The Ganges reopens after 15 year absence

An Indian restaurant has opened its doors again for dine-in meals after a 15 year absence. The Ganges was one of the first Indian restaurants to open in Northern Ireland, after it started operating in Newtownards in 1982.

The restaurant stopped doing sit-in meals almost 15 years ago though, and operated solely as a reduced takeaway outlet during that time.

Manager Abdul Kamal told Belfast Live: “The story was that The Ganges were one of the first Indians in Northern Ireland – we opened in 1982. Then about 15 years ago we stopped doing the tables upstairs; we were just doing takeaways.

“But from December time onwards, we opened up the restaurant again. The thing that sets us apart and makes us different is that we’re still serving the same food as we did when we opened 40 years ago. We make our own spices, we use our own recipes, nothing is bought from outside.”

A family-run business, Abdul said that they were forced to make the difficult decision to close 15 years ago, but that returning to being a fully functioning restaurant was something they always aspired to.

Since opening again at the end of last year, Abdul said the restaurant has proven popular, and that comes down to the reputation they have in the local Newtownards area.

He said: “Because of the name we have and the reputation we’ve developed, people have known us for years. So when we became a restaurant again, people have started coming back.”