Wiltshire’s first Indian restaurant turns 60 this year

The Khyber opened its doors in 1962 and the family business has been a hit with Swindonians ever since.

Sadik Ali took over the running of the business at the tender age of 17 in 1988 after his dad died and still remains in charge to this day.

“I felt a lot of pressure to start with, almost too much, and I made mistakes but learnt by them and I’m still here,” he said.

“I still enjoy running The Khyber as I know 90 per cent of the customers. I grew up in this restaurant and they’ve been there for that, so it is a very personal thing for me. The Khyber will always be a part of me.”

The Khyber was Wiltshire's first ever Indian restaurant. (Image: Newsquest)

Sadik, now 53, said: “We have a huge regular customer base who have been coming here for 40ish years and we are having third and fourth generations coming in,” he revealed.

“It goes father to father, son to son, and grandson to grandson, and that makes me really proud.”

Several famous faces have dined at The Khyber in years gone by.

“We’ve had boxer Ricky Hatton come in as well as Melinda Messenger and Samantha Fox,” said Sadik.

“The latest one we had was Nick Moran from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels who came in here the other day and he loved our Murge-E-Azam chicken tikka dish.”

The Khyber features famous photographs, signed memorabilia and newspaper clippings. (Image: Newsquest)

The Khyber is located very close to another Indian restaurant, The Jewel in the Crown, and has seen many others open up during its years of operation, but the relationships are always friendly.

“We all get on and we have no competition, The Khyber has got its own name,” Sadik said proudly. “It is the best Indian in Swindon without a doubt.”

The restaurant has always played its part in the community over the years and in the pandemic 14,000 free meals were supplied to NHS staff and care homes throughout both the major lockdowns.

“It is good to help the community, especially when we have been in the community for so long,” said Sadik.

Sadik was named a Swindon Covid Hero in 2021 thanks to his work helping the community.

And Sadik had a Swindon bus named in his honour in 2021.

“I just really wanted to give something back to the hospital staff as they were working so hard to look after us all and they all needed a hot meal to help keep them going,” he said at the time.

The restaurant still serves a wide variety of traditional and British Indian food.

“I recommend everything on the menu as every dish is a speciality and every customer is special to us,” said Sadik. “We try our best to provide the best food and the best service.”