Prezzo Italian is to open on Edinburgh’s George Street at the former Gusto Italian site. The news come as Prezzo Italian, which has recently rebranded, announced it will be opening its first new restaurants in five years, as the operator strengthens its portfolio by establishing presence in Rugby alongside Edinburgh.
The Prezzo Italian team have quickly engaged with the former Gusto Italian team who were sadly made redundant and offered all of them employment on the same terms or better than their previous roles. 16 of the former team will return with hopefully more to confirm in the coming days.
The new Edinburgh restaurant, set to open this month at 135 George Street, is the latest step in Prezzo Italian’s growth strategy as its team eyes up further opportunities for expansion, including Central London.
This announcement comes off the back of a strong business performance. Like-for-like sales in Q3 have so far grown +11%, driven by revitalised menus, upgraded restaurants, the new ‘Club Prezzo’ App and an improved guest experience. Locations which have received the new Prezzo Italian look and feel have been performing ahead of expectations, with the four refurbished restaurants delivering an average of +60% growth compared to the prior year. The success of Prezzo Italian’s overall brand revitalisation has led to the business looking to ramp up investments in 2026. It now plans to refurbish 40 extra locations, on top of the 15 already scheduled for 2025.
James Brown, CEO of Prezzo Italian, said: “This is a hugely exciting moment for Prezzo Italian, as we look to open our first new restaurants in five years. Gusto Italian’s George Street site was an appealing investment, with high footfall in Scotland’s capital city. We have long been looking for additional Scottish locations as part of our long-term strategy to further grow our UK footprint. We are excited to come back to Edinburgh and deliver our new menu, reaffirming our position in the market as the ‘home of the Italian classics’.
“Acquiring this prime location site in Edinburgh is a real statement of intent and shows the commitment and confidence we have in our brand. We are seeing fantastic results from the investment we’ve made in our restaurants and teams across the UK, and there is a renewed energy across the business. With double-digit sales growth and a pipeline of opportunities ahead, we’re building a stronger, more relevant Prezzo Italian for the future.”
Prezzo Italian also operates in Glasgow’s Braehead shopping centre and Aberdeen’s Union Square.
