Leeds Indian restaurant Sachi in Ilkley which closed due to rising costs reopens in Burley in Wharfedale

Leeds chef Sachchidananda Samanta said it was a “lifelong dream” to open a restaurant of his own after he entered the industry in 1999. 

He had spent most of his years specialising in French cuisine before he made the plunge and opened his own Indian restaurant Sachi's in Ilkley in 2019.

And while it was a successful eatery, the 46-year-old said it had become impractical to continue running the Moors Shopping Centre restaurant.

He said: "First of all, the rent is very high there. Because it's in a shopping complex, they have a lot of service charges. On top of that, the electricity price has gotten so high - my bill has been four times higher."

Sachchidananda, also known as Sachi, said the "beautiful community" in Ilkley made it an ideal place to run a restaurant.

He said: "The local community is very supportive of any businesses. Lots of local businesses supported me as well, during Covid and after as well. The people are so lovely, and it's a beautiful place to work."

And now, Sachi is gearing up to reopen the Indian restaurant on Thursday, February 1 in Burley in Wharfedale, an area that reminds him of Ilkley but won't come with as many financial challenges.

Sachi said: "There's a very nice community here. They're very supportive and they're very welcoming as well. The restaurant is on Main Street so every passerby who is going through the road, walking or driving a car, they can see us straight away. And this is one of the biggest reasons to open the door here."

The restaurant will serve a wide variety of dishes from all over the subcontinent, which Sachi said is authentic and homemade by Indian chefs. Each dish is designed to be "distinct" to each other and provides a unique food offering to residents in the area at competitive prices.

Sachi will also offer a range of quality Indian wines, draught beer and whiskey to compliment its food offering. Find out more about Sachi in Burley in Wharfedale via its website.