Brand new Mediterranean restaurant set to open at former Chilli Village in busy Northampton road

A brand new restaurant is set to open in a busy road in Northampton – here’s what we know so far.

The former Chilli Village restaurant in Wellingborough Road has been taken over by the owner of The Ottoman Kitchen in Abington Street and Kingsley Park Terrace, Mustafa Arslan.

Mustafa revealed to this newspaper his vision for the newly-named ‘Sultan Kitchen’.

He said: “We’re opening at Chilli Village. It’s going to be a really huge place. Really big. It’s going to be a restaurant with so many different kitchens: Italian kitchen, French kitchen, and Turkish kitchen. It’s a very large place.”

New signs have been put up outside advertising the venue which hint at what else is to come.

The signs read: “Come and enjoy freshly prepared food, live music and fine dining.

"Function rooms and banqueting services are available to cater for private hire and parties.

“Delicious Mediterranean and Turkish food is coming to Northampton.

“Free car parking is available for our guests.

"We are looking forward to meeting you.”

Mustafa has not yet revealed an opening date for the site. He said: “It will take time to open.”

The chef and entrepreneur opened ‘The Ottoman Kitchen’ at the former Coffee House in Abington Street in March.

Speaking to Chronicle & Echo in March, Mustafa said: "We want to grow ourselves more. At the moment our Kingsley restaurant is crazy busy but the venue can't let anymore people in! It's so busy.

"It's a very famous restaurant in Northampton now. This one in Abington Street is a good opportunity to show more people what we're doing and what I can do, what kind of chef I am.

"I'm a chef. I've been doing this job for more than 25 years. This is my passion."

Mediterranean restaurant Chilli Village, which first opened in Wellingborough Road in December 2016, closed down in February of this year due to “the current economic distress”.

In a statement on social media, Chilli Village’s operations manager Marcus Hemming said: “Due to the current economic distress facing all of us recently, in particular the hospitality trade, and with other unavoidable factors, it is with an extremely heavy heart that we closed our doors for the final time.”