A new pizza restaurant and cocktail bar lands at Riverside Sunderland this week. No.32 Pizza & Cocktails opens its doors at The Beam on Plater Way on Wednesday, 8 July, filling a ground-floor unit that has stood empty since the flagship development opened in 2019.
The venue is the latest from business partners Vittorio Farigu and Tamer Hassan, the award-winning team behind Vito’s Osteria and Ember at Sheepfolds Stables. It seats 110 diners and features a dedicated cocktail lounge, a 1.5-tonne pizza oven imported from Naples, and handcrafted Neapolitan pizzas made with 32-hour fermented dough. Bookings went live on 1 July and are open now.
Farigu and Hassan first arrived in Sunderland in summer 2024 when the £4 million Sheepfolds Stables development brought their first two restaurants to the city. Since then Vito’s Osteria and Ember have picked up multiple industry awards and employ 100 people. The new No.32 concept gives Riverside Sunderland a fresh pizza and cocktail offer that the pair say complements their existing sites. “We’re bringing something different with this concept and both restaurants have their own identity, that’s different to Vito’s and Ember,” Farigu said.
The expansion into The Beam was supported by Sunderland City Council’s Business Investment Team, which helped identify the space and provided ongoing advice. Councillor Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for housing, regeneration and business, said the opening strengthens the city centre’s leisure appeal. “Their two existing restaurants may have only opened less than two years ago but have become real favourites, embedding themselves as part of the city’s community while winning numerous industry awards,” he said. The Keel Crossing bridge has meanwhile helped draw footfall across to Sheepfolds, boosting trade at the existing venues.
No.32 and Riverside Cafe have together created 100 new jobs in the city. Its decor takes a jazz and blues theme, with a colour palette inspired by tropical Calathea plants and a disco ball-style mirrored bar. Hassan added that loyal customers made the expansion possible. “One of the most important things for us is all our customers who have been with us since day one,” he said. “It’s thanks to them we’ve been able to open these two new restaurants.”
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