A new Italian restaurant that makes pizza the "proper way" using a wood-fired oven has opened near Ipswich town centre.

Storico, managed by Malik Kantar, has taken over the unit formerly occupied by the VK Vietnamese restaurant in Northgate Street, opposite the easyHotel.

The restaurant, which is also run by head chef Feyzula Mahmudov, welcomed its first customers last month.

Mr Kantar has previously managed restaurants in Norfolk and Essex, but opted to open an Ipswich eatery as he thought there was a lack of wood-fired pizza diners in the town.

East Anglian Daily Times: Storico has taken the place of a closed Vietnamese restaurantStorico has taken the place of a closed Vietnamese restaurant (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

Storico has already proved a hit with customers, Mr Kantar said, with Cradle of Filth frontman and Ipswich native Dani Filth dining there earlier in January.

Among the meals available include charcoal-based pizza, which Mr Kantar said was not widely available in Ipswich.

East Anglian Daily Times: Some of the pastas available at StoricoSome of the pastas available at Storico (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

He said: "We serve Italian-style proper wood-fired pizza and freshly-made pasta. We've also got lots of vegan and vegetarian options.

East Anglian Daily Times: A pizza being prepared in the wood-fire ovenA pizza being prepared in the wood-fire oven (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

"There's no gas or no electric. We make pizza the proper way. We're trying to do the best pizza in Ipswich.

"Ipswich is such a nice place, so we decided to open a new restaurant here. But unfortunately, we hadn't seen many wood-fired pizza places.

East Anglian Daily Times: One of the pizzas available in the eatery near Ipswich town centreOne of the pizzas available in the eatery near Ipswich town centre (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

"We do charcoal-based pizza, which is very popular at the moment. It is the healthiest option and is good for the digestive system. I haven't seen it anywhere else in Ipswich."

Storico is currently open from midday until the evenings throughout the week, but Mr Kantar revealed his plans to expand the restaurant's menu and open earlier.

East Anglian Daily Times: Storico served its first customers in December last yearStorico served its first customers in December last year (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

He added: "We haven't even finished yet. At the end of February, we'll look to start serving breakfast.

"We have a very big project here. We want to sell quality food at a great price."