A restaurant in Caversham with a riverside dining area has recently come under new ownership.
Persian Palace, just north of Caversham Bridge, has been a fixture since 2019.
The restaurant has now been taken over and renamed Pathaan’s, with the change happening in the last few weeks.
Pathaan’s, which has already built up a reputation in Slough, specialises in Persian, Afghan and Pakistani cuisine.
Sayed Esrar, the director, explained: “What we have is a bit of a mixture of the food that we do. We do Persian, Pakistani and Afghani all combined. So we’ve got all three of these cultures together. It’s a bit of a mixture.
“We have another branch in Slough, which is really popular. So this is our second branch, and the third one is coming in Uxbridge.
“So in a couple of months, the third branch will be open as well.”
Asked to describe the food offer, Mr Esrar said: “We have a lot of grilled food, which is really popular.
“We have different types of curries: we have lamb and charsi curry, chicken charsi curry, and chicken and lamb boneless curries.
“And then on the side we have veg dishes like spinach, okra, chana dal, we have those dishes as well.
“Additionally, we have biryani and lamb dishes, like kabli pala, which is another popular dish.
“Roj, which is slow-cooked lamb meat, is very nice and very popular.
“So those are all our popular dishes that we have.”
The restaurant opened as Pathaan’s on the Saturday before the late May Bank Holiday.
The previous owners got in trouble with Reading Borough Council over its riverside seating area, which was installed without planning permission some time in 2024.
The area contains 12 tables for guests of the restaurant.
It is understood that the planning issue has been resolved subject to conditions.
Mr Esrar said: “That was before we took over, the previous owner had sorted that issue.
“I don’t have much information about that, but the previous owner sent us an e-mail to say that it’s all been cleared now. It’s all been approved.”
A planning application for a preliminary flood risk assessment for the riverside area is currently under consultation.
You can view the application by typing reference PL/26/0736 into the council’s planning portal.
Majid Nagra, a Green councillor for Loddon ward on Wokingham Borough Council, was spotted with his family going to Pathaan’s.
After dining, he said: “We enjoyed the food and atmosphere of the restaurant greatly- the platter that we ordered came hot & fresh, with a large portion of rice and tender, juicy meat pieces.
“It was all well cooked and well seasoned. In terms of atmosphere, the staff were very polite and helpful throughout our visit.
“The river view from where we were seated also added to our dining experience.
“Overall, we are more than satisfied with dining at Pathaan’s.”
The first restaurant in Slough is in Farnham Road, next to the Checkout Superstore.
