Pranzo Italian: Restaurant to move into former Edinburgh Woollen Mill building in Ilkley with £250,000 refit

Pranzo Italian is moving into the former Edinburgh Woollen Mill store in The Moors Shopping centre from October 5 and a £250,000 refurbishment project to prepare the building is already under way.

A spokesperson said Pranzo already employs around 60 people locally and the move should result in the creation of between 15 and 20 new jobs.

After five years in nearby Ben Rhydding, owner and chef Marco Greco said he is looking forward to the next stage in Pranzo's journey.

"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."

Stephen Peace, Operations Director, added: "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.”