A FORMER high street Prezzo is being transformed into a new bistro which the owners hope will “provide a modestly priced but top-class dining experience”.

Bosses behind the new Meyra Brasserie and Bistro are hoping to open their doors to the public in the next six weeks in Billericay High Street.

The business is taking over the former Prezzo restaurant, which closed in May last year.

Meyra will be a restaurant and cafe, serving smoothies, milkshakes and coffee alongside a menu which is being developed with feedback from the community.

Speaking on behalf of the owner, director Murat Kurt, 26, said: “We want to be a part of the community. Meyra won’t be expensive, we know what is happening at the moment with the cost-of-living crisis and we can see how people are affected by high prices.

“We want this to be something where everyone can come and eat and the bill will be of a normal price.

“In Essex, the minimum price per person could be £45, but we want to control that and to minimise that. When two people come along, the total bill is between £40 and £60.

“We will be serving alcohol, and we are keeping the Prezzo bar where it is currently.

“We will be doing smoothies, milkshakes and what you would expect from a coffee shop.

“We are not trying to make it luxurious, we are making it have a nice atmosphere.

“Hopefully, we are looking to open before March or at the beginning of March because there isn’t much work before we want to open.

“Prezzo has been empty for well on a year and the building is amazing. It has a lift for disability access.”

After work at the restaurant began, rumours began to circle in Billericay and on social media that it would be a new Turkish restaurant.

However, Murat confirmed “the restaurant is not a Turkish restaurant, there are a lot of Turkish restaurants. We are going to be a bistro, breakfast and all-day dining place”.

The closure of Billericay Prezzo was announced in April 2023, with the cited reasons being a failure to recover from the damage done to business by the pandemic.