‘Thank you for never supporting us’: Italia…

The owner of an Italian restaurant in Highgate, North London has taken aim at the ‘sheer indifference’ of wealthy locals after being forced to close down.

Don Ciccio on Hampstead Lane shut last week after six years of serving £18 pizzas and £26 pasta dishes to well-heeled residents with a parting swipe at locals for ‘never supporting us, not even once’.

Marco who worked as a civil engineer before founding the restaurant in 2019, railed against locals for their ‘sheer indifference’ in a farewell post on Don Ciccio’s website.

Despite being named Traveller’s Choice on Tripadvisor between 2023 and 2025, and a rating of 4.7 out of five stars on GoogleMarco said that ‘bad food, bad reviews, or bad luck’ were not to blame, but rather ‘the sheer indifference of our neighbours’.

He also accused The Highgate Society, a community events organisation, of never responding to requests for collaboration and criticised locals for ordering takeaways elsewhere – leaving his staff ‘humiliated’ by empty dining rooms.

‘We have closed due to a lack of customers,’ the furious statement read.

‘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.

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 in the beautiful village of Highgate. Bringing your the real taste of Italy and one of the best pizza in London!’

‘A little corner of Italy in the heart of London, ready to welcome you with warmth and flavour,’ the bio continued.

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

It read: ‘Your affection has been our energy, our motivation to do better every day. And seeing your appreciation reflected in our wondering 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 reviews on Google have seen an influx of 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.’

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 Daily Mail has reached out to Don Ciccio for comment.