A Magical Evening At The Royal Nawaab Pyramid

WOW – my first impression of the Royal Nawaab Pyramid – the distinctive landmark standing tall on the bustling junction of Stockport.

I was lucky enough to visit the impressive building which is nothing less than incredible with eye-popping designs and mouthwatering delicacies, the Royal Nawaab definitely lives up to the hype. 

For an hour and a half, I was in awe of the magical extravagance before me and for a moment it took me back to my time in Dubai. 

With the exotic beauty of palm trees, glittering light bulbs, spectacular chandeliers and an inside colour changing water fountain, the Royal Nawaab exuded an enchanting, tropical elegance that made my evening feel like a celebration. 

And it’s no surprise, in an Interview with the Oldham Reporter, Royal Nawaab, Founder Mr Mahboob Hussain, said Dubai was the place the inspiration came from.  

The 68-year-old said: “The concept and look behind the building is from Dubai. We got this place 18 months ago and started work on it. This is a very iconic building, and my concept is very iconic. I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort on this venture with help from my team, and you can see the result of it now.  

“The lights are locally sourced but some of them are from Persia. I have tried my best to give a new lease of life to this building. Everybody loves it. I think it's the only pyramid shaped building in England and in the whole of Europe. 

“I wanted to do something for Manchester by not just making it a focal meeting point but to create more jobs.” 

It has taken 18 months and £15m to completely revamp the once Co-operative Bank, into a luxurious buffet restaurant and a banqueting hall.  

It offers a 500-space car park and a 36m long live kitchen - the biggest in Europe according to Mr Hussain. 

He proudly said: “We have various dishes, and we have 55 to 60 catering staff in the three kitchens. We are constantly changing the dishes to cater for all guests.” 

Mr Hussain emigrated from Islamabad, Pakistan to England, in 1969 at the young age of 15, to start a job as a textile worker.  

He told us he worked up through the ranks at a Textile factory in Yorkshire, from an apprentice to supervisor, to the general manager in charge of 1,400 staff.  

After the factory moved to South Korea in 1985, Mr Hussain decided to follow his love of cooking and in 1987 he went into business with his two cousins, opening his first ever Nawaab restaurant in Bradford a year later. 

The restaurant was so popular it was awarded excellence in 1990, winning the best restaurant of the year accolade. 

The ongoing success of this restaurant led to Mr Hussain opening a second Nawaab restaurant in Huddersfield, and then Manchester. 

The name became so popular that branches were opening everywhere with five restaurants opening in Spain. 

In 1999, he had the vision for a new way of eating and that was a live Asian cooking buffet and banqueting suite on a grand scale, which opened its doors to the public in 2003. 

Mr Hussain sold the rights to the name ‘Nawaab’ to his previous business partners, who were still operating restaurants in Bradford and Huddersfield under the Nawaab name. 

The father-of-four rebranded his two existing restaurants in Manchester and London as Royal Nawaab in 2017. 

He described the Royal Nawaab Pyramid as his ‘legacy’ adding: “I can proudly say we have a 400-seat restaurant and three banqueting halls to cater for 1600 guests. 

“I couldn’t have done this without the support of family and my children who have helped me. I am happy and my guests who visit us are extremely impressed.” 

For prices and bookings visit royalnawaab.com