Chef Paolo Cillo will open the doors of his popular Liverpool city centre Italian restaurant on September 1 following a £300,000 refurbishment. Tony McDonough reports

One of Liverpool’s best-known Italian restaurants is reopening its doors in September following a £300,000 upgrade.

Chef Paolo Cillo will open the doors of the popular Il Forno in Duke Street on September 1. The 150-capacity restaurant has been significantly modernised and will showcase new lightning, new seating and a freshened up bar and lounge area.

A major part of work has included the refurbishment of the bar area which the team at Il Forno hope will become a central focus of the restaurant where diners can enjoy its new small plates menu comprising delicious  Italian tapas.

The wider menu has also been updated to include fresh new additions following an overhaul from Il Forno owner and executive chef Paolo Cillo. He said: “We have significantly invested in the refurbishment to give the restaurant a fresher feel and we are incredibly excited for our customers to see it. The new-look Il Forno looks fantastic.

“The menu has also been updated with a brand new Italian tapas option for casual diners and we have added a variety of new dishes to our traditional menu too. This is a new beginning for Il Forno and we are very much looking forward to welcoming people back.”