A Wigan curry house enjoying a second life after nearly closing is crowned best in the county

Rivaj of India, based in Wrightington, looked set to close down after a blueprint for the demolition of the premises and the building of new accommodation was submitted to West Lancashire Borough Council in the summer of 2024.

The award-winning venue had agreed a price to vacate and were in the process of looking where else they could set up base instead.

In the meanwhile there had been an understandable drop-off in custom as diners presumed that Rivaj, which has been serving Asian cuisine from the site for 15 years, was about to shut down or had already done so.

Then, last November the developer Almond Estates, which had already reduced the number of properties it was intending to build on the land, withdrew its application altogether.

Equally understandably, this created quite a worrying stir at Rivaj who then faced staying where they were and trying to win back those diners.

So a charm offensive was launched to remind everyone that the eatery was very much still open for business.

Trade has picked up again, owner Badrul Alom has confirmed but now he is hoping for and extra surge in interest after being named “The Best of Lancashire” at the Nations Curry Awards 2026.

Manager Juber Ahmed and other restaurant representatives were at the glittering Bradford ceremony to pick up the trophy.

Badrul said: “We were in a shortlist of 20 and up against some very tough opposition, so it was wonderful when Rivaj’s name was read out.

"The fact that we have been established there for more than 15 years, received lots of good customer reviews and consistently serve top quality food all counted towards our winning score.

"It’s a huge honour for us and for the wider community. We’re proud to represent Wigan, Lancashire and the North West, and this award belongs to our customers as much as our team.

"It can only help to give our business a boost after a difficult period in our story.”