Gledhow Valley Road: New 'Italian-Mediterranean-style' restaurant set to open in Leeds near Chapel Allerton

Capri will open on Gledhow Valley Road, off Harrogate Road, in premises which used to belong to a local cafe.

The diner will be allowed to serve alcohol from 8am until 9pm on Sundays, extending to 10pm between Mondays and Thursdays and 10.30pm at weekends.

Ten people had objected to the granting of the licence, with several citing the prospect of noise and litter coming from the venue.

However, no objectors attended a licensing hearing on Tuesday where the matter was decided. Capri says there will be minimal noise coming from the premises as its offer is food-led and it won’t be doing deliveries or takeaways. Speaking at the hearing on the restaurant owner’s behalf, solicitor Paddy Whur said: “It’s not the type of place where you’ll lose your inhibitions and stumble out noisily across the piece.

“The alcohol offer will be modest in terms of what is stocked. People will be able to have a glass of wine or a gin and tonic with their dinner if that’s what they wish.

“It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to see in an Italian-Mediterranean-style restaurant.”

The hearing was told that the new restaurant’s owner, Ermal Brakaj, had previously worked at Capri in Wakefield, where there are three restaurants of that name.

It was said that Mr Brakaj had permission to use the name for the new Leeds diner, but that it would otherwise be unconnected to the Wakefield business. Mr Brakaj had invested his own money into the venture and would be at the premises “most of time”, councillors were told.

Mr Whur admitted there was a degree of anxiety in the local community about the venture, which he linked partially to media coverage of efforts to open a Capri restaurant in Newmillerdam, Wakefield, which drew 11 objections from people there in 2021. He said affection for the popular former cafe on Gledhow Valley Road was also a factor in the concerns.

He added: “Speaking to people, I think there’s a bit of regret that the olden days are gone, the cafe’s left and there’s nervousness around that.

“This is aimed at being a local people’s restaurant so the applicant will be working hard, particularly with those people who have concerns, to ensure those concerns aren’t borne out.”

After nearly an hour’s deliberation the panel of three councillors unanimously decided to grant the application.