Recently closed Ponteland restaurant Eleven to reopen as Bawn serving small plates and pizza

The new restaurant, which will be named Bawn, will focus on high-quality ingredients and simple cooking, serving small plates and New York-style pizzas at the same location on Main Street.

After opening in 2021 and quickly earning an inclusion in the Michelin Guide it was announced that Eleven would be closing in March 2023, but the owners’ new venture could open before May.

Co-owner Danny Land said: “Times are really tough at the minute for everybody, but very much so in our industry, so we took the difficult decision that Eleven probably was not at the right time and the right location for what we were doing.

“We made the switch to Bawn, which is keeping the same ethos as Eleven, keeping the same standards as Eleven, but we are just stripping it right back to something that we hope is going to be a little bit more approachable for everybody.

“There are a lot of people in the village in Ponteland, and I think we needed to do something that suits them.”

Bawn is a historical term for enclosed land surrounding a castle. It was chosen as the restaurant name to tie in with surnames of Danny and co-owner Stephen Pitfield, as well as the venue’s proximity to Ponteland’s historical tower.

It also sounds similar to the word born, tying in with the idea of the restaurant being “born again.”

Danny added: “We are going to transfer the same ethos, same passion, same standards across to Bawn.

“We are excited because everybody loves pizza.”