Ayaan's Restaurant awarded in the Nation's Curry Awards 2024

Ayaan’s Restaurant which opened in 2022, has been awarded the coveted title  in this year's Nation's Curry Awards – and is now looking forward to undergoing a refurbishment providing 100 more seats for customers.

Mohammed Jabir, owner of the restaurant based in Astley Bridge, alongside partner Ihsan Choudary, has shared how excited his team were when they found out about their win on February 12.

He said: “It is a great honour to have been awarded this title, it is a great achievement, and it is actually our second year of being named Pakistani Restaurant of the Year.

“We attended the awards event on February 12 and that is when it was announced we were winners, when I found out I felt overwhelmed.

“There were eight other restaurants also up for this award, but we felt confident and after finding out all of our staff were very excited.

“Ayaan’s Restaurant has been open for two years now, so in the first year of opening we won the award and now again.

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“It was amazing to win it in the first year of opening and these awards are a great way to recognising achievements across Bolton and further.

“After we won the award last year, it drove a lot of people in.

“The footfall has been great since we won the last award, the footfall increased, and we are expecting a mega rush after winning this award as well.

“We are hearing that a lot of people are recommending our restaurant to their friends and families, and we have great reviews on Google.”

The platters on offer (Image: Mohammed Jabir)Mohammed said it was always a dream of his to open a restaurant and it has been a ‘great journey’ so far.

He said: “I have been in the industry since the age of 17 and my business partner is a chef, so he manages the kitchen side of things whilst I manage the floor area, front of house.

“I was inspired to open Ayaan’s after so many years in the industry as I had a dream of opening my own restaurant and I felt Bolton didn’t have an authentic curry house like what we serve so we thought Bolton was a great place to open.

“It has been a great journey, I mean it has been a challenging time, it has been quite tough, but it is great that these awards are recognising our achievements.

“It has been tough for the industry as all the prices are going up, the energy bills are going up and it is great that these awards do highlight the good work we are doing.

“I just feel really excited.”

Ayaan’s Restaurant offers customers authentic dishes including lamb on the bone which is cooked fresh, platters which have starters and curries on there for four or six people and more.

The eatery is open 5pm to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 10.30pm Friday and Saturday and 4pm to 10.30pm on Sundays.

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.