Street food vendors Belpassi Bros head to Tooting Broadway for first restaurant
Gourmet Italian meatball vendor Belpassi Bros is taking its street food to Tooting, London, with the opening of its first restaurant this summer.
The company, which is run by twin brothers Livio and Lorenzo Belpassi, currently trades from a 1967 Fiat truck in Horner Square in Old Spitalfields Market in London as well as plying the events and pop up restaurant scene. The brothers now plan to open their first restaurant, dubbed Belpassi Bros, at 70 Tooting High Street on Tooting Broadway in London, in June this year.
Livio Belpassi told The Caterer that the 40-cover restaurant is a "natural progression" in the company's development, following three years of working the street food, pop up restaurant and events scene with their gourmet meatballs, which the brothers devised after time spent working and travelling in Italy.
Belpassi added: "Our offering is very simple and reflects our upbringing. Our father is Italian, from Rome, and our mother from South East London. Growing up we always knew we were a bit more passionate and emotional about food than our friends."
He added: "There are people who do great meatballs in London but what we have is very different. What we offer is a delicious product from an Italian background but which is also very relevant to where we grew up in London.
"These are Italian meatballs with amazing sauces and all our food is fresh. We have no freezer and everything is cooked fresh every day. We want people to see that and as our name is on the product we stand by the quality of our product."
Belpassi added that the company also plans to continue expanding its presence on the UK's street food and events scene.
"The London food scene has become quite celebrity. People know quality and when they find it and it is accessible, that demand can really grow," he said, adding that currently over 40% of Belpassi Bros' revenue from Spitalfields Market is from repeat trade.
Belpassi said the company is currently looking for a head chef and a chef de partie as well as additional part-time front of house and kitchen staff for the Tooting restaurant.
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