A POPULAR York restaurant is being relaunched following an £800,000 refurbishment.

Lucia Wine Bar & Grill has undergone a complete transformation and is reopening officially on Sunday, following an invitation-only celebration tonight, Saturday.

Oscar Akgul, who owns the Swinegate restaurant with business partner Osman Dogan, said the new-look venue was a beautiful addition to York’s dining-out scene.
He said 60 people had been involved in the project, from the designers who started working on plans in March 2019, to the construction side, and he praised the whole team.

“They did an amazing job. It is a big achievement to close down the restaurant for four weeks and make it ready, completely brand new from top to bottom. It has been very organised so we are very proud of everyone involved.”

The initial half a million pound budget has crept up as they added more features, to create a fresh look that is clean, stylish and cozy, he said. “We have spent up to £800,000 on the project. We added more items to be more exclusive.”

The walls are adorned with handmade wallpaper from Italy, the furniture has been imported from around the world, while there is also a private dining room.

“It looks fabulous. This will be a great addition for the people of York.”

The restaurant employs 65 people. Oscar also has Lucia restaurants in Harrogate and Beverley as well as the Cut & Craft in York.

“Cut & Craft has had a great year and has another successful year ahead,” he said. “We think that our hard work has been acknowledged not just by locals but tourists.

“York people have been very kind to us and we are very grateful. “We think this is the most beautiful restaurant in York, but that is our opinion!”

The relaunch marks the restaurant’s 11th anniversary.