Liverpool’s popular Italian restaurant, Il Forno, will reopen next week following a £300,000 refurbishment.

The 150-capacity restaurant, which has been a staple of Duke Street’s food and drink offering for more than a decade, has been significantly modernised and will showcase new lightning, new seating and a freshened up bar and lounge area when it reopens on 1 September.

It closed temporarily in May for the modernisation work to take place.

A major part of work has included the refurbishment of the bar area which the team at Il Forno hopes will become a central focus of the restaurant where diners can enjoy its new small plates menu comprising Italian tapas.

The wider menu has also been updated to include fresh new additions following an overhaul from Il Forno owner and executive chef Paolo Cillo.

The restaurant has long been a popular haunt for some of the city’s biggest football stars – some of whom are expected to attend a private relaunch party later in the year.

Il Forno’s Paolo Cillo says: “We have significantly invested in the refurbishment to give the restaurant a fresher feel and we are incredibly excited for our customers to see it. The new-look Il Forno looks fantastic.

“The menu has also been updated with a brand new Italian tapas option for casual diners and we have added a variety of new dishes to our traditional menu too. This is a new beginning for Il Forno and we are very much looking forward to welcoming people back.”

Bookings are now being taken at www.ilforno.co.uk

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