Former world champion boxer Amir Khan joined a host of celebrities ahead of the opening of a luxurious new American style diner in Preston.

King’s Castle, which has branches in Blackburn and Haslingden, has launched its new diner, complete with a 1950s Chevrolet car, in Church Street, close to the centre of the city.

The brand had a restaurant in Lostock Hall but closed it last month to relocate to the new spot.

The restaurant has been styled much like the 40-seater King’s Castle Diner in Darwen Street, Blackburn, which opened in 2021.

The Preston branch, which cost around £500,000 to fit out, is slightly bigger with 60 seats and also features a ‘Walk of Fame’ which celebrates legendary movie and sports stars.

On the menu at the new location are some of the King’s Castle favourites including, the Darwen Donny, the Philly Cheesesteak and the 'famous' Wagyu Pastrami Sandwich, which is believed to be the 'UKs most expensive halal sandwich'.

Many of these items are a result of King’s Castle’s ongoing partnership with Malik Butchers, a trendy artisan butchers who were featured on Channel 4’s “Aldi’s Next Big Thing” show earlier this year.

The restaurant launched its new menu, which includes breakfast items as well as BBQ briskets, at the glitzy opening event.

The VIP event over the weekend, which was organised by Overtime Agency, attracted social media stars and guests from across the country, including Amir Khan and his wife Faryal Makhdoom, Blackburn comedians Tez Ilyas and Shabaz Ali, influencer Rumena Begum and social media channel ‘Food Review Club’, which has millions of followers. 

Arif Patel, from King’s Castle, said: “We were delighted to have welcomed a whole host of guests at the VIP launch and are looking forward to serving customers from Preston and beyond.

“The team have been hard at work bringing the new King’s Castle to the city.”

The new eatery is a far cry from the former Lostock location which was a takeaway.

Arif added: “We have 60 seats here but it has been branded very similar to our Blackburn location and has an iconic Chevy and luxurious seating that people are used to.

“We have an exclusive menu with the authentic King's Castle burgers.

“The restaurant is located on a stretch of Church Street which is looking to be redeveloped. 

“Much like the Blackburn branch we have opened in an area which hopefully will attract new up and coming brands like ours.”

The new King’s Castle in Preston opened to the public for the first time on Wednesday, October 3.