An independent Italian restaurant has unexpectedly replaced gin bar Juniper Place in Swansea city centre. Positano, which was previously located next to Rasoi Indian restaurant at the J Shed Arcade in Swansea Marina, has relocated to the ground floor unit at 1 York Street - taking over Juniper Place, which was previously understood to be temporarily closed for refurbishment.
Positano signs have now been put up on the main entrance to the building and in front of its outdoor dining space. The unit is beneath Old Havana on the first floor, which is also said to be temporarily closed for refurbishment
Earlier this year, staff at Juniper Place confirmed the venue was closing "temporarily" whilst it was revamped. A post on its Facebook page on January 11 said: "New for 2023: We're temporarily closed while we carry out extensive improvements and an exciting refurbishment to the venue. We've had the best five years making memories with you all, it's time for a change. More news pending... The venues will be OPEN very soon. Cardiff Feb 23. Swansea March 23." You can get the biggest Swansea news stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
A few weeks later, a spokesperson for Juniper Place and Old Havana confirmed "exciting new brands" were on their way to Swansea. "We have had a great five years in York Street, although we have had to endure challenges from Covid restrictions and multiple government forced closures," the spokesperson told WalesOnline. "Beaujolais day is a renowned date that is loved in Juniper Place and Old Havana, and it's most certainly become the place to celebrate the day.
"In the summertime everyone loved a cocktail on the terrace pretending they were in Cuba. We have hosted so many birthdays, baby showers and festive parties and we are very grateful for all the memories.
"With the venue being five years old, it's in need of some extensive maintenance work so this venue will be closed, and plans are underway for exciting new brands to re-open at the location this spring. Juniper Place is a great brand and has recently found success in the smaller community town Neath. This venue is currently open and trading well. It recently had a successful launch of Juniper Gin Bar which is an extension to the already much loved restaurant and pizzeria. This brand is suited to smaller local communities, and we plan to expand it to similar towns across Wales in the future."
An update on Positano's social media page suggests the new Positano restaurant will be opening very soon. "Celebration Competition! We're celebrating moving premises with a competition. Do you recognise where?" the update reads. "Two lucky winners will receive a table for two and dine for free at our new restaurant - 1 York Street, Swansea...
"We’re excited to show you all what we’ve been working on! Spread the word. The best authentic Italian restaurant is back." You can read more about the restaurant's competition on their Facebook page here.
WalesOnline has contacted Creative Dining Group (the company behind Positano) and Redefining Dining Co (the company behind Juniper Place). When we have further details from them, we will update this article.
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