Popular Indian restaurant relocating to larger venue in Milton Keynes

Pictured left to right: Jason Thorne, Shelim Ruhul, Leigh Strathearn, Shamim Shanoor and Mo Abdul.

Since opening the restaurant in 2016, the business has built a reputation for excellence in its food and service, so much so that its owners are ready to expand the Indian restaurant.

Maaya will move to the former Gourmet Burger Kitchen unit on the central square of The Hub, offering a more prominent location for diners in the area.

The larger venue benefits from an outdoor area for summer alfresco dining as well as a larger reception to promote its premium quality drinks offer.

The open-plan venue will be better suited for live entertainment, although the owners are keen to maintain the intimate and friendly environment visitors have come to love.

“We have spent the past three years carefully creating a restaurant that’s warm and welcoming for our guests and we’re determined to take this feeling with us,” said Mo Abdul, manager and joint owner at Maaya.

He adds: “The new location will bring Maaya into a more visible part of The Hub where more people are likely to discover us, especially people unfamiliar with the central Milton Keynes.

"The new restaurant has a fantastic kitchen and much more storage than we currently have, plus there is an opportunity to make the restaurant bigger.”

The extensive refurbishment works will include all new furniture and fittings, modern lighting and design features, plus the creation of a separate upstairs, which will open later in the year.

Maaya was created by a group of local investors including Mo who owns Calcutta Brasserie in Stony Stratford, Shelim Ruhul who owns several restaurants including of Spice Village, Shenley Church End and Head Chef at Maaya, Shamim Shanoor.

Outside of the restaurant industry, investor, Jason Thorne, Managing Director of Milton Keynes’ Enorth Staffing & MK Oven Clean joins the partners together with Leigh Strathearn, Managing Director of MK-based, Perception Public Relations.

The restaurant is expected to open in the early summer of this year with work taking place while Maaya remains open to avoid any disruption.