Japanese restaurant Kokoro coming to Newbury after plans approved
NEWBURY will be getting a new Asian restaurant after plans for a Kokoro in the town centre were approved.
The Japanese/Korean style restaurant will be taking the place of the former Ginsters pasty store next to the Kennet and Avon Canal bridge in Northbrook Street.
The company, which was founded in 2010 by Ray-Kyu Park and now has more than 30 restaurants nationwide, plans to transform the interior into a sushi and bento café.
It has already started work on the shop and hopes to open towards the end of October.
Its ethos is to provide “a range of freshly made hot food with a Japanese and Korean influence, with the aim to benefit customers looking for an alternative to the day-to-day pasta, sandwiches or salads”.
A planning application put in to West Berkshire Council for the vacant lot was approved last month without the application going to committee.
The site – which has two steps leading up and into the front entrance – will remain difficult for wheelchair users to access, as Kokoro says the building is “listed Grade II and the entrance steps cannot be re-configured”.
However, the company says in order to help any impaired or wheelchair-bound customers “the staff at Kokoro are advised and trained to assist wherever possible with access into and around the café premises as part of their management policy".
It said: “The new counter is relatively low in height at 800mm which could be deemed acceptable for the purposes of service to wheelchair-bound persons.”
A spokesperson for Kokoro said: "We are excited to be a part of the vibrant historic market town of Newbury as we expand after the major setback from the pandemic last year.
"Our food could be a nice addition to this peaceful town for those who enjoy sushi and Asian hot food.
"We started working on shopfitting with the estimated opening date towards the end of October."
The new Kokoro restaurant will be across the road from Japanese restaurant Arigato, while The Sushi Maki is in the Market Place and bento restaurant Soyami is further up Northbrook Street.
