Southport BID feature by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
Work is under way to create a brand new Turkish restaurant and bar in Southport town centre.
Nazar will open its doors at 517 Lord Street, on the corner with Bold Street soon.
The venue will offer an impressive menu which includes a selection of hot meze; cold meze; charcoal grilled meat; salads; and more, with bookings now open.
Guests can enjoy traditional Turkish drinks such as raki and Turkish wines.
Building work is taking place to convert the former Casablanca bar into the new venture.
It was once renowned as the home of the iconic Casa Italia, the second ever Italian restaurant to open in the town.
Successful local business owners Luminita Maranda and her partner Radu Ivan have built a regular clientele at the thriving Sapori Italian restaurant next door, at 519-521 Lord Street, which celebrated its third birthday in December last year.
Luminita and Radu completed a refurbishment of Sapori earlier this year and are now turning their full attention to getting Nazar ready to open over the next few days.
Nazar will have 80 covers, with an initial team of six members of staff.
Luminita said: “The word ‘Nazar’ comes from a concept deeply embedded in Turkish culture, and it refers to surveillance, sight and attention. We thought it was the perfect name.
“Radu and I love eating Turkish food when we go out. We often go out to great Turkish restaurants in Ormskirk or Liverpool.
“There are good Turkish takeaways in Southport but no dedicated Turkish restaurant like this.
“We wanted to add something new and exciting to Southport’s thriving dining scene.
“Turkish food is so beautiful.
“There is so much choice in Southport! You can go out and eat Italian; Thai, Vietnamese; Mexican; Chinese; French; you can eat all around the world in this town.
“Visitors have so many different places they can try.
“We wanted to add a new Turkish restaurant so people can come and try some delicious charcoal cooked lamb, chicken or beef, or try our mezze platters. It’s a perfect way to eat, which allows you to try different dishes and share with friends.
“We are determined to be open in time for the school Easter holidays, which we hope will be a busy time in Southport.
“The days have been getting warmer and we have been seeing some sunshine.
“We have the perfect spot on Lord Street with Nazar and Sapori. We have some lovely outdoor seating, which is a real suntrap!”
Spring is a time for change, for new arrivals, and Nazar is already gaining lots of interest.
Luminita said: “Since we opened Sapori, we have built up a very loyal following of customers.
“They are fascinated to know what is happening at Nazar, what it will be like and when it will be opening! We hope lots of people will come and see for themselves.
“It was great having the Casablanca bar, but the huge kitchen that has been here since the Casa Italia days is such a superb asset, and we thought it is too good to waste it.
“We are keeping Casablanca, just relocating it. We are currently in the process of looking at different sites in Southport where we could reopen it.”
It’s a busy time for builders in Southport. Construction is taking place in the Market Quarter area; builders are working on the new Southport Enterprise Arcade; workers are transforming the former Leo’s bar building on Nevill Street.
Earlier this week, Sefton Council announced that Graham Group has been chosen to build the new £73m Marine Lake Events Centre on the site of the former Southport Theatre and Convention Centre, further along Bold Street from Nazar.
Luminita said: “We are so excited about the new Marine Lake Events Centre being built!
“It is going to be an incredible new attraction for Southport. It’s going to bring so many new visitors to our town. We can’t wait.
“We are also thrilled that the Open Golf Championship is coming back to Southport next year, which is going to see people flying in from across the world.
“We have lots of big events happening this year too such as the Southport Flower Show, Southport Air Show, Southport Armed Forces Festival, the British Musical Fireworks Championships and more.
“There is always something happening here.
“We are proud to be investing in creating an exciting new dining experience in Southport town centre and look forward to welcoming people to come and visit our new Nazar restaurant and bar.”
- To book your table at Nazar please call: 01704 634410 or book via their Facebook page: (20+) Facebook
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