Pranzo Ilkley: Leeds Italian restaurant moving into heart of town serving 'traditional Calabrese' food

In October, Pranzo Italian will move from its current spot on Bolling Road in the Ben Rhydding area into the former Edinburgh Woollen Mill store in The Moors Shopping centre. The former clothing store is undergoing extensive renovation with a £250k investment to create an authentic Italian dining space.

Pranzo has become known for its authentic southern Italian cuisine and carefully selected imported wine. The new move will create more space for customers to enjoy their homemade pasta and also create an additional 15-20 jobs for the area.

Owner and chef Marco Greco is looking forward to the next stage in Pranzo's journey, saying: "Pranzo Ilkley was the first restaurant we opened. The community here have been so welcoming.

"The Ben Rhydding restaurant is a small, intimate venue that started life as an Italian café bar. We’ve evolved to serve homemade pasta and a fantastic offering of imported wines from family owned vineyards across Italy.

“Our new venue, just minutes down the road, will allow more people to come and enjoy our homemade pasta and the traditional Calabrese food I grew up with. It feels like the right time to move into a new place and the location, in the heart of Ilkley, will be great for the Pranzo style of dining."

In 2018, the restaurant opened its doors in Ben Rhydding and Stephen Peace, operations director, said that despite the economic challenges the Pranzo business model has remained stoic.

He said: “Over the past 18 months Pranzo has gone through a tremendous growth period. We have put a huge focus on the product and the team to create a brand that will continue to grow over the coming years.

"We doubled the size of Harrogate last year and in a matter of weeks we will see the new Ilkley restaurant open its doors.”

New seasonal specials and Light Lunch menus will be launched alongside the move.

Pranzo Italian is moving to 2 – 3 The Moors, South Hawksworth Street, Ilkley, LS29 9LB and the new venue will be open from October 5.