The proprietor of an Italian eatery in Highgate, North London, has expressed frustration over the perceived apathy of affluent locals, which he blames for his restaurant’s closure.

Don Ciccio, situated on Hampstead Lane, ceased operations last week after delighting the upscale community with its £18 pizzas and £26 pasta dishes for six years. In a farewell message, the owner lamented the lack of support from residents, claiming they never patronized the establishment.

Marco Claudio Valente, a former civil engineer who launched Don Ciccio in 2019, penned a poignant final note on the restaurant’s website. He dismissed common pitfalls like poor cuisine, negative reviews, or misfortune as the cause, instead pointing to the ‘sheer indifference’ of the neighborhood as the true culprit.

Despite receiving the Traveller’s Choice accolade on Tripadvisor from 2023 to 2025 and boasting a commendable 4.7-star rating on Google, these accolades were insufficient to sustain the restaurant.

Valente also criticized The Highgate Society, a local community organization, for ignoring collaboration efforts and censured potential customers for opting for takeout from other places, leaving his restaurant’s staff disheartened by the sight of empty tables.

“We have closed due to a lack of customers,” the impassioned statement concluded.

‘To those who lived a few doors away yet ordered delivery from somewhere else – thank you for your commitment to distance.

‘To those we served during lockdown, when we were the only restaurant open, thank you for never visiting us once the pandemic ended.

The owners of Don Ciccio in Highgate (pictured) have taken aim at the area’s wealthy residents after it was forced to close 

Another stinging barb read: ‘To those who said, back in 2019, ‘they’ll close within three months’ – congratulations! You were only off by five years and nine months.’

‘We are guests in this country, and as guests, we will not complain. We’ll simply say: addio. And now, with gratitude.

‘To our staff – Roberto, Diego, Daniele, the many waiters and chefs who came and went – thank you for your passion, and for enduring the humiliation of entire evenings with an empty dining room.

‘To our faithful customers – we’ll miss you. Perhaps one day we’ll meet again, in Italy.’

Don Ciccio, named after the main character in The Godfather, was located a short walk from Hampstead Heath – one of North London’s most affluent areas, where the average property price is close to £1 million. 

On Instagram, the restaurant described itself as a ‘true Italian’, offering the ‘real taste’ of Italy and even boasted of serving ‘one of the best pizzas in London’.

Don Ciccio also shared a much milder statement to Instagram, speaking of the ‘deep emotion’ that came with the decision to close. 

Marco Claudio Valente (pictured), the restaurant’s owner and founder, had previously worked as a civil engineer before founding the restaurant in 2019

A statement shared on the restaurant’s website made for a furious takedown of the local community

It read: ‘Your affection has been our energy, our motivation to do better every day. And seeing your appreciation reflected in our wonderful 4.7 rating on Google is not just a number, it’s a symbol of the special bond we built together. 

‘Every review, every kind word, every piece of advice helped us grow and improve.’ 

Recent Google reviews before the closure have been five-star ratings, with people branding it ‘a hidden gem’ and ‘amazing authentic Italian food’. 

However, one local reviewer criticised the ‘portion sizes’, saying they had ordered a small tomato sauce dish for their children and were charged £18 for a full-sized pasta dish. 

Another said it took them ’30 minutes just to get noticed’ after sitting down and waited another 25 minutes for drinks and starters. 

When the food did arrive, the disappointed customer then said the ‘potatoes were cold’. 

Another negative review on Tripadvisor in September read: ‘The first course took half an hour to arrive and waitress very surly. Main course took more than a hour to arrive and was terrible. 

‘Tiny piece seabass with mashed potato and teaspoon of crispy kale. Cost £26. Cod with roast potatoes and beans has three thin slices of potato and three beans, cost £26.’

Don Ciccio had offered customers a selection of Italian dishes, with pizzas priced from £10 for a margherita (inside of the restaurant pictured)

The restaurant notably shared a much milder statement to Instagram, speaking of the ‘deep emotion’ that came with the decision to close

Andrew Sulston, chair of the Highgate Society, told Ham & High: ‘We are always very sorry when any local business closes. 

‘Because Highgate Society has no paid staff and all our activities are run by volunteers, we unfortunately cannot always follow up on all requests.’

The news comes amid a difficult week for the hospitality sector, after it was revealed Pizza Hut is to close 68 restaurants and 11 delivery sites after it fell into administration yesterday. 

It means that more than 1,200 people will lose their jobs – though the full list of restaurants set to close has not yet been released. 

Following the announcement, analysts have revealed how the chain’s collapse is a warning for the hospitality industry as a whole, stating that the traditional restaurant model is ‘broken’. 

Gary Hemming, of abcfinance.co.uk, said: ‘Pizza Hut’s second collapse in just nine months is a stark warning for the hospitality sector.

‘When a business enters administration twice within a year, with £40million in unpaid debt and an HMRC winding-up petition, it signals fundamental structural problems that quick-fix rescue deals simply can’t solve.

‘The real story isn’t just about Pizza Hut, it’s about the brutal mathematics facing casual dining chains. 

‘With energy costs up 300 per cent, labour shortages pushing wages higher and customers pivoting to delivery apps, the traditional restaurant model is broken.’

Indeed, British families are suffering so-called ‘bill shock’ amid rampant food inflation which continues to surge under the Labour government, with meals out at a mid-market chain for four people starting to cost more than £100 as standard.

The average restaurant meal cost 4.9 per cent more in August than it did a year earlier, according to the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics.

A sign on the outside of the restaurant now reads that it has closed, adding ‘come back soon to shop small’

Meanwhile, more than half of job losses since Rachel Reeves’s tax raid on firms have been in pubs, cafes, restaurants and other hospitality businesses, an analysis found in August. 

Research by UKHospitality, an industry lobby group, showed almost 89,000 jobs have been lost in the hospitality sector since the Budget last October.

This was 53 per cent of the 164,641 total job losses in the UK reported by the Office for National Statistics over the same period.

Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, said at the time: ‘The number of job losses suffered in hospitality since the Budget is staggering.

‘More than half of all job losses since October occurring in hospitality is further evidence that our sector has been by far the hardest hit by the Government’s regressive tax increases.

‘The sheer scale of costs being placed upon hospitality has forced businesses to take agonisingly tough decisions to cut jobs – with part–time and flexible roles often those most at risk.

‘At a time when the country needs jobs, the Government should be encouraging hospitality to grow and create jobs, not tax them out of existence.’

Restaurant and pub owners have told of the difficulties they have faced amid rising costs in recent months. 

James Nye, managing director of Anglian Country Inns, told The Guardian in August: ‘We’ve had a strong start to the year with three months of sunshine. 

‘But I think that has masked the challenges the sector is facing. When the rain comes you can see how overheads have gone up.

‘Since April we have had a lot of increase in overheads, pretty much across the board. We’ve got food price inflation, the big one is labour, with the NICs [employer national insurance contributions] and national minimum wage, and everything is getting more expensive.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Don Ciccio for comment.