The secret to a truly special Valentine's meal? We asked the owner of Halifax's most romantic restaurant

Calderdale's most romantic restaurant is gearing up for a bumper Valentine's Day after a wholescale renovation of its premises.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Feb 2018, 12:21 BST
Updated 12th Feb 2018, 11:35 BST
Julio Sulmira at Julio's in Halifax.Julio Sulmira at Julio's in Halifax.
Julio Sulmira at Julio's in Halifax.

Julio’s, which has sat nestled beneath the White Swan Hotel on Halifax’s Princess Street for 12 years, is rated as the most romantic eatery in the region, with 93% of their 551

Tripadvisor reviews rating the Italian eatery as either very good or excellent.

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Revealed - These are Calderdale’s most romantic restaurants
Loved-up: Julio's is regarded as the most romantic restaurant in Halifax.Loved-up: Julio's is regarded as the most romantic restaurant in Halifax.
Loved-up: Julio's is regarded as the most romantic restaurant in Halifax.

Cliched candles and red roses aside, the secret to offering a truly romantic meal is in great food, great wine, but also in how you interact with your customers according to owner Julio Sulmina.

“We have a friendly approach and I think it’s a case of giving couples being left alone, while also being there for them.

“We don’t want to pester them every two minutes, we let their conversation breathe.

“But we’re there and looking after them as well. It’s a delicate balance but I think we do it well.”

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Loved-up: Julio's is regarded as the most romantic restaurant in Halifax.Loved-up: Julio's is regarded as the most romantic restaurant in Halifax.
Loved-up: Julio's is regarded as the most romantic restaurant in Halifax.

The Princess Street restaurant now has space for around two dozen extra covers after knocking through into tired changing rooms and offices and despite this outlay, Julio is resisting the urge to line his pockets with extra income on Valentine’s Day.

“I’m delighted with how it has all come out and I think it looks great,” said Julio, “We’ve had such great feedback from our customers already.

“Some restaurants put special Valentine’s menus on with extra prices, but I just don’t think that’s fair.

“We have so many repeat customers and I wouldn’t like to do that. You should be able to have a nice, romantic meal without having the price raised.”

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Tripadvisor’s ranking puts Julio’s ahead of nine other popular Calderdale restaurants who will also be no doubt packed out and loved up with doe-eyed couples on Wednesday evening.

This article is part of The Courier's Food & Drink Campaign, celebrating all that is good in Calderdale's thriving independent wining, dining and drinking scene. Read more about it in this week's edition, and if you're a landlord, cheese maker, winemaker or restaurant owner - get in touch - we want to hear your story! Email us at [email protected] or give us a call on 01422 260209.

Related topics:CalderdaleHalifaxTripAdvisor