Pizza Express is set to make a return to Edinburgh’s Stockbridge after vacating an “iconic” riverside building in the area last year.
The city council has granted the pizza chain a premises licence for a unit on Raeburn Place previously used as a chocolate factory and café.
A licensing meeting heard the company was keen to re-open a restaurant in Stockbridge following the closure of its Deanhaugh Street eatery.
Pizza Express said in February last year that it was “sadly” moving out of the building on the banks of the Water of Leith after over a decade there.
The former bank has long been a popular choice for diners with its outdoor terrace overlooking the river and has since been taken over by another pizzeria chain, Franco Manca.
However plans for Pizza Express to move in round the corner were revealed at the council’s licensing board meeting on Monday.
The new premises will be located at 122-124 Raeburn Place, which was home to Ocelot Chocolate until its shock closure in July, just four months after opening.
A licensing lawyer told councillors that Pizza Express has “an interesting relationship with the community in Stockbridge”.
She added: “They were in quite an iconic building on the Water of Leith which is now Franco Manca.”
They moved out last March but “want to stay in Stockbridge,” the meeting heard.
The board unanimously granted a variation to the premises licence to amend the layout plan and increase on sales capacity.
Pizza Express was contacted for comment.
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