Italian fusion café set to open in former Coffi Vista building

Three brothers from Caerphilly are set to open a Welsh-Italian café bar inside the building which formerly housed Coffi Vista.

Richard Rees, alongside brothers Jonathan and Martin, plan to create a “relaxed all-day dining experience”, having been inspired by a recent trip to Italy.

The brothers already run several businesses in the town, including Ten Degrees, Team Rees Gym, Three Brothers Coffee, and Jake’s Ice Cream.

Speaking about the café, set to be named ‘Rosita’ after an Italian café owner in Rome, youngest brother Jonathan said: “My half-Italian partner and I stumbled across a bustling side street café serving the most amazing coffee and food.

“At the heart of the operation was Rosita – a woman with Italian style, fiery red hair, delivering bowls and plates of deliciousness to her customers.

“We knew we had stumbled across something special and were totally inspired. Combining the relaxed all day dining offering with some Italian inspiration will fill a gap in the market in Caerphilly.”

Jonathan added how plans are already underway to open the business on Castle Street later this year, with the opening times set to be between 9am and 9pm Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 12am on Friday and Saturday.

The public toilets beneath the building will also be open during these opening hours.

The brothers also intend on utilising the space outside the former visitor centre, which was controversially closed down in February this year.

Jonathan continued: “One particular focus is to enhance the outdoor space surrounding the venue by creating canopied, heated seating areas that allow guests to enjoy views of the castle year-round, regardless of the weather.”

Councillor Jamie Pritchard, deputy leader of the council, said: “We very much welcome the reopening of the building and the announcement of an exciting new, local tenant for this site.

“It was a difficult decision to seek an alternative private sector partner, who isn’t reliant on public subsidy, to lease the building. But the numbers of new jobs being created at this high-quality restaurant, situated in a prime location opposite our magnificent castle, is something to celebrate.

“We would like to wish everyone at Rosita’s the best of luck and I look forward to seeing the business go from strength to strength in the future.”

Caerphilly Senedd Member Hefin David added: “It’s great to see that the old Coffee Vista building will have a new lease of life in the hands of the Rees brothers.

“Their gym and restaurant Ten Degrees has shown how great they are at handling hospitality. They are an asset to Caerphilly and I look forward to visiting the new café.”