Piccolino in Alderley Edge, one of the Cheshire village's best known restaurants frequented by celebrities and millionaires, is to cease trading in the New Year.
The Italian restaurant, based in the former Brasingamens building on London Road, announced the shock news of its closure on Facebook on Thursday night.
It will continue to trade over the anticipated busy New Year's weekend, before closing for the final time on January 4.
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The restaurant is owned by Individual Restaurants Group, which owns a host of other Piccolino restaurants across the UK, including a prominent site on Manchester's Albert Square.
The group had announced in August that it would be closing its Alderley Bar and Grill restaurant at the far end of the affluent village 's London Road, as well as its Manchester flagship, Restaurant Bar and Grill on John Dalton Street as well as two other Piccolinos in York and Clitheroe.
The statement on the Alderley Edge Piccolino Facebook page was issued as an update to followers on Thursday evening.
It read: "Valued guests and followers: as of 4th January 2022, Piccolino in Alderley Edge, will no longer be part of the Individual Restaurant family and will cease trading as a Piccolino restaurant.
"We would love to welcome you to any one of our other restaurants across the UK with open arms.
"Your nearest Piccolino restaurants are Piccolino Bramhall, Piccolino Knutsford and Piccolino Hale, which has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment and looks incredible.
"The teams look forward to giving you a very warm welcome, along with Giuseppe Esposito who has joined the team in Hale as General Manager.
"Giuseppe was previously the General Manager at Piccolino, Alderley Edge, so many of you will know him well from his days in there.
"With best wishes to you, from all at Individual Restaurants."
The Piccolino restaurant is based on the ground floor of the building, next to Alderley Edge's main train station, and features a large popular terrace area at the front of the venue which is known as a hotspot for revellers on sunny days in the village which is at the heart of Cheshire's "Golden Triangle".
The venue has long been known as fertile territory for the area's footballers and celebrities, with the Real Housewives of Cheshire also regularly filming there for their hit ITVBe show.
The closure of Piccolino follows hot on the heels of the closure of the Yu upmarket Chinese restaurant that was formerly based in the first floor of the venue.
The MEN understands the whole building is to be kept in use to launch as a newly-named restaurant and bar in 2022, although details have not yet been confirmed by the owner.
We have asked the Individual Restaurant Group for further comment.
Followers on the Piccolino Facebook page expressed their shock and sadness at the closure news.
Kathryn Burke wrote: "Just when you think this Christmas couldn’t get any worse!"
While Catherine Bennion added: "So sad, my favourite restaurant."
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