A much loved Italian restaurant in Northumberland had some sad news for its customers on Tuesday night
09:57, 20 Aug 2025Updated 10:05, 20 Aug 2025
Gianni’s in Morpeth(Image: Facebook)
One of Northumberland’s best known Italian restaurants has announced it has closed ‘for the foreseeable future’ after 40 years, leaving its customers gutted. However, regulars have been assured that they can enjoy everything they’re used to from the Morpeth venue in its new home in Ashington.
Sadly, ChronicleLive has had to report on a number of high profile closures in the last few months alone, with Newcastle city centre haunts like Horticulture, El Guapo, Leila Lily’s and Prohibition Cabaret bar ceasing trading, while just outside of town, Tadka, the new era for the hugely popular Thali Tray, also closed down, not long after opening. And just this week, popular South Shields restaurant Orangetree closed with immediate effect, as its owners told diners it ‘was not possible’ for them to continue.
Tuesday evening brought bad news for the many people who’ve been flocking to Gianni’s in Morpeth market place over the years, when a post appeared on its Facebook page to confirm it had closed, explaining it had shut down after Elvio Ribiero had ‘decided to depart’ to ‘explore a new future.’. The statement continued: “GIannis understand that a lot of customers have been extremely loyal over the years and have stuck with GIannis through the highs and the lows, during the quiet days and the busy days. This is why it was a hard decision to make.’
Moving onto what the future holds for Giannis, the post added that the move to the Ashington branch would be a ‘new and refreshed chapter’ for the company and that all the dishes people love at the Morpeth GIannis will be on the menu, along with a variety of ‘new exciting’ ones and ‘the exact same dining experience’ everyone has grown to love.
It took no time at all for people to react with sadness to9 the news, with one customer swiftly responding: ‘Gutted for all staff and customers alike. A lovely, friendly restaurant who served all customers with a smile every time. Your Sunday lunches were outstanding and are going to be a massive miss. Good luck in the future.’ Echoing those sentiments, another commented: ‘Absolutely gutted. Love this place, the atmosphere, the food and the staff. A sad day.’
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Dining and Cooking