Bella Maria: New Mediterranean tapas restaurant to open at former Preston Prezzo site

Family-run Bella Maria is opening it’s second restaurant at the former Prezzo site, which closed permanently in February 2021.

>>>Click here to read more about Prezzo’s demise

Ana-Maria Barbu already runs Bella Maria in Garstang Road, Broughton, with her husband. They opened in January 2020, naming the restaurant after their daughter, and say they are “incredibly busy” after coming through the Covid lockdown period.

They hope the second site at the Capitol Centre will help place them firmly on the area’s culinary map, and will help breathe new life into the area, which has suffered from a series of closures in recent years.

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Ana Maria, who hails from Romania, said: “It will be Mediterranean tapas, like a bit of Greek, Turkish, Spanish Paella.

"We will also be doing our own speciality dishes and a full range of pizzas in wood-fired ovens. Everything will be fresh and homemade."

As well as food, there will be a full bar and a VIP section. Takeaway will also be offered.

Ana Maria is aiming to have the new restaurant open by the end of the month, but hasn’t set an exact date. Work is still underway at the site.

She said: “The Capitol Centre is a very good location for us. It’s a big restaurant with lots of parking, and is easy to get to for customers and for delivery drivers doing our takeaway.

"It’s also well seen from the road, and by people using other shops at the Capitol Centre.”

Check out Bella Maria’s menu here