Inside new family-run pizza restaurant that's coming to Exmouth

It promises to serve authentic homemade Italian pizzas

An authentic taste of Italy and the Mediterranean is coming to the seaside town of Exmouth with the opening of a new family-run restaurant. Former independent business House of Plants in the High Street is being replaced by Alleria Pizza and Bistrot.

It will open its doors for the first time tomorrow, Monday, October 7, with its first visitors being greeted with a glass of prosecco. A promotional discount of 10 per cent is also being offered to customers who dine with them for the first couple of weeks.

Head chef and co-owner Vincenzo Samarro has revealed it will be serving authentic homemade Italian pizzas, including a gourmet selection, alongside a Mediterranean bistro.

It is Vincenzo's first restaurant which he is opening with his wife Vanessa and younger brother Marco. Vanessa has multiple skills in the kitchen and front of house, while Marco will specialise in the latter.

Vincenzo, who has worked in hotels and restaurants in Italy as well as the UK, said: "I have always wanted to open my own restaurant. We are a family-run business and decided to open a restaurant together after several years of working for other people and now having enough experience in the industry.

"We love of our jobs and decided now was the right moment to do it, based on our life experiences. We have lived in Exmouth for three years and I have worked in a few restaurants."

Vincenzo left Italy in 2013 to experience living in the UK which has now become permanent.

He said: "We moved over here because we wanted to have the experience of working abroad. Year after year we stayed and then we decided to live here. It's a nice country to live in and people are really nice."

While Vincenzo wasn't very keen to share his thoughts about English cuisine, he was more than happy to reveal what food he is passionate about - and it won't come as much of a surprise.

He said: "I love Mediterranean food. It's my favourite. Spanish, Italian and French food is the basis of my meals. In the restaurant, the idea is to create authentic Italian pizzas and a Mediterranean bistro with Spanish and Italian tapas and finger foods."

The menu served will change with the seasons and it promises to be all homemade food with pizzas cooked in a high-quality Italian pizza over. The restaurant area is said to have been designed to offer a 'cosy and classic' setting with 75 per cent of the items being recycled materials.

Initially, customers will only be able to eat inside the restaurant but the long-term plan is to offer a takeaway once the business is established. Another possible plan for the future is opening for breakfasts serving homemade croissants and cappuccinos among other items.

Excited to soon be welcoming their first customers, Vincenzo said: "We have had good positive feedback so far. All the other restaurants in Exmouth are very nice but our restaurant is something the town has never had before."

Alleria Pizza and Bistrot will open seven days a week for its first week. After then it will be closed on Tuesdays. Its opening hours during the winter will be noon to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 8.30pm, apart from Sundays when it will offer an extended lunch from noon to 5pm. In the summer its evening hours will be extended by 30 minutes and it will possibly open for an extra hour at lunchtimes.