Mr Villa's restaurant reopens at the Knap in Barry

Mr Villa’s, situated opposite the picturesque Knap Lake and Gardens reopened its doors today (May 11) six months after its closure.

The long-established restaurant closed its doors in November after decades of serving fresh fish and seafood to locals and celebrities who found themselves filming in and around the Vale, with Timothy Spall, Ruth Jones and Alison Steadman having been previous customers of the venue.

Now, locals can be reassured that the venue is back open and trading once again with a revitalised menu and a fresh lick of paint, thanks to new owner and manager Cenk Senel, 48.

The exterior has even had a fresh lick of paint (Image: NQ)

Mr Senel and his team carry a wealth of hospitality experience thanks to experience in two other restaurants in the Vale – the Mezze Turkish restaurant at the Farmers Arms in Bridgend and traditional gastropub the Dog House in Marcross.

This new venture will carry some of the things that drew people the Mr Villa’s previously, adding some of the popular dishes from the old menu to a new menu with Mediterranean flavours and favourites from Mezze.

Mr Senel told the Barry and District News that he was drawn to Mr Villa’s because of its “wonderful” surroundings. The picturesque views of the ocean remind him of his hometown of Izmir in Turkey and of days in his youth spent skipping school to spend time on the beach. The Knap offers him the same “escape” from busy life.

He said: “This place has soul; it has history.

Cenk Senel (left) hopes that former customers will embrace their new menu (Image: NQ)

“The Villa family did so many good things here. We want to contribute to what they left behind and we want to help better it.”

Mr Senel and his team are dedicated to creating the familiar atmosphere that made former regulars fall in love with this restaurant. A good portion of these regulars were keen to get back to Mr Villa’s on their reopening day, expressing to the team just how much this place means to them and how excited they were to see the lights on and door open once again.

Mr Senel told the Barry and District News: “We decided to take over here because we think it’ll be good for our souls and for other people’s souls.”

If the immediate reaction to Mr Villa’s reopening from locals and former regulars is anything to go by, Mr Senel is absolutely right in thinking that it will be good for the souls of the people of Barry.