Peterborough city centre restaurant owner calling it a day as flats plan submitted

Nick Rutta has run Embe Afro-Caribbean restaurant and bar across two floors in Cowgate for the past five years.

Now he says with the uncertainty over the building’s use – he will not be renewing his lease when it expires soon.

Instead he is launching Embe 2 Go – with a hospitality van conversion almost complete and him concentrating on festivals and outdoor events.

To his loyal customers, he points out: “ I will carry on cooking the food everyone knows me for and I am still going to be around.”

Nick, who has been delighting Peterborough diners with his soulfood at venues across the city for two decades, says he hasn’t got a closing date but will be reducing his menu offerings as the date nears.

And he hasn’t given up on the idea of reopening Embe and a takeaway if he can find the right unit.

Good-Design-Ing Ltd, on behalf of the owner, has applied to the city council for permission to make alterations to form additional flats at 36 Cowgate, which a lot of city people will still remember as the former Topo Gigio Italian restaurant.

The applicant now wants to convert the first floor to two flats and subdivide the top floors to two flats each.

A design and access statement forming part of the application says: “The applicant wishes to redevelop the upper residential floors, with improved arrangements, whilst changing the first floor to residential and retaining the ground floor as a restaurant.

“The restaurant element is located in heavily populated food orientated part of the city. In order to maintain the viability it is proposed to change the first floor to residential use, which is common practice.”