ITALIAN restaurant Zizzi has undergone a £100,000 refurbishment.

The York restaurant, one of 120 in the chain in the UK, was revamped as part of a brand-wide initiative to localise the decor in its branches.

Paolo Sunda, general manager of the York restaurant, in Lendal, said: “All the branches used to be very homogenous, but three years ago they decided to bring in local artists to add a feel of the geographical region they were in.”

Artist Roberta Muzzetta, who studied at the School of Art in Sicily, but also works as a waitress at the restaurant, was given the chance to promote her skills by painting a mural in the restaurant, incorporating York icons such as the Minster, the York Eye and Millennium Bridge into the work.

Abigail Borg, of Birmingham, also painted a mural in the upstairs area of the restaurant, which used to be a presbyterian chapel, depicting the Minster’s rose window in cocoa beans.

The refurbishment included new air conditioning, lighting, and a new colour scheme with more colourful walls and chairs, and displays of foods, such as salamis, around its open plan kitchen.