A BUSINESS that specialises in African food will be opening a new restaurant in a former city centre department store.

Andie's African Kitchen, which specialises in food from across the continent, opened in Oastler Market last Summer.

That business has proved so popular that owner Andile Mncube decided to grow the business by opening a restaurant, which would not be limited by the market's opening hours.

The restaurant will be based on North Parade, becoming the latest business in the city centre's thriving Top of Town area.

A planning application has been submitted to Bradford Council to change a section of the former Boyes department store into a restaurant.

And the business will introduce itself to the street this weekend, with a street food stall at the North Parade Festival on Sunday.

Andie's African Kitchen opened last Summer, in the period between the end of the first lockdown and restrictions being re-introduced in Bradford.

But despite opening at such a tumultuous time, Mrs Mncube told the Telegraph & Argus the kitchen had built up a strong customer base, and she now felt it was time to expand.

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One issue facing the business was the 5pm closing time of the market, meaning the kitchen had to shut before it was able to make the most of the evening trade.

The new restaurant will not only allow much more customers to dine in, but will allow the business to also offer a bar service.

She said; "The business has gone well since we opened, but the closing time at Oastler was 5pm. We'll have a chance to get a bar in now. People will have the option to have a drink with their food.

"The menu will be very similar to at the market, but we'll now be able to have an open grill. There will be a few new additions.

"A lot of people have tried our food at the market and we've built up a client base.

"I think it is definitely something needed in Bradford. Since we've opened people have been interested but because we had to shut before 5pm we couldn't provide the service people who wanted to eat out wanted."

She said she was from a big African family where cooking was always important, and wanted to be cook for a living since she was young.

She has lived in Bradford since 2000.

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Referring to the timing of her new business - as the country recovered from the devastating pandemic, she said: "It isn't the easiest of times to start a business, but if I didn't do it now I'd never do it."

She said the business could also eventually offer cooking classes.

The restaurant will employ around six people, with staff from different parts of the continent - meaning there will be a wide variety of African cuisine available.

If approved, the restaurant will be the latest business to open in the former Boyes store, which moved to the Kirkgate Shopping Centre in 2019.

A fashion store has opened in the Rawson Road side of the 40,000 square foot store.

And two leisure businesses are soon to open on the North Parade site - VR City, a virtual reality gaming centre, and Looney Golf, an indoor golfing centre.

North Parade has seen a number of bars open in recent years, and is one of the cities most popular evening destinations.