An award-winning restaurant chain has confirmed it will open a new store in the county this spring.

Wagamama, which serves Asian food based on Japanese cuisine, is to open its latest Kent restaurant at Dockside Shopping Outlet, Chatham, in May.

The brand has branches at Bluewater, Maidstone, Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells and expanded its diner at the Ashford Designer Outlet last year.

It is known for casual dining on bench seating.

Wagamama chief executive Thomas Heier said: “Our teams have done an excellent job in continuing to elevate our guest experience and we very much look forward to welcoming more guests to our benches as we head into 2024."

Mr Heier adds the past 12 months have been an “exciting year” for the company, with the launch of new dishes on a Korean-inspired menu including vegan corn dogs, or K-dogs, and hot pots and rice bowls.

The diner at Dockside will be joined by Italian restaurant, Zizzi.

Both will fill spaces at the units formerly occupied by Villagios and The Real China.

Schroders Capital’s real estate owns the site, and the company's portfolio manager, Eleanor Jukes, added in September: “Wagamama and Zizzi are strong additions to Chatham Waterside that will be popular with the local community, drive footfall and complement the existing tenant mix.

“The nature of both the brands is testament to the quality of the scheme and marks the completion of the transformation of Chatham Waterside following the closure of themed attraction Dickens World.”

Meanwhile, Marc Sherman, speaking on behalf of Wagamama, added: “We are delighted to have secured a new unit in this location at Chatham Maritime and we thank Schroders Capital for working with us and we look forward to opening our new restaurant soon.’’

The pan-Asian restaurant in Chatham will be one of 10 new Wagamamas to open this year across the UK.

The move will create 500 jobs for roles including kitchen porters, waiters, chefs and general managers.

Wagamama, which has now made half of its menu meat-free, has more than 170 restaurants across the UK after first launching in Bloomsbury, London back in 1992.

It also trades in more than 20 countries across the globe.