Celebrated chef closes Birmingham restaurant

Chef Aktar Islam has suddenly closed his celebrated  Italian small plates Legna restaurant in Birmingham just over a year after it opened.

The chef said that rising costs associated with the restaurant had left him with no choice but to close Legna, which is opposite his Michelin starred Indian venue Opheem in the city.

Aktar Islam told The Caterer: ““The concept worked well. It was quite unique in the space when it comes to Italian food in Birmingham. It traded well, but the location suffered from a lot of issues.

“We had roadworks that came right up to the door, the brickwork attached to the building was collapsing and that caused us issue. We’ve had issues with the developer who doubled the service charge without any real consultation or added value.

“We were also looking at large additional charges being put on commercial tenants in the development in the coming year. Rather than dealing with that, we’ve decided to focus on the two new restaurants we’re launching this year and we’ll also look to find an additional location for Legna.”

Islam is set to open his Argentinian restaurant Pulperia in Brindley Place in February – followed by a further venue in Edgbaston. He is also looking to open a boutique hotel on Summer Row, near Opheem.

He added: ““We’ve got loads going on and it’s very positive given the general feel of the country, we’ve just got to keep it working.

“Birmingham is a city I’m heavily invested in, not only because I’m a Brummie, but because I personally feel it’s a great city and has a lot of potential.”