Chopstix joins Festival Place with local food operator set to upsize

Pan-Asian noodle bar Chopstix has opened at Basingstoke’s Festival Place, and will be joined by local street food operator Festival Street Kitchen, which upsizes into the centre.

Sitting adjacent to Pret A Manger, the 2,490 sq ft unit accommodates up to 54 diners and offers a range of noodle-based dishes. The Festival Place opening marks a Basingstoke debut for Chopstix, which is the largest Asian-inspired quick-serve restaurant in the UK.

Meanwhile, Festival Street Kitchen will relocate from its previous home on Festival Square into a larger 4,523 sq ft unit, opening opposite recent additions Kokoro and Café Giardino. The 82-capacity local restaurant will continue to offer its regularly-updated menu, which includes the likes of burritos and quesadillas.

Poppy Radford, asset manager at Sovereign Centros, said: “Festival Place continues to establish itself as Basingstoke’s go-to hub for diverse, all-day dining options, and the commitment of popular operators like Chopstix and Festival Street Kitchen is evidence of this. Having already welcomed Chopstix, and supporting the growth of a local operator in Festival Street Kitchen is a sign of where we want to take Festival Place, delivering a bigger and better experience to its visitors, incorporating ever-popular national names as well as community hero brands.”

Chopstix’s opening and Festival Street Kitchen’s relocation kick off the year for Festival Place, which had a busy 2023 welcoming the likes of luggage retailer Baggage World and local favourite Wenzel’s Bakery.

Lunson Mitchenall and GCW – which was appointed in December – represent Festival Place.