"Shock" as popular Turkish Indian restaurant Zafraan in Southsea closes on Christmas Eve
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Festive diners have been left shocked after a popular Turkish Indian restaurant closes without warning.
Zafraan in Castle Road, Southsea, announced the decision to shut its doors this morning (December 24). Owner Naz Islam said in a Facebook statement that spiralling rental costs and turning guests away due to a lack of space led to the closure.
They said: “I know the closing of Zafraan has come as a shock and with little notice, and for that I truly apologise. As many of you know, restaurants make the majority of their money on weekends. Unfortunately, despite being fully booked on Fridays and Saturdays, we were regularly turning away up to 20/30 guests because we could only seat around 25/35 people at one time as most of you who dined with us saw we were packed most of the time.
“Due to the style of dining, guests tended to arrive during peak hours and stay for most of the evening, which meant double sittings weren’t possible. Later time slots — which I had hoped would help — didn’t work for the type of fine dining experience we offered and clientele.”
Zafraan originally opened this summer at the former site of Monty’s Restaurant and Bar, which closed in 2023. Naz Islam, who previously owned the Belmont Kitchen in Bedhampton, said he fell in love with the site and decided to take it over. He aimed to bring the flair of Turkish and Indian cuisine while keeping the old charm of the building.
Mr Islam promised diners that this was not the end of Zafraan and the concept was popular enough for it to return. He added: “Zafraan did not fail due to the food or the service. We delivered both to the highest standard the reviews show for this.
“The mistake was mine in underestimating how critical capacity would be, and a expensive mistake as well, especially when weekday trade is very slow during winter in the area I am in with very little passing trade at night. That meant we needed to make the majority of our revenue on weekends — and the space simply didn’t allow it.
“This is not the end of Zafraan. I will be looking for a larger venue that allows us to welcome more guests and do justice to the demand you showed us. Thank you all for your incredible support — it truly means everything.”