A NEW restaurant in High Street is turning heads, with diners opting for a taste of authentic Italian cuisine in the heart of Northwich.

Aiming for a fine dining experience, Vita Bella celebrates a month in Northwich this week, and has enjoyed a successful start and rave reviews.

Located at the bottom of High Street at the pedestrian’s entrance to the town centre, the plot has endured a tumultuous past with Tiano’s, Cheshire Bar and Grill, and Zitano all occupying the space in recent years.

But, blessed with glorious sunshine almost every day since opening, Vita Bella seems well on the way to capturing the hearts and mouths of its community.

Manager Alessandro Cossiga said: “It’s going well. People are coming in to have a look and try a new place. We love it.

“So far, the comments and feedback on the dishes has been great.

“One of the favourites is the Linguine Vita Bella. Everything is going well.

“Ever since we opened – maybe because of the sun – we have been busy all through the afternoon on weekdays as well as weekends.

“We have the terrace which is a big, big bonus. It’s really good to have and it’s available for drinks, lunch and dinner.

“We are going maybe even a little bit better than we expected, and we want to keep that going.”

As well as a terrace offering views of the River Weaver for an afternoon drink in the sun, Vita Bella has offered extra entertainment indoors with live music.

Prior to the restaurant’s opening on May 17, owner Joseph Orr told the Guardian that the high-calibre team would bring a new element to Northwich’s restaurant scene and nightlife.

He said: “I’ve got friends in the area and I noticed that there wasn’t really anything in the area for dining to that level.

“I did a bit of research with my partner, we were looking for venues and this place came up.

“We’d seen a bit about what had happened in the past so we just made some enquiries and spoke to the landlord and here we are today.”

Joseph recruited two people from San Carlo in Liverpool as well as one from Manchester to work with him in Vita Bella.

Joseph added: “They’re going to run the place to a very high standard for us, we’ve got the head chef from San Carlo in Manchester as well, he’s been working there for 20 years, I’ve known him personally for many years.

“We’re lucky to get them on board because they’ve made San Carlo the brand that it is today, these guys have maintained that high standard for years.”