Italian restaurant group expands with £1m Selfridges move

Italian restaurant group, San Carlo is expanding its operations with a £1m move into Selfridges in Birmingham.

The family-owned and run group, which has 17 leading UK restaurants – including the original San Carlo on Temple Street, is to open a Fumo restaurant, champagne and cocktail bar at the Bullring department store this autumn.

Fumo will be located on the 4th floor balcony looking out over the busy shopping centre. The new restaurant will follow the success of other Fumo venues in Birmingham, Manchester and St Martins Lane, London, by serving a range of seasonal Italian small plate dishes. It will also have a feature bar specialising in cocktails and Laurent Perrier champagne.

The new restaurant will be the third Selfridges San Carlo Group restaurant – San Carlo Bottega and Gran Café are situated within Selfridges Exchange Square, Manchester.

The group’s success has been built on providing original Italian food using the freshest produce, much of which is flown in from markets in Milan and Sicily.

The Fumo brand was first launched in Birmingham five years ago; situated in the building adjoining the original San Carlo but with an entrance in Waterloo Street.

A further 16 individually designed venues are located in Manchester, Cheshire, Liverpool, Leeds, Roundhay, Bristol, Leicester and London and further afield diners enjoy San Carlo restaurants in Qatar, Bahrain and Bangkok.

Pictured from left are: Marcello-Distefano, managing director, San Carlo Group, Sam Watts, general manager, Selfridges-Birmingham, Carlo Distefano, chairman, San Carlo Group and Sacha Distefano, director, San Carlo Group.