KIBOU Cheltenham celebrates its 10th anniversary

Bursting onto the Cheltenham food scene in 2013, KIBOU Cheltenham started as a small basement restaurant, founded by Emma Graveney, that got us all hooked on Japanese food, and soon became the talk of the town.

This August, the much-loved restaurant celebrates its 10th birthday, and what a decade it has been!

Starting life as a small 24-seater restaurant, KIBOU always had big ambitions, but until 2020 when they moved into new larger premises, they just couldn’t squeeze everyone in. Many an evening, guests would be queuing right up onto Regent Street to grab a coveted table and a plate of their delicious sushi, and their reputation just kept growing.

A few awards later, most recently reclaiming the Restaurant of the Year Award in the SoGlos Lifestyle Awards 2021, and a move to a larger restaurant with space for over 100 guests, and the rest is history, so they say. But what has made KIBOU so special for all these years?

The food has to be one of its main draws – I mean it’s a restaurant after all! But KIBOU is different, and its menu is also very different from many Japanese restaurants that you see on the high street.

Focussing both on staple Japanese hot dishes, as well as offering an extensive sushi and sashimi menu, KIBOU presents a breadth of Japanese food that’s hard to find elsewhere. They liken their menu to taking a stroll down a busy Tokyo street, where a melting pot of Japanese dishes and influences from right across the country can be found all within arm’s reach of each other. From the delicate, hand-rolled sushi restaurants to the fast and furious ramen stalls, the tempura cafes to the izakaya drinking bars, KIBOU’s menu takes inspiration from all the delicious eateries that this thriving city has to offer.

Plus, of course, their signatures, and who can ignore their Volcano Roll? This tasty 10-piece futomaki roll has gained almost cult status over the years – try one and you’ll understand why. Salmon, avocado and tobiko (a type of Japanese caviar) are all stuffed into a sushi roll, then the whole thing is dipped in tempura batter, fried and drizzled with KIBOU’s special sauces. It’s devilishly divine and has changed many an opinion that sushi is just raw fish (and always healthy!)

Then there’s the team, who have almost grown up with us over the last 10 years. You’ll still see many of the original team members front and back of house, and still supporting that trademark KIBOU smile. From Ian Pechon who’s now been promoted to Senior Head Chef, to Rui Okita and Glaiza Tailor who have since been promoted to Recruitment & People Manager and Restaurant Manager. The team truly are what makes KIBOU that extra bit special; the friendly welcome, great service and so many familiar faces to see every time you visit.

It's what makes a trip to KIBOU, then and now, such a treat, and probably why you see so many guests celebrating special occasions there. From birthdays to anniversaries, engagements to proposals, a KIBOU backdrop has photo-bombed many a cherished family album!

Finally, ask anyone in Cheltenham what also makes KIBOU stand out from the rest, and they’ll be sure to say the décor. Elegant with a touch of fun, colourful but glamorous too, every inch of detail has been thought through within the restaurant. From the gorgeous cherry blossom trees adorning the entrance, and stretching throughout the venue, to the traditional Japanese block prints and characterful roof tiles. But the standout has to be the artwork, which is generously displayed throughout. Straight out of art school, fresh-faced local artist Martyna Sabadasz created those charismatic murals in the original basement restaurant, and it’s great to see her flair and creativity develop into some of the stunning pieces we see in KIBOU today.

So the legacy of KIBOU continues, and it’s great to see a local restaurant celebrating such a milestone. As part of their celebrations, KIBOU will be running a ‘Best of 10’ specials menu throughout August, and they’re asking for input from guests new and old in terms of what should be included.

The menu will feature some of your favourite dishes from the last 10 years, so now’s your chance to see them return! There are also rumours of an event to be held in the restaurant in September to mark this momentous occasion.

Check out this link to let the KIBOU team know what you’d like to see on their specials menu, and to find out more about other events they have planned.