Pranzo Italian: £350,000 investment brings authentic Italian restaurant to Leeds after success in Harrogate and Ilkley

A former Barclays Bank building on Town Street, in Horsforth, is set to undergo a £350,000 investment to bring to life Pranzo Italian’s third restaurant.

Opening in May 2024, the Horsforth restaurant will be the third in the branch after the head chef and owner, Marco Greco, opened the Ilkley six years ago and the Harrogate restaurant three years ago.

The opening of the Leeds restaurant will take the Pranzo Italian employee number over 100 with 35 new roles up for grabs.

Mr Greco said: “We’ve had our eyes on Horsforth for a while. It is a fantastic town with some stunning independent venues to eat and drink, we are looking forward to becoming part of the community.

"We can’t wait to open our third restaurant in Horsforth. There’s a real community feel here, with lots going on in the town.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of Pranzo customers and a great team, many of whom have been with us from the beginning.”

Pranzo takes its inspiration from Mr Greco’s family heritage in Calabria, Southern Italy where he watched his Nonna (grandmother) make homemade pasta mixed with ingredients picked from their garden.

“I wanted to offer something that was truly authentic, a real taste of home in Yorkshire. We make everything in-house, our pasta is made fresh daily, as are our breads, sauces, and desserts,” he said.

The company’s operations Director Stephen Peace is looking forward to the next chapter in Pranzo’s story and credited the opening of the mew branch to the success of the previous two.

He said: “Pranzo has experienced a period of growth over the last 18 months. Our Harrogate restaurant expanded, creating an additional 30 seats and our Ilkley restaurant relocated to a bigger venue, doubling its capacity.

"The building work is underway at Horsforth, we can’t wait to see it take shape.”