(Image: Pic supplied)
Harrogate is set to get a new Mexican restaurant and tequila bar that is earning rave reviews in its hometown.
Casa Del Alma, which already has a restaurant in Darlington and street food unit in Saltburn, is opening on Princes Square, where Sasso used to be.
Sasso was a much-loved Italian restaurant, noted as one of the town’s culinary gems, which had operated for 27 years.
The highly acclaimed venue, owned by Italian chef Stefano Lancellotti and his wife Sara, closed last July.
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Sasso’s sister cafe, Caffe Marconi, located on Princes Square, remains.
The premises have been empty since then, but renovations have just started.
The new restaurant will be operated by Romanian-born Matai Baran, who has lived in the UK for more than 20 years and was a quarter finalist of Masterchef 2016.
Posts on social media explain that Casa Del Alma means ‘House of Soul.’
The restaurant promises: “Food crafted with love and passion, drinks poured with a smile and a beautiful friendly service!”
It also promises: “Best Margaritas, amazing traditional Mexican food and fantastic Latino Vibes!!.”
Matai told the Press: “It will be a traditional Mexican restaurant. We already have a restaurant in Darlington. We will replicate that restaurant in Harrogate.”
The experienced chef says he chose Harrogate as he wanted to extend his radar and the town lacks a Mexican restaurant.
“We have a lot of customers from Harrogate who come to us [in Darlington]. It’s a great opportunity to expand.”
Asked if he had plans for a restaurant in York, Matai said: “Let’s take it step-by-step.”
He added he hopes to open the Harrogate restaurant in mid-November/ early December.
The Darlington Casa Del Alma, which opened three years ago, receives top ratings on social media.
Google awards the venue in Skinnergate 4.8 stars out of five, whilst TripAdvisor awards 4.6 stars out of five.
A Google review this week awarded it five stars and said: “Beautiful food and amazing feel in the restaurant, they were all so welcoming.”