Inside the Johnstone restaurant named the 'best' in Scotland

Rabi Maharjan opened De' Buddha, which is situated on Johnstone's Collier Street, back in November 2023, and it has continued to go from strength to strength.

The restaurant has received critical acclaim over recent months after winning Best Dining Experience at the Scottish Hospitality Awards back in June.

The business also clinched Best Nepalese Restaurant at the Scottish Spice Awards last month.

Rabi, who is also the chef at the restaurant, has thanked his customers for their support(Image: Gordon Terris)

READ MORE: New road, bridge and improved cycle routes set to be built in Paisley

Rabi is "delighted" his restaurant has received national recognition(Image: Gordon Terris)

Rabi, who is also the chef, opened up on his "delight" at the national recognition.

He said: "I’m very proud of this achievement because this simply represents all my hard work, efforts, passion and love towards this place.

"We have now won four national awards recently and that makes the hard work worth it because it is amazing to be recognised as the best.

"My team has been amazing and is very professional with a great mindset."

The menu features a diverse array of traditional Nepali dishes along with multi-cuisine options.

READ MORE: Inside 'charming' Linwood property on market for £180k

The restaurant opened back in November 2023(Image: Gordon Terris)

Rabi, who is originally from Kathmandu, in Nepal, was a teenager when he first arrived in Scotland.

He opened up on his journey in the hospitality business.

Rabi continued: "I worked in restaurants and cafes part-time and slowly started getting passionate about food and drinks.

"I always wanted to open my own restaurant one day and finally I did, when I opened my first restaurant in Gourock and ran it for seven good years with lots of success.

"It was called My Kitchen Multi-Cuisine Restaurant and it won more than 10 awards over seven years."

Chef Raz Maharjan at award-winning restaurant De Buddha in Johnstone(Image: GordonTerris)

Rabi was also keen to thank those who have supported him.

He added: "Feedback from the customers had always been brilliant.

"We feel very grateful to have such loving and supportive locals since we opened our doors.

"Without the love and support from all of our customers we couldn’t have made it this far and I just want to say thank you."