ABERGAVENNY town centre will have a new restaurant this week, following the opening of Portico Lounge.

The restaurant, in Frogmore Street, opens today (Wednesday). It is owned by the West Country-based restaurant and cafe group Loungers, and will be the sister restaurant to the Estero Lounge which opened in Monmouth in 2016.

In a statement ahead of the launch, Loungers said the opening of Portico Lounge would create 25 local jobs.

The firm has spent £800,000 transforming the site, which was formerly occupied by the New Look clothes shop.

Loungers described Portico Lounge as “a family-friendly retro-inspired cosy retreat, where eclectic artwork and quirky curios sit next to oversized vintage sofas and old school benches, strikingly painted table tops and statement lighting, in Loungers’ eclectic style”.

The firm said it had paid particular attention has been paid to families, with games, books, colouring pencils and pads, a full menu for younger customers, and high chairs and baby-change facilities.

Loungers’ operations manager Jeremy Burton-Dickie said: “We can’t wait to get in and get going at Portico Lounge and become involved in the community, who we hope will love lounging as much as we do.”

A community notice board is available for those wanting to publicise events and a book swap area is kept well stocked.

The staff will also be holding regular fundraising events as part of their commitment to making a difference in the community, and has chosen to support the fundraising effort for Jacob’s Fight, the campaign set up to fund specialist treatment for three-year-old Jacob Jones, who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in 2017.

Loungers said Jacob’s cause struck a chord with the Portico Lounge team, who would now raise funds by donating 50p from every burger and 10p from every coffee sold during the first month of trading.