THE owner of a chain of Turkish restaurants said that its Winchester branch will open near the end of July following a series of delays.

As previously reported, Turkuaz was set to open in a historic building on Jewry Street last September before the opening date was postponed until mid-February. The opening was then pushed back again, with plans to open it at an unspecified date between the end of April and middle of May.

Now Turkuaz founder and owner Cevdet Mutlu has said that the restaurant will open at an unconfirmed date at the end of July, with the delays caused by issues with a series of electronic dart boards he hopes to have for when the restaurant opens.

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Mr Mutlu said: “We are still waiting on the development of interactive darts. We’ve got four games all ready, already programmed, we’re still waiting for another four to do before we can go for launch.”

Turkuaz will sell authentic chargrilled food, freshly prepared on site, as well as wine from a carefully crafted menu. Mr Mutlu has previously told the Chronicle that the restaurant will provide 140 covers, with a mezzanine area. It has also created 14 jobs.

The restaurant will be located in a historical Tudor building on Jewry Street, previously the home of Loch Fyne which closed in 2020.

There are currently eight Turkuaz restaurants across the south, including in Dorking, Newbury and Horsham.