The owners of Cleethorpes’ newest bar and restaurant have told of their excitement as they prepare to welcome diners for the first time. Zest Mediterranean Restaurant & Cocktail Bar will hold its official opening next week, with a grand ribbon-cutting event.
Owner Shivan Mustafa says it will mark the end of a nine-month project to hopefully create an eatery unlike anything else in Cleethorpes. Zest is opening inside the former Barclays Bank building on the High Street, and Shivan says around 15 to 20 new jobs have been created front of house and in the kitchen as part of the plans.
Ahead of the opening, he travelled to Italy to sample dishes for inspiration and to help develop the menu. He and the team have now set the menu which is packed with seafood and Mediterranean favourites. Hot starters will include everything from falafel, hummus, kibbeh, and grilled sardines to crispy whitebait and Spanish style octopus.
Main dishes consist of crowd-pleasing pastas and salads, casseroles, steaks and burgers and grilled treats. There is a heavy focus on seafood, including salmon, sea bass, prawns, dentex, sole, octopus, scallops, monkfish and sardines.
And if diners have any room for dessert they can choose from all manner of sweet treats including kunefe, baklava, stuffed apricots, deep fried ice cream and biscoff cheesecake. The restaurant will also have a bar serving an extensive drinks list, with wines, cocktails – both classic and non-alcoholic – as well as spirits, beers, ciders and hot drinks.
Grimsby businessman Tony Vigorito – who has helped to run many well-known establishments in the area such as Italian Affair, Capri and Limits – has been brought in to ensure a smooth start for the venue. He said: “I’m a composer and musician, but in my past life, I’ve run many different restaurants, nightclubs and bars, not only in the area but overseas. So, hopefully, that’s what I’ll be doing here.
“They’re looking to me to do the management and supervise work. And it looks very nice – they’ve spent some money on it.”
Owner Shivan added: “I think everyone will like it. It looks amazing and it’s not like anything else in Cleethorpes.
“We have spent around nine months on the decoration and brought a designer in to help with the restaurant’s look. We are all very excited for the opening – I haven’t been able to sleep at the moment because I just want to do something good and different for the town.”
Zest will open at 1pm on Monday November 16,
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Dining and Cooking