A new restaurant inspired by African cuisine is set to open in Blackburn creating 20 jobs

The £250,000 Afrikana Kitchen restaurant will launch on Friday (October 30) on Whalley New Road near the Tesco Express at the Roe Lee Retail Centre. 

Renovations began in November 2019 but were halted due to the lockdown. Franchise owner, Jahed Ahmed said they were looking forward to finally launching in the town, “It has been close to a year when this project began and things obviously got delayed to the pandemic. We stopped work in March and started up again in the summer. It is great to be finally opening.”

The first Afrikana store opened in Aldridge in the Midlands two years ago. Afrikana Blackburn (a 70 seater restaurant) is one of seven other Franchises to open. The latest to launch was the Cardiff Afrikana Kitchen earlier this month and the Blackburn location will be the first to open in the North West.

Lancashire Telegraph:

The menu includes a range of African inspired home cooked dishes, grilled chicken, burgers,  fish and chips and a vegetarian variety. 

Jahed who hails from Birmingham and is heading the Blackburn branch said, “This is the first African inspired restaurant in the north of England and we think it will make a valuable addition to the range of restaurants in Blackburn.

“We chose Blackburn because there is a vibrancy in the town now and there are a lot of new restaurants opening here.

“We think we have a good location where there is ample parking. The restaurant had to be completely renovated both inside and out and we hope people will like the unique look.

“We prepare and cook all our dishes from scratch so our guests get the freshest food we can give them. The menu is a lot different to what people will be used to.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

The restaurant will be open from noon everyday and with timings then dictated by coronavirus guidelines in place for the region.

Jahed added, “We will have a range of social distancing measures in place will be adhering to all coronavirus guidelines.

“Our staff will be on hand to query any questions anyone has and we look forward to accommodating everyone"