CEO welcomes La Taverna as part of major investment programme
10 April 2017
New Belfast wine bar from Galgorm owners
Belfast’s leading Italian restaurant has revealed a six-figure expansion upstairs at its flagship city centre restaurant, creating ten new jobs.
The top floor of Fratelli Belfast on Great Victoria Street has been redeveloped into La Taverna @ Fratelli, a brand-new Italian-style wine bar offering sharing plates in a rustic-themed space complete with a bespoke free standing bar table.
The project, which has created more than 140 seats at the award-winning venue, is part of a £350,000 investment by leading hospitality group Tullymore House Ltd.
La Taverna will stock more than 100 varieties of Italian wine, and a dedicated kitchen, with signature double pizza oven, will be located in the first-floor space which is accessed from Fratelli Belfast.
Diners can enjoy luxury booth and banquette seating at the new venue, which will feature 22 Boar paintings by the renowned County Antrim artist Paul Bell, specially commissioned for La Taverna.
The balcony of the historic building has also undergone a transformation, boasting 52 seats as well as a unique outdoor fireplace, full awning, box hedging and cast iron railings.
This latest development brings the total spend on the city centre restaurant to more than £750,000 in just under two years, and is part of a programme of expansion that will also be rolled out at the Galgorm Fratelli, with the creation of another ten new jobs as part of an additional £250,000 expansion.
Speaking as the new restaurant was opened, Colin Johnston, Project Manager with Tullymore House Ltd said La Taverna would be an outstanding addition to the Fratelli offering.
“This latest expansion, and the conversion of the first floor of the Great Victoria Street restaurant is part of an ongoing investment in our extensive food and drink offering, which has proved hugely popular with the thousands of customers who’ve visited Fratelli since it opened in October 2015.”
“Our continued investment across Belfast reflects our commitment to the development of the city’s well established hospitality industry, and we look forward to welcoming guests to experience La Taverna.”
The opening of the new restaurant comes just weeks after Tullymore House Ltd confirmed plans to transform a landmark church on Belfast’s Ormeau Road, acquiring the former Holy Rosary church and surrounding land.
The group plans to invest more than £1 million improving and enhancing the site, which has been derelict since 1980, converting the church building into a Fratelli restaurant.
More than 40 full and part time jobs will be created once this project is completed, with a further 30 jobs during the construction phase.
Tullymore House Ltd is a major employer in the Northern Ireland hospitality sector, with a significant investment programme planned for the Fratelli brand in 2017, totalling more than £1.5 million and creating up to 60 jobs