Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 6 January 2022

A BRAND NEW Nuneaton town centre bistro has officially opened inside of Nuneaton’s Grade II* listed former HSBC bank building.

As The Free Press first reported back in November, the Grade II* listed former bank in Nuneaton town centre had been snapped up by local man Mustafa Dougal – and signs were displayed on the windows for the opening of ‘The Palace Bistro’.

Since then, the bistro has quietly opened their doors to members of the public in mid-December, where they are currently serving up soft drinks and hot drinks to visitors.

Speaking on why he settled on ‘The Palace Bistro’ as the name, Mr. Mustafa Dougal told us: “The building looks like a palace. It is related to British history and we have decided to make the theme inside all about British history.

“We did ask our Facebook friends which of our three proposed names we should use – The Palace, Atlantis, or The Bank – but The Palace was ultimately chosen.”

He further added: “The building is Grade II* listed and we are retaining most of the original features inside.

“This has sat empty for a total of 12 years, the building is unknown to many, especially younger residents, and we want to make its location in the town known to users.

“This is a valuable building, nothing came of it in the past, so we have decided to take it on. I’ve got lots of respect for both this building and British history.”

Mustafa further stated that he hopes to serve food from the kitchen next month (February) – and he also hopes to open the terrace on the building relatively soon.