Traditional Italian restaurant, Pizza Da Mario, to open in Sheep Market, Stamford

A pair of best friends is set to bring artisan Neapolitan cuisine to the town.

Work is currently under way at a building in Sheep Market, Stamford, which is set to house a new restaurant, Pizza Da Mario.

The building, which sits below the bus station, was previously a lettings agency but the ground floor, which is owned and leased by South Kesteven District Council, has been empty since December 2019.

The co-owners of the new pizzeria both live in the area and will put a focus on using a mix of local produce and traditional Italian products.

The bespoke pizza oven, which will be a key feature of the restaurant, is to be bought in from Italy and installed by experts. Due to it's traditional high temperature, it will allow chefs to cook pizzas in about one minute.

"It's not something you see around here," said the 35-year-old co-owner, who wishes to remain anonymous at this time.

"We will have a lovely outside dining area.

"We are really excited as it's something different from other businesses in Stamford, you see more of this sort of thing in London.

"We are hoping Stamford will crave for it."

There will be 18 seating spaces in total and the inside of the building will be open plan so diners can see their food being cooked.

The paved area at the front of the building will be utilised with Parisian-style seating, and plants and flowers will be planted to give a cheery feel.

The 33-year-old co-owner said: "People didn't use to use much outdoor, but with covid people are using it a bit more."

Work has started on the inside of the building and the pair aim to open in about four months.

At a meeting of the district council’s cabinet earlier this year Kelham Cooke (Con - Casewick), who is leader of the council, spoke enthusiastically about the proposed new “artisan pizzeria” and said he was looking forward to seeing the paved area to the front of the building used for outdoor dining.