DINERS in Northwich will soon be able to enjoy an authentic eastern Mediterranean feast – complete with belly dancers – right on their doorstep.

La Turka Northwich, opening next week in Lostock Gralam, is the brainchild of restaurateur and head chef, Ridwan Albrouni, and manager, Abdu Laziz.

The entrepreneurial duo first met when working for the same hospitality agency, and their paths just kept on crossing.

In 2017, Riwan and Abdu decided to open a Turkish restaurant together in Culcheth, Warrington, though after a flying start, COVID hit them hard.

Instead of going into debt to keep the restaurant afloat, the pair decided to sell up and use the time to build their brand at pop-ups venues and street food markets across Greater Manchester.

Once the hospitality sector started showing signs of recovering, Ridwan and Abdu decided to try again.

First came La Turka Rawtenstall, quickly followed by La Turka Bisto in Monton, near Eccles.

And it seems their prudence paid off as the La Turka brand has been going from strength to strength.

Their latest venture, La Turka Northwich, on Manchester Road in Lostock Gralam, opens on Wednesday, November 29. 

Abdu says they’ve had their eye on Northwich for a long time, even before they opened their original restaurant in Culcheth, and they’re really excited to have finally achieved their goal.

“Things are all a bit crazy at the minute trying to get everything sorted,” the 28-year-old said.

“We’re a family business, though we’re not all strictly related, if that makes sense.

“We’ve known each other a long time, and we work together as if we were a family.

“Our restaurant in Rawtenstall is really busy now. It’s booked up pretty much all the time.

“It’s been a massive success, and that’s what we want to replicate in Northwich.

“We were looking for the right venue in the town even before we opened our Culcheth place, and that was a long time ago now.

“There aren’t any other Turkish restaurants in Lostock Gralam, so when this place came up, we jumped at it.

“We’re changing the menu a little bit to make it as Mediterranean as possible.

“We’re also big on entertainment. We’re a wine and cocktail bar as well as a restaurant  

“We want customers to forget they’re in England and make them feel they’re really on holiday.”

Abdu says customers who knew the place when it was Jathra Indian Restaurant are in for a big surprise.

He added: “We’ve gutted the new Manchester Road venue and changed it all completely.

“Everything’s going to be new.

“It’s got to be really authentic to compete with the big brunch labels.

“We’re already taking bookings for Christmas, and if all goes well, we’ll start looking out for somewhere to open another place in the area.

“That’s the plan anyway. We’re nothing if not ambitious.”