One of Bristol's oldest and most popular restaurants has announced its closure, to the dismay of many loyal customers.
Kathmandu has been based in Bristol in various places for the past 37 years, with its current home opposite Colston Hall opening 14 years ago.
The restaurant is famed for its authentic Nepalese cuisine, which has made it a destination for many as Nepalese food is difficult to find in the UK outside of London.
However, it built a loyal following before 2003 as it was previously based in both Easton and on Gloucester Road, before finally settling on Colston Street.
What the restaurant says
Kathmandu says it has closed so its owner can enjoy a happy retirement.
The restaurant bowed out in style with a farewell celebration on Friday and the team thanked everyone who had supported Kathmandu over the years.
After announcing the news on social media, a video from Kathmandu said: "Namaste to all my customers, families and to everyone from 1981 when we opened our first restaurant in Seymour Road, Easton.
"In 1997 we opened another takeaway on Gloucester Road, then in 2003 we closed both takeaways and opened this restaurant.
"It was a beautiful place. A lot of hard work went into leasing this place in the city centre - it was a brave choice and a lot of hard work has gone into keeping this place alive.
"Now the time has come to say goodbye to this beautiful place and goodbye to all the customers who came once or hundreds of times. I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart."
What Bristol Live said about Kathmandu
Kathmandu is a restaurant which has won praise from numerous critics over the years - including from Bristol Live's very own Mark Taylor.
Mark described Kathmandu as a hidden gem when he visited a year ago, praising its greaseless poppadoms and dips and its succulent Chicken Chhoyla.
At the time, Mark said of Kathmandu: "City centre restaurants come and go but after 14 years, Kathmandu is still as popular with locals as it is visiting comedy giants.
"It’s the basics like popadoms (80p each) and the opening tray of dips (80p) that sets Kathmandu apart. The popadoms are crisp and greaseless, and the five dips look and taste freshly made rather than tired from hanging around on a trolley all evening.
"The choice includes the standard mango chutney, minty yoghurt and red onion and cucumber, but it’s the coriander and tomato chutney heady with garlic and chilli that’s the winner every time. Fresh, spicy and incredibly moreish, it has to be the top dip in town."
