Inferno opens
Infero has take over premises in The Borough
A COSY and welcoming new Italian restaurant has opened up on the site of a former town centre cafe bar.
Family-run Inferno is based in The Borough and opened its doors at the end of November after months of hard work, transforming the former Praha into a classic Italian eatery.
The new restaurant also has a lunchtime menu, while the bar area will also serve those who just want to pop in for a drink.
Inferno will dish up a range of traditionally cooked Italian cuisine, with plenty to whet the appetites of foodies from across the borough.
There is also a wood burner to create a cosy atmosphere, and an oldfashioned bar with marble worktops.
Burbage couple Vittorio and Leanne Di Gregorio, who already run a business in Hinckley selling stoves, are the brains behind the new venture.
Italian-born Vittorio, with his homegrown passion for food, had long had an eye on opening his own place and when Praha became available it seemed the perfect spot.
Leanne said: “It’s all Italian owned, it has a real Italian feel to it - my husband, Vittorio, moved to England when he was about 21, and the chef is also Italian.
“It definitely has a traditional feel to it, and everyone is passionate about cooking and service as well.
“My husband really has a love of Italian food and he wanted to do this for some time, but we have waited until my daughter has grown up and spread her wings.
“It’s changed a lot since it was Praha - it’s been a real labour of love, with us scrubbing and sanding the floors, and varnishing on Saturday nights! We’ve been working 24/7 trying to get the place ready.
“We’ve been really sur- prised by how many people we’ve known who have popped in to eat already, and everyone has been really lovely. It’s been really nice.”
The restaurant will also be serving a special Christmas menu for the big day, with dishes including black tortellini, salmon with scallops in a lemon and dill sauce and veal with wild mushrooms.
However, there will be no pizzas on the menu for a while.
Leanne joked: “My husband is a real purist, he loves classic Italian food. However, this means there won’t be pizzas until we can get a proper wood burner pizza oven!”
For more information on Inferno, search Facebook, or call Hinckley 698850.