‘Beautiful space’ serving cocktails and Italian tapas opens in York

25 November 2023

‘A lot of people think Italy is just pasta and pizza. But there’s so much more than that.’

So says Cipriano Martins Gomes, one of the team behind York’s newest restaurant, Cicchetti Lounge.

The restaurant opened over two floors on Low Petergate today (Friday) and YorkMix went in for a first look.

Cicchetti Lounge has a stylish and warm ambience, with foliage walls and ceilings, neon signs with cheery messages like ‘Hello gorgeous’, and shelves filled with fine Italian wine.

Now run by the same team behind the large Italian La Vecchia Scuola next door, the original plan was to use the building as a waiting area for that restaurant.

The restaurant has 42 covers and a distinctive menu. “So, cicchetti is Italian for small plates – which is a massive part of Italian tradition,” Cipriano explained.