A POPULAR meat-inspired city centre restaurant has closed.

Casa Brasil, on Oxford Street, dished up for the final time at the end of last month.

Owner of the Brazilian barbecue-themed eatery say the company made the “difficult” decision to shut the restaurant following the opening of their new premises in West Quay.

Botley-based David Hall, who runs the restaurant chain with wife Regina, admitted the couple had hoped to run two restaurants in the city.

However he said that the downturn in sales in Oxford Street had made the restaurant “unsustainable”.

Mr Hall said: “We took the decision to minimise the impact on staff and the business. Thirteen members of staff from Oxford Street have transferred to our West Quay or Port Solent restaurants but unfortunately, we had to lose three valuable members of staff.

“These three people were paid all money owed, a week in hand and their holiday pay.”

“We also advised them on the procedures to claim redundancy from the government. I have assured these three people that as soon as an opportunity arises for either a kitchen assistant or washer-upper I will be in touch with them.”

He added: “The decision to close this branch was not taken lightly and we regret the loss of any jobs.”

The Oxford Street branch was the couple’s first ever restaurant, which they opened in 2013.

Since then, Casa Brasil has boomed across the south east, with new restaurants popping up in Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Brighton.

The south-American eatery, whose tagline is “Come hungry, leave happy”, most recently opened a new restaurant in West Quay earlier this year.