Italian eatery making move to waterfront
HOLLOWAYS Beach Mediterranean favourite Vitalia’s is heading south to reopen on the Cairns waterfront next month.
The couple behind Vitalia’s Italian Restaurant at Holloways Beach – Antonio Lo Conte and Vitalia Zanda – will pack up their northern beaches family favourite and try their luck at the Pier.
It is expected the couple will reopen Vitalia’s at the site formerly occupied by high-end Japanese-French operation M Yogo.
“The restaurant site has a good pedigree,” Mr Lo Conte said. “It’s beautiful, an amazing challenge and very exciting.”
The couple officially announced the move to loyal fans on Valentine’s Day.
The restaurant manager said the move made sense as many diners had travelled across town to sample the Sardinian-Neapolitan fare at Holloways.
“A lot of our clients were coming from Cairns, also tourists,” Mr Lo Conte said.
“They came from town to enjoy our food and the Pier is a more accessible part of Cairns.
“We have customers coming from Edmonton, Gordonvale and White Rock.
“We’d like to be a little more central.”
The change of location also means a more efficient lunch and dinner service for the duo.
“It’s much easier to work with because we have a better vision where the customer is sitting,” Mr Lo Conte said.
“We haven’t started our fitout yet - our last day at Holloways will be on March 1 and then at the end of the month we’ll have lunch and dinner, working seven days (a) week.”
The move has also given Ms Zanda something to drive towards as she continues treatment for cancer over the next 12 months.
“This was one of the biggest motivations to leave Holloways – when you are going through illness, it helps to have something to work toward,” Mr Lo Conte said.
“The Holloways Beach community has been very supportive over the last three years and have supported our move to the Pier. We’ll be looking forward to seeing them in the new premises.”