Feeding Newcastle for 40 years: "The Don" is still standing strong

Don Vito's Italian Restaurant, one of Newcastle's best-loved and most established Italian restaurants, is turning 40 years old in April — and will celebrate the occasion with Don Vito's Week, featuring special offers every day.   Owner and operator Andreas Spahiu, who has refurbished and reinvigorated the Pilgrim Street institution since taking over in March 2015, said: "We will be celebrating the Don's 40^th birthday from April 3-9, during which time we will have a lot of different special offers for our customers. We invite everyone to join us on this fantastic week and enjoy some of the best food offers from our popular Spring menu, as well as delicious dishes from our forthcoming Summer 2016 menu.   "We serve guests that have been visiting Don Vito's for many years, and a lot more returning to celebrate their memories and special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays, engagements, first dates, or even finding the love of their life. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our lovely costumers. Thank you for dining with us."   Local Heritage   First opening its doors in 1976, Don Vito's has become a staple in Newcastle's restaurant scene, and is now establishing a new reputation for its fresh and healthy ingredients. Every wine, olive oil, pasta and cured meat comes directly from Italy, and all of the restaurant's other supplies are locally sourced — including fresh fish, meat and vegetables — which helps to support and grow the local supply chain.   "At Don Vito's, we believe that it's not only what we cook that makes our dishes delicious, but how we cook it," said Andreas. "With the exception of our delectable desserts, we do not add artificial colours or sugar to our dishes. Our pizza dough has no added sugar or oil: our wood stone pizza oven is all we need for a delicious taste.   "We understand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and we use special combination of healthy ingredients to make our food great. I have worked in kitchens and restaurants for a number of years but this is different. The service we provide for our customers is very personal; it feels almost as having a home full of different guests every day."   Further details on Don Vito's Week will soon be available on the restaurant's Facebook page, Twitter feed and recently redeveloped website, www.donvitos.co.uk.