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Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
Sanjeeta Bains

Birmingham restaurant Legna closes down

A Birmingham restaurant has closed down just months after its sister venue won a prestigious Michelin star.

Legna, in Summer Row, opened in 2018 and was run by renowned city chef Aktar Islam who said the business had been left with "no reasonable option" but to shut down.

The Italian restaurant, housed in the former Fleet Street Kitchen unit, served smaller plates and there were plans to open a cooking school in the vacant basement area.

Mr Islam indicated that it might be reborn in the city in the future.

He told trade magazine The Caterer that the venue had suffered as a result of roadworks outside the front of the building, collapsing brickwork and a property service charge being doubled.

Legna neighbours another of Mr Islam's restaurants, the high-end Indian venue Opheem, which was awarded a Michelin star in October.

He is ploughing ahead with plans to launch a pair of new restaurants called Pulperia, in Brindleyplace and Edgbaston respectively, in the coming months.

He said in a statement: "It is with great regret that we announce the closure of Legna.

"It's safe to say we had been very happy with the progress of the restaurant over the course of its first year.

"We were overjoyed to see it recommended on the Michelin Guide 10 months in - placing it alongside some other incredible restaurants this city has produced over the last decade. Alas, not everything goes to plan.

"While many options have been made available to us to simply re-locate the restaurant, there are no immediate plans for Legna as we utilise this time to focus on the two new venues already scheduled to open this year.

"Similarly, Opheem is now comfortably into its second year and plans are afoot to push further to deliver something exceptional in the space we have.

"We are sad to say goodbye to Legna and offer our heartfelt thanks to all of our guests that supported us throughout."

He added that plans to launch a new hotel in the vacant space next door to Opheem would continue unaffected by the closure of Legna.

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