Namaste Village in Norwich, Norfolk, won the Taste of East of England Award, sponsored by Adnams, at the East of England Tourism Awards 2023-2024.

The award recognises businesses within the tourism industry that offer outstanding cuisine, innovative service and excellence throughout their entire operation.

Namaste Village works to challenge the perceptions of vegan and vegetarian food.

The family-run restaurant in was established in 2016 and aims to combine Indian cuisine with innovative plant-based cooking.

Mock meat substitutes elevate the flavours in its dishes and help to shatter the stigma around plant-based food.

Under its current ownership, it has opened branches in both London and Cambridge, after beginning life on Magdalen Street as Lily’s Café.

Namaste Village is committed to delivering exceptional dining experiences for its customers, with a dedicated team of 50 staff always looking to enhance the customer experience.

Its commitment to excellence has been recognised in the past by bodies such as the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award, the British Curry Awards and the Norwich Eat Out Awards.

It also has its own charity initiative, Dosa on the Wall, which provides those in need with free meals and has been doing so for the past 10-plus years, providing an additional service to the local community.

The judges commended the food, saying it was “beautifully presented” and “absolutely delicious”.

They also praised the service, commenting that “from the second we walked in, it was clear that this was a high-quality establishment set in a beautiful building, with passionate team members who were full of desire to help customers have an excellent experience”.

Dalsukh Jetani, director of Namaste Village, said: “Thank you very much to the East of England for recognising us as a top-class business.

“We have been in business for about 14 years, so it’s an amazing feeling and really means a lot to us.

“It is rewarding for our team who put the hard work in, and for the vision of our directors who have seen us expanding as a business.”

The other finalists in this category were River Green Restaurant, Norwich and Yalm Foodhall.

The winners of the East of England Tourism Awards 2023-2024 were announced at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, on Thursday, February 15. To find out about all of the winners, click here.

For more information about the awards, please visit tourismawards.co.uk

About the sponsor

Founded in Southwold in 1872, Adnams is fiercely independent and proud of its East Anglian heritage. 

Brewer, distiller, wine merchant, retailer, publican and hotelier, the business has an incredible story of innovation at its core. 

It crafts award-winning and well-loved premium beers, spirits and wines, including a recent signature product, Ghost Ship 0.5% Pale Ale, which consistently shines in the league table of low and no alcohol beers. 

Adnams’ personality and its people have seen it become a recognised brand the world over, with its story continually evolving and delighting after more than 150 years.