By Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
A thriving local independent business which has brought the finest Neapolitan pizza to Southport is looking forward to a busy summer.
600 Degrees opened in Hillside Village just before Christmas last year after impressing diners at its first venue, inside Southport Market.
Owner Dan Johnstone, Manager Rob Moore and their his team have been developing their menu and their offering for customers, including installing an outdoor area ready for people to enjoy the sunshine.
Dan said: “We opened on 13th December, just in time for Christmas last year.
“We have been here for seven months now and things are going really well.
“We have been looking forward to the school summer holidays starting this week! Hopefully we’ll have some good weather on the way this July and August.
“We have outside tables available now for customers, with parasols if it gets too hot.
Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
“It is a great place for people to sit out! It’s perfect being situated next door to the Grasshopper and near The Pines. It works really well and we all support each other.
“Hillside is a lovely place for people to come out and enjoy a few drinks, and to enjoy a pizza either dining at 600 Degrees or by collecting and taking home with you afterwards.
“Hillside has changed so much in the past few months, it is really evolving.
“The Hillside Improvement Team has done an excellent good job in bringing people together and making some positive changes to the area.
“Since we have opened we have spent lots of time developing our menu.
“We create new specials on a regular basis. Our king prawns, which people can add to their pizza, are a big hit.
“Our Pepperoni and Margherita pizzas are eternally popular, but one doing really well this summer is our Asparagus and Prosciutto Pizza.
Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
“We now offer a vegan pizza too, the Cherry Blossom, which has a vegan pesto base, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, yellow cherry tomatoes, and Stracciatella vegan cheese. A lot of vegans who have tried it say it’s the best cheese they have had.
“Our home-made Italian desserts are really popular with things like tiramisu, cannoli and gelato.
“We are going to start offering some new starters and sides soon.
“Our food hygiene score is rated at 5 stars which we are very proud of.
“There are more drinks for customers to choose from now with Angioletti Italian cider, wine, beer, cocktails, spritzers and more.
Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
“People can sit here and enjoy a drink while they order and wait to take their pizzas away. We have 10% off for takeaway orders.
“We are still busy with providing our 600 Degrees Pizza mobile catering for private events, functions and weddings.
“On Wednesdays and Thursdays we have a deal for pizzas that people collect of 2 pizzas for £18, 3 pizzas for £26, or a family offer of 4 pizzas, 4 soft drinks and 2 desserts for £50.
“We are getting more people coming in to dine with us, and it’s good to see the place getting busier.”
Dan opened 600 Degrees as one of the first units inside Southport Market three years ago.
The opportunity has given him the confidence to develop and expand his business.
Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
He had taken 600 Degrees to local events and food festivals before the move.
It followed Sefton Council’s £1.4 million transformation of the venue into a stylish food, drink and events venue.
He said: “The first three months at the market were crazy busy and without any real catering experience, adapting to the new endeavour was challenging, to say the least.
“That being said… being a part of Southport Market has been a huge success and it gave us the push we needed to open up our own dine-in pizzeria just around the corner in Hillside.
“It really helped us with brand identity and growing our customer base.
“We’d like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has tried our pizza and supported the brand over the years, here’s to many more.”
600 Degrees has forged a fine reputation since it was established in 2017, initially catering for outside events, before opening in the market four years later.
It was launched when Dan and his wife went to the Amalfi coast of Italy on their honeymoon, also spending time in Naples, the home of Neapolitan Pizza.
Dan Johnstone said: “The response since opening in Hillside has been fantastic, people have been really positive.
“We have built up a really big following since we opened at Southport Market and customers are delighted they now have the choice to come here too.”
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrownn@gmail.com
