HOPING to make it a hat-trick of dining successes, the team behind Newport’s Parc Pantry have opened their third venue – this time in the city centre.

In 2014, childhood friends Matt Ellis and Ant Cook opened Malpas café Parc Pantry. This was followed by The Tea Rooms at Belle Vue Park in 2015 and now the pair have opened Parc Central in Newport city centre’s independent quarter near the indoor market.

While launching a new venue every year may seem daunting for some, the duo have made sure each café offers something a bit different and embraces the surrounding community. This has been key in making both Parc Pantry and The Tea Rooms hotspots for friends and groups to meet up and have a chat over a good coffee.

Now Parc Central, on High Street, offers not only the usual Pantry staples of light lunches and coffee to go but also cocktails for a bit of late-night socialising.

The venue itself certainly has the trademark look of Matt and Ant’s other outlets. The decor is minimalist, the floor is wooden and there is an industrial-sized coffee machine taking over most of the bar area. There is artwork by local artists, chalkboards documenting the Pantry timeline and, upstairs, one wall is ‘turfed’ over and illuminated with lights in birdhouses.

The team hosted a launch night last weekend to give invited guests a flavour of what Parc Central has to offer.

Newport graphic designer Lauren Goodland, who was at the event, said: “I really like the new venue and think it has a lot of potential for the future. It’s a great building in a location that really needs confident entrepreneurs like Parc Pantry to bring it back to life again.

“I’ll definitely be popping back and forth between The Murenger, Urban Taphouse and Parc Central. Casual bars go great alongside Mista Ifsta’s clubs and give the right balance of nightlife that caters for a range of people.”

Newport West AM Jayne Bryant was also at the launch night.

She said: “It’s great to see Parc Pantry expanding and opening up in the city centre. The owners have done something different in Malpas, Belle Vue and now the city centre. It is really good to see Newportians Matt and Ant investing in our city.

“Independent businesses are crucial to our future.”

While Matt and Ant have remained tight-lipped over what the new year holds, the duo have never had any trouble bringing people together for community events, take for instance the annual Party in the Parc in Belle Vue which showcases the work of Welsh artists, craftsmen, musicians and caterers.

Asked if whether there are plans to feature local talent at Parc Central, Ant said: “We’re huge fans of supporting local. We have a strong relationship with a few local musicians, all being well we’ll have them performing in the near future.”

To keep up to date with the latest offerings from Parc Central follow the team on Twitter @ParcCentral_NP or visit parcpantry.co.uk.