 2024 unveils James Martin

Here is what we thought… REVIEW:

Having heard great things about Loft 24 I decided to head down there with a plus one to have a look inside and to try the food and drinks for myself… and I was not disappointed.

From the moment you walk in you are welcomed by staff and are hit with the aromas of delicious Italian delicacies.

You could tell the staff took pride in their work and explained the dishes which were bestsellers and their personal favourites too – which was a great addition.

First of all, we started with drinks. I had a Violet Lemo mocktail which was priced at just £5.

Despite it being non-alcoholic it tasted just like a Parma Violet Gin, and it was so refreshing - perfect as the summer months approach.

My plus one had the Grown Up Sundae cocktail, priced at £9, which includes caramel vodka, a sticky toffee shot, and espresso mixed together.

This is a great cocktail for people who enjoy a coffee drink but also have a sweet tooth.

For food we ordered the Honey Halloumi, the Coconut Lamb, Pistachio is the King!, The Sweet Goat and a portion of the Skin on Fries.

Dishes ready by the chef (Image: NQ)The Honey Halloumi was priced at £6 and was absolutely delicious. The batter was crispy and tasty and the cheese inside was melted to perfection, this came with a spicy honey dressing which added to the flavour.

But it wasn’t too spicy, so people who don’t like spice would still enjoy it.

The Coconut Lamb was priced at £8 and was my favourite dish we had. It was homemade lamb meatballs served with dried coconut, coconut cream, lightly toasted almonds alongside mint, coriander, garlic and a touch of turmeric.

I love coconut but for those who don’t I still recommend this dish as it is subtle but so full of flavour.

This dish would be great to have alongside one of the pasta dishes on the menu.

We tried Pistachio is the King! This is king prawns served with pistachio cream and crumble, topped with crispy bacon.

And while this one wasn’t my favourite as I don’t really like pistachio, my plus one loved it and said the prawns were delicious.

We also tried the Sweet Goat which is fried potato gnocchi filled with goats cheese, served with apricot and mint sauce.

Delicious food served (Image: NQ)I personally loved this dish, it tasted like a roast dinner in a mouthful because of the flavours with the mint sauce drizzled over the top.

The dish does have a lot of mint sauce so if you don’t like the flavour I wouldn’t recommend it but as a fan of mint sauce I really enjoyed this dish and would definitely get it again.

The skin on fries were a great side dish which we dipped into the sauces left over from the small plates, making it extra tasty.

We also had two delicious desserts, a Malteser Cheesecake and a Pistachio Tiramisu and they were equally as tasty as the other dishes.

The portion sizes are great too, the portions were bigger than we expected and there was plenty for the two of us, if not too much.

Each dish had its own unique flavour which made for a great tapas experience, there is a great choice on the menu so there really is something for everyone including vegetarian options.

The prices are also affordable.

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.