An Italian restaurant called Siena's has moved into the former home of the much-loved Indian restaurant Last Days of the Raj in Dinnington, Northumberland, and a sign has gone up on the building.
Closure of a local favourite
Last Days of the Raj shut its doors earlier this year, prompting sadness among locals. The restaurant first became a favourite in Low Fell, Gateshead, before closing there in 2012. It then moved to Dinnington Village in 2015, opening inside what had been The Bay Horse pub.
Just like the Low Fell branch, the Dinnington restaurant quickly earned strong reviews, with five-star feedback coming in consistently. Its closure was announced over the summer in a short social media statement.
New sign and excited locals
The statement read: "The restaurant is now closed. The past 11 years have been a rollercoaster for us. Unfortunately we are not able to continue in the current climate and the increased costs have made it difficult to stay open. Thank you to all our customers and especially the residents of the village who have made us welcome for the past decade."
Now, a new sign for Siena's has appeared above the door on Main Road. The team behind it has made two posts on Facebook so far. The first read: "Something special is coming to Dinnington. Siena’s Italian Restaurant Coming Soon." The second showed the sign had been installed, with the post: "The sign is up! Our phone line isn’t working just yet, but we’re getting there! More updates coming soon."
Community reaction
The post attracted close to 300 likes and many comments. One local wrote: "Can’t wait for this to open, so handy as well, just along the road actually!!!" Another replied: "I can imagine this will be super. A real authentic Italian restaurant in Dinnington Great stuff."
