Fantastico in Magor is Welsh business awards finalist

Fantastico, which first opened February 2021 in Magor as a takeaway service, was set up by Damiano Argentieri and girlfriend Angelica Ruifernandez, who are both from southern Italy.

The couple are preparing to open a second venue in Usk next month - you can read more about that here.

And as if that is not reason enough for them to celebrate, Fantastico - which has a five food hygiene rating from Food Standards Agency - has also earned a spot among 10 finalists in the 'best restaurant' category of the Best of Welsh Business Awards 2022.

Mr Argentieri said:

“We were not expecting this – we started with takeaways last year during the pandemic.

“Then we launched the restaurant serving authentic Italian food, just like our mothers used to make.

“We are grateful to be in the final – after just one year of being open it really is an honour and we are very excited.

“Our biggest thanks goes to all the people who believed and voted for us, to our customers who are supporting every day - that make us love this job even more.”

You can find Magor's Fantastico on Facebook here - with the Usk restaurant set to open mid-March.

Fantastico, in Magor, is one of 10 finalists in the 'best restaurant' category - the venue is up against:

• Morgan’s Bistro, Bridgend;
• Red Fort Caerleon, Newport;
• On The Rocks, Sully;
• The Greedy Pig, Porthcawl;
• Dockside Bar & Grill, Porthcawl;
• Social Eats, Cardiff;
• Bella Ciao, Pontypridd;
• Viceroy of India, Ystrad Mynach;
• The Copper Pot, Denbigh.

You can see the full list of categories and finalists in the 2022 awards at bestofwelshbusinessawards.co.uk/2022-finalists