ON a wet and windy night more akin to the depths of winter than the end of summer, the last thing you feel like eating is a salad.

So wholesome and warm Italian food seemed the ideal way to provide some much-needed cheer.

Fortunately, Ciao Napoli, which sits on a corner of Mawdsley Street at the back of Nelson Square, fits the bill.

The flashing neon outside draws you in from the cold and the light and cheery interior offers welcome respite.

The walls are adorned with Leonardo Da Vinci type murals depicting the likes of a smiling Mona Lisa enjoying an Italian meal, presumably purchased from Ciao Napoli. A good sign, I thought.

There is a bar area, you can see what is going on in the kitchen and the relaxing music lends itself to the relaxed pizza bar feel of the place.

There is an extensive starter menu, offering hot and cold alternatives and a selection of breads.

Spicy chicken wings; various meats, fish and salami; prawn cocktail; spare ribs in a barbecue sauce; pancakes filled with ricotta cheese and spinach; garlic mushrooms and consomme with egg, cheese and parsley all come in well under the £5 mark, with king prawns with garlic mushrooms, white wine and chilli costing £5.80.

We went for the garlic mushrooms and a garlic pizza with cheese. The former arrived in a creamy sauce and were extremely tangy and good value at just £3.30, while the bread, (£3.20), was thin and crispy.

To drink, we chose a bottle of house white -- at less than £10 -- from a reasonably lengthy wine list that was suitably Italian in nature.

Looking around in between courses, it is immediately noticeable that disabled access is more than adequate with no steps into the restaurant and the toilets on the same floor as the dining area.

Ciao Napoli is also child friendly, with main dishes and sweets available. And there is plenty of choice for vegetarians, which is good news for me.

The restaurant was only half-full, which, in this case was not a bad sign as it was mid-week and the conditions outside were not exactly conducive to persuading a person to leave the confines of their living room. A number of the other diners were obviously regulars and known to the staff -- a decent indication of a restaurant's quality.

There are a good number of main courses to choose from and the menu is varied.

Pizza-based dishes range from the signature Pizza Napoli, which is tomato, oregano and cheese, to Pizza Siciliano, which numbers tomato, olives, garlic, green and red peppers and mozzarella cheese among its ingredients.

There's the usual Margherita and Four Seasons option and all, apart from the Pizza Pescalore, which is made up of anchovies, garlic, olives, tuna, prawns and tomato sauce, are less than £6.

Pasta choices include spaghetti, penne Arabbiata, lasagne, cannelloni, tagliatelle, farfalle con salmone and risotto, and all are similarly priced to the pizzas.

For the dedicated carnivore, fillet and sirloin steaks and beef options are all available, with the Filletto Boscaiola (13.80) -- a sirloin steak with garlic, olives, capers, oregano, red wine and tomato -- tempting my partner.

A selection of chicken-based dishes is available and all meals are served with fresh vegetables.

Vegetarian choices include Spaghetti Primavera, Pizza Giardiniera and Risotto Montagnola (risotto rice with seasonal vegetables and white wine).

I went for the gnocchi alla Genovese, which was plentiful and hit the tastebuds in all the right places. At £6.20 there was plenty of this potato-based dish, which arrived in a tomato, cream and spinach sauce.

My partner eventually chose the Salmon al'la Champagne, a fillet of fish cooked in tomato, cream, garlic and herbs and finished in a champagne sauce. At £11.50, she pronounced it "absolutely divine".

Both of us were too full for dessert, and the whole deal came in at a very good value £35. Takeaways are also available at 15 per cent discount.

One way or another, be it a restaurant meal or an Italian in front of the TV, we will definitely return.

Ciao Napoli, 11 Mawdsley Street, Bolton, BL2 1NJ.

Tel: 01204 399291.

Opening Times: Monday to Saturday noon-2pm, 6-11

Star Rating: *** and a half