Copyright standard
An Italian restaurant which closed suddenly after its owner took a swipe at locals “for never supporting us” was handed the lowest possible hygiene rating after decaying prawns and mouse droppings were found at the property. Don Ciccio Osteria Italiana & Pizzeria in Highgate shut up shop earlier in October, exactly six years after opening, with its owner Marco Claudio Valente blaming “the sheer indifference of our neighbours” for its closure despite boasting a 4.7-star rating on Google based on more than 700 reviews. But a food safety report seen by the Standard has revealed that the restaurant had been penalised for a series of hygiene offences. An inspector had criticised the restaurant for having “prawns decayed and passed the use-by date”. They also found unlabelled seafood, out-of-date pasta and sausages, mouldy strawberries and mouse droppings near a pizza oven. A report from Camden council also revealed that a gas leak had been detected. The restaurant was handed a hygiene rating of zero with 15 key points listed in the hygiene report. Recent reviews of the restaurant had also lamented its slow service and small portion sizes. Mr Valente had previously gone viral as he took aim at Highgate locals, claiming that in one case staff were forced to “endure the humiliation of entire evenings with an empty dining room” due to residents opting to order takeaways. When questioned about the hygiene issues at his restaurant, Mr Valente told the Standard that the restaurant had consistently had a five-star rating but had received two negative reports recently. He said that over six years the restaurant had experimented with different menus, prices and promotions but “customer numbers remained weak”. He insisted that the reason for the low attendance was not the hygiene ratings and added that “in sex years of operation we never received a single customer complaint related to hygiene, nor any report of food poisoning or similar incidents”. Mr Valante also said that the kitchen’s six fridges, five freezers and cold room had been full maintained. But he did concede that pest control services had “occasionally reported minor traces of mice activity”. The owner told the Standard: “To this day, we are unsure why the rating was set to zero, especially considering that corrective actions were implemented immediately afterwards — yet no follow-up inspection was ever carried out, as would normally be expected in such cases. “If the situation had truly been as critical as the report implies, why was there no immediate reinspection or closure order, as standard procedure would require? “This leads us to believe that the actual issues identified were not of the gravity suggested by the rating.” Mr Valente had earlier accused The Highgate Society, a community organisation, of never responding to requests for collaboration. “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.” He goes on to state: “We are guests in this country, and as guests, we will not complain. We'll simply say: addio. And now, with gratit “To our faithful customers — we'll miss you. Perhaps one day we'll meet again, in Italy.” Having described itself as a “true Italian” with “one of the best pizzas in London”, Don Ciccio was named Traveller's Choice on Tripadvisor between 2023 and 2025. Andrew Sulston, chairman of the Highgate Society, told the Ham & High newspaper: “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.”
