Made in Italy to re-launch 'signature' Luna Rossa restaurant as it continues with expansion

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Luna Rossa, Made in Italy's two-storey site in Notting Hill, is undergoing a major refurbishment that will see it re-open with this more modern look

London-based Italian restaurant group Made in Italy will re-launch its 'signature' restaurant Luna Rossa next month as part of development plans for the business.

Ten-year-old Luna Rossa, one of the group's seven restaurants, will undergo a £250k refurbishment that will see the two-storey site in Notting Hill turned into a 90-cover restaurant, Ciccheti bar, wine bar and all-day deli.

Guiseppe Corsaro, development director of Made in Italy, said the redevelopment of Luna Rossa into a more modern concept and the refocus of its menu was the start of big plans for the family-owned group as it looks at opening its eighth site in London this year.

He said: “This year marks a big step in the development of our restaurant group, which also celebrates its twentieth anniversary at the end of this year."

Mozzarella & More

Mozzarella-and-more — Mozzarella & More, Made in Italy's seventh restaurant, opened its doors in Chelsea in January

The re-launch of Luna Rossa follows the opening of Made in Italy's seventh site - Mozzarella & More, in Chelsea.

The 25-cover trattoria and mozzarella bar opened just two doors along from the original Made in Italy restaurant on London's King's Road in January and will be a key outlet for the selling of the company's homemade cheese alongside the main trattoria menu of grilled meat and fish, homemade pasta and classic Italian desserts.

Made in Italy Group is one of just a handful of London restaurants making their own cheese with buffalo mozzarella, buratta, and smoked ricotta produced at the group's production kitchen in Battersea.

Corsaro, the eldest son of the company's founder Rosario Corsaro, and the person spearheading the company's development said the cheese-making facility was one way of offering diners something different as the company looked to grow.

"At Mozzarella & More we are excited to now enhance their experience and offer them something a little bit extra. By having our own facility to produce cheese in London, we can ensure our customers get the very best and freshest of ingredients.

“After trading for over two decades, we feel we have a good understanding of our customer base, and this is a pivotal moment for the group to both rejuvenate existing sites and open new units.

Made in Italy opened its doors on King's Road in Chelsea in 2003. As well as Luna Rossa and Mozzarella & More, the company owns and operates Made in Italy on Old Compton Street and St James' Street in Central London and Santa Lucia and Napule, both in Fulham.

It is now run by Rosario Corsaro's four siblings with group head chef Eduardo Tuccillo in charge of menu development across the group.