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Welsh-Italian café bar, Rosita’s, is set to open its doors this Saturday (March 8) from the old Coffi Vista site in Caerphilly town centre.

The former visitor’s centre has undergone a £275,000 refurbishment, with the project led by three brothers; Jonathan, Richard, and Martin Rees, who also own Ten Degrees, Team Rees Gym, Three Brothers Coffee, and Jake’s Ice Cream.

Caerphilly Observer attended the soft launch of the restaurant during which Richard Rees thanked everyone for their support, and explained the story of how Rosita’s came to be.

The idea for Rosita’s was born out of a trip youngest brother Jonathan made to Rome with his half-Italian partner. The couple were searching for somewhere to eat when they stumbled across a side street café serving amazing food and incredible coffee. At the heart of the operation was Rosita. 

Inspired, Jonathan brought his vision for an all-day dining experience with some “Italian flare” for Caerphilly back to his brothers Martin and Richard, who got behind the idea.  

Speaking about the work put-in by the brothers, Martin said: “After months of putting our heart and souls into this project, we are super proud to finally be able to welcome the people of Caerphilly to Rosita’s for the first time.

“We have been blown away by the number of visits we’ve had from people excited to see progress while work has been ongoing.”

Martin added how pleased he is that the business has created 14 full-time equivalent jobs for “local people”.

He continued: “It’s clear how much this building means to people, and we’re so pleased to be able to give it a new lease of life.

“We are not only going to be offering a great day time experience but also a fantastic nighttime offering strengthening Caerphilly’s position as a destination for visitors and locals.”

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s deputy leader, Jamie Pritchard, said he is looking forward to seeing “change happen” in Caerphilly town centre, adding: “The opening of Rosita’s marks a new start for this landmark building in the centre of Caerphilly, with a homegrown business offering many new job opportunities for local people.

“The increased opening hours and diverse offering will add fresh vibrancy to the town centre.

“As a council, we are committed to supporting and encouraging private sector investment in our town centres, and improving Caerphilly for its people, businesses, and visitors through our work on the Caerphilly Town 2035 masterplan.”