One of Blackburn's newest restaurants has quickly become a town centre favourite in a short space of time thanks to its twist on classic Asian street food.

Saffron Street officially opened to the public in King William Street in May 2023. The 130-seater restaurant venue underwent major renovations and was formerly the O'Neill's bar.

It is one of 10 restaurants which has been nominated for the Lancashire Telegraph’s Best Curry House competition.

The street food concept has been around for a number of years, but at Saffron Street the kitchen team have been keen to celebrate it with their own signature dishes.

It is probably why on some weekends you can see queues of hungry punters waiting to enter the venue snaking out into the street.

Curry favourites at the eatery include the butter chicken, the karahi ghosht and the taadkha daal.

If you are feeling really adventurous you can opt for the Thaali’s which come with a combination of main meals and starters. 

A spokesperson for the restaurant told us: “We wanted to bring something a little different to the town which we feel we have.

“We do get people travelling here from other Lancashire towns and cities as well Manchester. This can only be good for the town centre.

“We are delighted to be one of the finalists which is a compliment in itself.

“It shows we must be doing something right.”

Both floors were extensively renovated when the new restaurant launchedThe restaurant has in the past year also hosted a number of weddings.

The spokesperson added: “It is something we are looking to branch out into and we hosted one event for 800 people.

“It is all about offering something unique to diners and guests.”

Saffron Street's first venue opened in Ilford followed by an eatery in Leicester, and Blackburn is the third to site to open and is the largest so far.

The interior celebrates traditional Indian and South Asian architecture with a modern twist.

The second floor includes separate booths and private dining areas with dedicated areas for families and small parties.

Diners can also view the kitchen and chefs producing their foods from behind a see-through screen.

Readers can vote for the ‘Best Curry House 2024’ by picking up copies of the Lancashire Telegraph between Monday, October 28 and Saturday, November 9.