A young chef is set to breathe new life into a popular Newcastle restaurant that was once owned by his late grandfather.
Sabas on the city's Quayside will reopen under the new name of Lui's in mid-November after undergoing a major revamp.
The Italian restaurant, which has been in the city for decades, has now been taken over by Daniel Bernardelli, 24, who changed its name in a tribute to his grandfather, Luigi Bernardelli.
Luigi, who was known as 'Lui,' was the original owner of the restaurant when it was called Michelangelo’s, and now his grandson Daniel is set to carry on his family's legacy after becoming its new owner.
And it's a proud moment for Daniel, from Whitley Bay, who has spent years working as a chef before taking on the new venture just six weeks ago.
"It is like a dream come true," he said.
"I have always wanted to own my own restaurant and name it after my granddad. It was my granddad's restaurant originally and he called it Michelangelo’s.
"His name was Luigi Bednardelli and everyone used to call him Lui, so I am naming it after him."
The restaurant will be closed next week while work gets underway to transform the venue with a new bar and restaurant area. Once open, customers will be able to enjoy a brand-new menu featuring new dishes including veal and seabass, as well as a range of live music on weekends.
"I am just trying to revamp the place and make it a bit more modern and up-to-date," Daniel said.
"We will have entertainment on the weekends including DJs and live singers and serve modern Italian food.
"The menu has completely changed from Sabas. We will still do pizza, pasta, and small plates, but we will also bring some old dishes back with a modern twist."
The restaurant is also keeping its long-serving staff, with some who have worked there for around 20 years, but there will be a new kitchen team.
A Christmas menu and Christmas bottomless brunch will also be introduced and new owner Daniel was keen to stress all festive bookings before the revamp will be honoured.
On what diners can expect from the decor inside, Daniel said: "There is going to be big LED neon signs and one of them will be 'Get loose at Lui's' which will be big on the wall. There will be a polaroid camera so when people come down they can take their own pictures and take them home with them.
"We will also have a wall at the back where we will put people's pictures on. We are just trying to bring it back up to the modern day and make it a bit more Instagrammable."
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