R-L Richard Rees, Head Chef Dan Frizaru, Sous Chef Kenny Bell, Jonathan Rees
Three brothers are preparing to open a new café bar after taking over the lease of the former Coffi Vista site, in a prime location opposite the town’s magnificent castle.
Jonathan, Richard, and Martin Rees, owners of Ten Degrees at Market Street Bar & Restaurant, Team Rees Gym, Three Brothers Coffee, and Jake’s Ice Cream & Co, plan to create a space inspired by the Italian cafés that brought a rich coffee culture to the Welsh valleys after the Second World War.
Rosita’s will occupy the currently vacant building on Castle Street offering a relaxed all-day dining experience from breakfast to dinner combining Welsh classics with Italian favourites. A drinks menu featuring coffees, teas, beers, cocktails and wines will be served to guests in a remodelled interior and exterior.
Youngest brother Jonathan said the idea for Rosita’s came during a trip to Rome with his half-Italian partner when the couple stumbled across a bustling side street café serving the most amazing coffee, breakfast, sandwiches, and steak and fries.
“At the heart of the operation was Rosita - a woman with Italian style, fiery red hair, delivering bowls and plates of deliciousness to her customers,” Jonathan said.
“We knew we had stumbled across something special and were totally inspired. Combining the relaxed all day dining offering with some Italian inspiration will fill a gap in the market in Caerphilly.”
The brothers hope the casual dining experience will prove a draw for customers in Caerphilly and beyond, with planned opening hours of 9am to 9pm Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 12am on Friday and Saturday. The public will have full access to toilet facilities at the venue during regular opening times.
Jonathan said one particular focus is to enhance the outdoor space surrounding the venue by creating canopied, heated seating areas that allow guests to enjoy views of the castle year-round, regardless of the weather.
“We aim to create a vibrant café-bar culture that befits a world-class attraction like the castle,” Jonathan said.
“Our goal, in line with the Caerphilly 2035 regeneration project’s bold ambitious vision for a thriving town centre, is to elevate Caerphilly as a modern, thriving tourist destination. Developments such a Ffos Caerffili and the recent opening of Consurio Lounge in Castle Court Shopping Centre show how much of a buzz there is currently around bringing new inward investment to the town’s hospitality sector.
“Preparations are well underway to deliver our vision for what this space can be for the people of Caerphilly, and we can’t wait to begin welcoming our first guests into Rosita’s later this year.”
Councillor Jamie Pritchard, Deputy Leader of Caerphilly Council said: “We very much welcome the reopening of the building and the announcement of an exciting new, local tenant for this site.
“It was a difficult decision to seek an alternative private sector partner, who isn’t reliant on public subsidy, to lease the building. But the numbers of new jobs being created at this high-quality restaurant, situated in a prime location opposite our magnificent castle, is something to celebrate.
“We would like to wish everyone at Rosita’s the best of luck and I look forward to seeing the business go from strength to strength in the future.”