A POPULAR Wrexham restaurant has had its expansion plans approved just in time for the festive season. 

Portuguese restaurant 'Lisbon Tapas' has confirmed its plans to expand the business, enabling more customers to enjoy their highly praised menu.

David Bartolomeu, restaurant manager,has confirmed the plans to expand following a successful inspection by Wrexham Council. Work to improve the much-loved venue has already begun.

He said: "We had a council inspection on Monday and all has been approved.

"Everything will be going ahead as planned and we will be relaunching in approximately three weeks in time for the Christmas period.

"At the present moment, we're having to turn away more customers but this will be a really important step for the restaurant in the long run.

RECOMMENDED READING:

"The main objective is to stop refusing people at the door. It's disheartening to turn so many guests away that want to try our food."

The first floor of the building will be used for storage, refrigeration, staff toilets and the office. The kitchen and preparation area will be expanded, and a new kitchen porter section will be installed.

There will also be new toilets, including disabled toilets, more seating, a larger waiting area, more privacy and, overall, more comfort. 

When Jay Rayner visited Wrexham's Lisbon Tapas Restaurant earlier this month, his complimentary review received a lot of attention.

Both David and José Simões, business director and head chef, were "extremely pleased" with the wonderful praise they received over the summer, contributing to their goal to grow the business.

A reopening date is yet to be confirmed but the builders continue to work tirelessly to progress with the plans.