'Rising costs' force permanent closure of Kensington restaurant Pino

15-Jun-2022 - Last updated on 15-Jun-2022 at 10:06 GMT

Pino, the sister restaurant to the highly-regarded Il Portico in London's Kensington, has permanently shut its doors less than a year after opening.

As reported by CODE Hospitality, the restaurant, which is owned by restaurateur James Chiavarini, closed on Monday (13 June) due to ‘rising costs’.

We’re the same as any other independent restaurant I guess – we were being squeezed between rising costs and not enough sales,” Chiavarini told CODE.

“I’m not taking it personally, and I think it’s going to be a bloodbath out there this year.”

Named after Chiavarini's father, who opened the nearby Il Portico in 1967, Pino launched in July last year and took its inspiration from the neighbourhood of Enoteche and Osterie in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

Its menu featured a selection of tapas-style sharing dishes including Campari-cured salmon with caperberries and beetroot; native Colchester oysters with house apple balsamic and tropea onion vinegar; and fried zucchini flowers stuffed with citrus and ricotta.

Speaking to CODE, Chiavarini added that while he was disappointed at closing Pino, Il Portico's business remains strong with the restaurant set to open a summer terrace later this week.

Pino's closure is reflective of wider struggles being felt by restaurateurs across the sector.

Earlier this month, UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls warned that more than 10,000 pubs and restaurants are at risk of closure due to 'perfect storm' of inflation and surging energy costs.

“We’re already seeing a lot of independent operators handing in the keys and walking away,” she told The Mail on Sunday.

“I’ve never seen such a toxic cocktail of costs. It is a perfect storm.”