Jamie's Italian to open in St Albans at last!

Jamie's Italian is to open in St Albans on 6th February 2012 after a long refurbishment programme on the site of the former Bell pub in The Maltings Shopping Centre.

The two-floored restaurant, which includes an external seating area, will be Jamie Oliver's 25th Jamie's Italian restaurant and will be the first of the chain to open on Hertfordshire soil.

The concept of Jamie's Italian is based on the creation of accessible and affordable venues which have a local feel, where people can relax and enjoy each other's company as well as exceptional food made with simple, fresh ingredients, prepared and cooked with love and passion. Pukka, do I hear you say?

Simon Blagden, Group Managing Director of Jamie Oliver Restaurants comments: "Opening our first Hertfordshire Jamie's Italian is an exciting new venture for us. The Maltings is the ideal location for the restaurant as it is located centrally and offers guests a place to enjoy great food and a relaxing atmosphere after a long day of shopping".

Despite St Albans being well served with restaurants, and there being a lot of competition, rival chains such as Carluccio's, Wagamama and Pizza Express are generally always pretty busy, which bides well for Jamie's Italian being a success in the city.

Phil Corrigan, Centre Manager at The Maltings, comments: "The Maltings is extremely proud to open a Jamie's Italian as it promises to be a fantastic asset to the shopping centre and to St Albans itself. The restaurant will compliment our existing mix of high street brands and will enable shoppers to enjoy wonderful Italian food in the centre of the City."

Next week, staff training sessions take place at Jamie's Italian in St Albans and we'll get our first glimpse of what lies inside. It's been a long time coming, now let's hope it was worth the wait!