A popular pasta and pizza restaurant is set to return to Southampton less than three months after it suddenly disappeared from Westquay.

L’Osteria closed its doors to customers in April after seven years of being open in the city.

A notice was put on the door stating that, to the disappointment of many, the Italian eatery was disappearing from Westquay and the doors were padlocked shut.

In the past week, residents and shoppers in the city centre area noticed a new sign on the doors of the building stating that it will soon be coming back to Westquay.

Currently, the sign on the door reads: “Dear La Famiglia, we are very happy to announce that we will be re-opening very soon.

“We look forward to welcoming you all back.”

The Italian restaurant has just two stores in the UK with a second venue in Bristol and more than 60 restaurants across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

L’Osteria’s Southampton site is 7,400 square feet and has two floors.

The venue also has a first-floor balcony of 610 square feet, and an external 1,140-square foot seating area at ground floor level.

Speaking when the restaurant closed, regular L’Osteria customer, Flo Shanahan, said that she was disappointed by the sudden closure.

She said: “We are absolutely gutted at the news of the closure; my family and I eat here all the time on birthdays and celebrations.

“It’s not at all over-priced, we love Italian food and the venue is nice inside.

“It’s really surprising – we have been here at least 10 to 15 times now and every time we visit the restaurant is completely packed.

“It is my daughter's absolute favourite place to eat out.”

At the present time, it is unclear when the store might re-open to customers in Southampton.

Westquay has been approached for more information.