Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo's pizza and prosecco restaurant inside Manchester's Arndale Centre has closed - but has swiftly reopened as new Italian restaurant brand Piccolo by Piccolino. The Italian TV star had launched his My Pizza and Prosecco Bar amid a blaze of publicity inside the huge Next in the shopping centre back in 2017.
Now it has completely rebranded as Piccolo - with new signs at the exterior entrance on Exchange Square as well as inside the first floor of the Next store. It is described as the "new younger sibling of Piccolino restaurants" which are already a popular Italian fixture across Greater Manchester.
Gino had previously worked in partnership with Manchester's Individual Restaurants group with his "My Restaurant" chain as well as on the "My Pizza and Prosecco bar". Indiviudal Restaurants rebranded its other previous Gino restaurant in Manchester at the Corn Exchange as Riva Blu earlier this year, amid a number of rebrands of its other Gino restaurants across the UK.
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Gino, meanwhile has gone on to launch a range of new restaurants, including the upmarket Italian brand Luciano which has restaurants in London and Alderley Edge, as well as a partnership with the Melia hotel group which has a Gino restaurant in Manchester at the Innside Hotel, called First Street Bar and Kitchen.
The new Piccolo has opened inside Next following a refurbishment including "art inspired by Italy's diverse regions" and boasts a huge restaurant space open to diners inside the Manchester Arndale Centre fashion store. The exterior entrance sits directly opposite the Exchange Square tram stop.
A statement from Individual Restaurant bosses says: "Small yet mighty, Individual Restaurants is proud to introduce the new younger sibling of Piccolino restaurants, Piccolo, which launches in Manchester.
"Located within the Next retail site, formerly the Gino d’Acampo restaurant, a fresh new Italian dining concept has come to Manchester Arndale. Piccolo may mean “small” in Italian but, like any younger sibling, Piccolo has bold aspirations and big dreams in delivering wonderfully authentic Italian dining experiences that invite you to pull up a chair and enjoy just like in a proper Italian family home.
"Piccolo’s menus have been crafted by head chef Mark Window, boasting over two decades of industry experience, as well as superior breads and doughs from the hands of award-winning master baker Davide Argentino."
Diners are told to expect classic regional Italian dishes as well as modern twists on the menus to reflect the diversity in Italian cuisine, from Neapolitan Mozzarella, ham and pea frittatina; and Paccheri Arrabbiata from Campania to the seafood dishes of Positano and delectable desserts like Delizia al limone, which sings of the Amalfi coast.
Other "hero dishes" include a caprese ravioli with tomato, basil and mozzarella, a Parma Ham (DOP) pizza with butternut squash, walnut and chilli and wild king prawn guazzetto stew.
Karen Forrester, CEO of Individual Restaurant Company, says: “We are excitedly introducing Piccolo by Piccolino, which will deliver authentic Italian food and a world class guest experience to all. With our existing teams at the helm, we look forward to welcoming both existing and new guests to our Italian family home.”
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