POLPO Exeter Announced As The Occupier Of Queen St. Dining’s Last Remaining Unit.
Aviva Investors revealed today that Venetian restaurant POLPO will be the eighth and final restaurant to join Exeter’s new Queen St Dining, completing the high-quality line-up of eateries.
Russell Norman and business partner Richard Beatty will open POLPO Exeter at 18 Higher Market Guildhall, Queen Street in March 2017.
POLPO is modelled on the charming back-street wine bars of Venice. The interiors use a variety of antique and reclaimed materials to create a feeling of faded elegance; deep, button-backed leather banquettes, Victorian glazed tiles, Carrara marble counter tops and salvaged English oak timber.
The Exeter restaurant, due to open in the unit between Absurd Bird and The Terrace, will follow on from the traditions of its sister restaurants and style itself as a bacaro. This is a Venetian word to describe a humble restaurant serving simple food, and young Italian wines. Open all day, the menu willfeature Venetian classics such as Fritto Misto and Roast Stuffed Pork with Lentils and Radicchio as well as favourites such as Pizza Marinara at £3.80, Crab and Chilli Linguine at £8.00, Pork and Fennel Meatballs at £5.80 and individual Tiramisu Pots at £4.80. There will, for the first time and exclusively for Exeter, be a comprehensive breakfast and coffee menu, to eat in or take-away.
“Exeter is a wonderful city full of beauty, culture and charm, and we are extremely lucky to have found a site for POLPO in Higher Market Guildhall. Being protected from the roads and the sight of cars, combined with our large outdoor terrace, it reminds me very much of the small squares found in Venice. We can’t wait to open our doors this Spring and welcome fans of good food, good wine, Venetian Spritz and old-school hospitality,” says Russell Norman of POLPO.
POLPO revels in the Venetian tradition of aperitivo and will be serving Spritz, Campari, Aperol, Negronis and Bellinis all day long. The exclusively Italian wine list begins with POLPO’s own label wines from £18 per bottle.
Andrew McNeilly, Manager of Guildhall Shopping & Dining, comments “We are very excited to be welcoming POLPO to Queen St. Dining. It is a great name for Exeter and will undoubtedly enhance the already eclectic mix of restaurants. Since opening, all of the occupiers have enjoyed a prosperous first few months and the feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. With the addition of the award winning POLPO, the dining destination is set for even greater success in 2017.”
Darren Freed, Director at Aviva investors, comments: “Aviva Investors is thrilled to be bringing POLPO to Queen St Dining and introducing Venetian cuisine to the city. We are currently working with POLPO’s team to deliver the fit out of its new Queen St. restaurant, with the opening scheduled for early spring. This leasing is especially significant, for Aviva Investors and the Guildhall, as it means we now have full occupation of the development and have succeeded in our objective – to secure a diverse mix of brand names, many of whom are new to the South West.”
The new Exeter dining destination was named Catering and Leisure Destination of the Year at the Revo Gold Awards last year. The line-up of restaurants at Queen St. Dining includes: The Stable, Turtle Bay, Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) Absurd Bird, KuPP, Comptoir Libanais, The Terrace and POLPO.
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