Fire-hit restaurant to reopen and expand

Owners of Piccolino’s flagship Caffé Grande, Manchester, have announced plans for expansion as the restaurant prepares to reopen at the end of November.

The Italian restaurant, which enjoyed a £1.3m refurbishment in spring 2016 and is a popular haunt of Manchester’s business community, celebrities and sport stars; is to develop a private dining and event space on the lower ground floor.

The space will include two private dining rooms, complete with a private cocktail bar and kitchen for larger and bespoke events. In October, the restaurant was hit by a fire and suffered water damage and will reopen its doors on Thursday 22 November.

Work on the private dining room and event space will commence in January 2019 and see a £400,000 investment. The new facilities will be available from spring. Located on Clarence Street, Caffé Grande by Piccolino serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner until late.

A wine boutique, cocktail bar, international juice bar called The Juicery, theatre grill, pizzeria, oyster and caviar bar, Harrods-style food hall and alfresco terrace overlooking Albert Square are amongst its features; all are combined within the Victorian listed building.

Ettore Cicchetti, who has been at the forefront of the restaurant since 2003, said: “I and the team here at Caffé Grande are really excited about the addition of the private event space; it will be a brilliant extension of the restaurant. Whilst the recent fire was minor, the water damage was extensive and we have worked tirelessly to ensure the restaurant is back open for the festive season.

“The understanding and patience we have received from our loyal guests has been incredible and I would like to thank everyone for their kind words of support. We’re looking forward to re-opening on November 22 and welcoming everyone to join us.”