Falkirk's Amodo Mio restaurant says '˜Ciao' after six years

Carolina di Vito, who has run Amodo Mio with brother Giovanni Pia, says all at the restaurant are “gutted” to have to make the decision to leave - but have concluded they need to consolidate their resources on the new venture they plan to open in the capital.

“It has been a fantastic six years in Falkirk, and we are genuinely so sorry to be going”, she said today, “but we are keen to launch a new venture which we think is going to bring something really interesting to the scene in Edinburgh.

“We decided it was a good move to make, and sadly that means we have to leave Falkirk.

“Our customers have been amazing, and we are so sorry to be leaving them”.

She added: “Saturday is our last night, and bookings are going very quickly - so anyone who wants to dine in our Falkirk restaurant for the last time should book soon.”

Amodo Mio last year won a gold award in the Independent Italian Restaurant category at the nationwide Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association (PAPA) Awards in London.

The accolade comes a year after winning best independent Italian restaurant in the entire UK, while chef Giovanni Pia picked up the best short cut pasta prize.

Carolina said of the PAPA award: “I think what gave us the edge is that this is a real family, intimate restaurant.

“My brother and I do the menus ourselves, and we get a lot of families dining here and repeat customers”.

Amodo Mio translates as “My Way”, summing up the authentic home kitchen inspiration behind the dishes which have so impressed regular diners and award judges.

The new restaurant aims to have a noticeably young feel to it, and will be open by around the middle of next month.

Its name and exact site are not being disclosed, as key business details have still to be finalised.

It isn’t known whether a new operator is set to move into the Falkirk premises.