Venice offers taste of Italy
A new Italian restaurant is bringing a flavour of Venice’s classic dishes, waterways and Gothic architecture to Sunderland.
Venice has opened its doors in the former Arabesque restaurant in High Street West, and forms part of a wave of investment taking place in the area.
The restaurant briefly traded as Tabbouleh most recently where Halo Kurdson worked.
But when the opportunity arose for him to take on the site on his own he decided to step away from Middle Eastern fare.
He’s transformed the inside of the two-storey restaurant with water features, as a nod to Venice’s famous waterways, as well as Gothic features inspired by the Italian city’s distinctive architecture.
Halo, whose restaurant has created 13 new jobs for the city, said: “When I took over I wanted to do something completely different and I’ve always wanted to open an Italian restaurant.
"I’ve done lots of work to change the interior already, but I have more plans too.
"We only opened last Tuesday, but I can’t complain about the response so far, we’ve had great feedback.”
The Venice building, which dates back to 1813, lies in the middle of the city’s Heritage Action Zone, which has seen a huge amount of investment to breathe new life into historic buildings in the city centre.
It has already seen the transformation of the neighbouring 170-175 High Street West, which will be a new home for Pop Recs and the Sunshine Co-operative, as well as the renaissance of Mackie’s Corner into a creative retail hub.
Halo said: “This end of the city centre was dead for quite a well, but there’s so much more happening now and we are looking forward to being a part of that.
“We also have the benefit of free evening and Sunday parking at the car park opposite.
"The local authority have been really supportive, which is great.”
Other new additions in the area include a new monthly market craft and food market, which will take place on the first Sunday of the month, starting on August 1, on land opposite the Travelodge.
Venice is open as a bar and a restaurant seven days a week from noon-10pm, serving a range of cocktails, wines, beers, stone-baked pizzas, pastas and steaks.