Leeds born celebrity chef Marco Pierre White closes city centre restaurant suddenly

A celebrity chef's Italian restaurant in Leeds has closed down suddenly - just over a year since it opened.

Leeds born Marco Pierre White’s New York Italian Restaurant in The Merrion Centre shut last Wednesday.

The Yorkshire Evening Post understands that the sudden closure is due to contract negotiations and talks are already in place for a new restaurant to open in the same site.

A spokesperson for property investment firm, Town Centre Securities which owns the Merrion Centre said: “Following contractual renegotiations the decision was made to close Marco’s New York Italian Leeds from 22nd August 2018.

“An announcement will be made soon regarding an exciting new restaurant that is due to open at the venue soon.”

The 88 seater restaurant opened in April last year as part of the offering from the ibis Styles hotel brand which was also opening a new venture.

Earlier this year, the 134 bedroomed hotel reported a better than expected first year, welcoming more than 65,000 visitors in the first 12 months, being ranked third for guest satisfaction out of all ibis Styles hotels within the UK and breaking into the top 10 of most popular hotels in Leeds on Trip Advisor

Marco’s New York Italian had been scheduled originally to open by December 2016 but it was delayed. Pierre-White had also previously planned to open a restaurant at the Queen’s Hotel back in 1999. However that project was postponed indefinitely, with a spokesman at the time citing ‘complications’.

He left Allerton High School with no qualifications and decided to trained as a chef before heading to London aged 16.