Published Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 14:36
Blackburn town centre has welcomed its first-ever Japanese restaurant – Shinsen Sushi.
The move to Cathedral Square is a ‘dream come true’ for hugely talented chef, Dimitris Kalliontzis, and his partner, Ionika Regudo.
And it’s something to celebrate for their loyal customers too.
For while the restaurant may be new, Shinsen has already been making waves on Blackburn Market, with foodies travelling from across the North West and describing the sushi as the ‘best they’ve ever had.’
Such is Shinsen’s popularity – including a glowing five star rating on Tripadvisor – that the pair quickly expand their first stall before outgrowing a larger one and now they’re making Cathedral Square Shinsen’s new home.
Dimitris said:
I studied at Culinary Arts School back home in Greece and have worked at award-winning restaurants across Europe, but cooking sushi actually started as a hobby.
I would cook for my family, friends and colleagues at work, who were all blown away, and so I started taking orders from home.
That developed during the pandemic and, given how busy I was, I decided to try it as a town centre business, starting out at Blackburn Market.
Due to the popularity, we soon had to expand from our first stall and now, just two years later, it’s an absolute dream come true to be opening our first restaurant in Blackburn’s Cathedral Square.
There’s a huge menu to enjoy at Shinsen too – from a dedicated sushi menu to bao buns, street bites, toasted sando-wiches, bento boxes, ramen, Japanese curries, donburi and more.
For inspiration, you can see mouth-watering pictures on the Shinsen Facebook and Instagram pages.
Everything is prepared using fresh ingredients in an open kitchen, and Shinsen also offers deliveries and outside catering too.
They’ve also been hosting popular collaborations, including with the likes of Whalley Wine Bar.
Dimitris added:
We like our customers to enjoy the whole experience, watching as the food is carefully prepared in front of them.
We also like to encourage people to try something new, guiding them through the different options that we offer.
We are incredibly grateful to our loyal customers – who travel from right across the North West – for their support, and we can’t wait to show them the restaurant and welcome new people too.
Shinsen officially opened on Monday (November 11) and joins The Firepit and Checks & Greys in Cathedral Square and is located right opposite Blackburn’s railway station, with new signage due to be installed any day now.
The restaurant is currently open from 11:30am to 8:45pm from Monday to Saturday and 12:00pm to 7:00pm on Sundays.
There’s plans to extend this too with a new breakfast menu coming soon.
Customers can enjoy free parking in the evenings – from 6pm – on the Jubilee Car Park.
Congratulating Shinsen Sushi on their grand opening, Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
Blackburn is a great place for creativity, culture and great food and we’ve already got some fabulous restaurants in our town centre, so it’s fantastic to be able to add a Japanese offer too with the opening of Shinsen Sushi.
From award-winning South Indian cuisine to reinvented street food fusion, Blackburn really is becoming a foodie hotspot – and with the incredible reviews for Shinsen, it’s an exciting addition.
It’s also really good to see how our market has supported this start-up to grow, helping Dimitris and Ionika realise their dream of having their own restaurant.
I’d like to wish them both all the very best. I can’t wait to visit soon.
A full rundown of places to eat in Blackburn town centre can be found on the Discover Blackburn website – www.discoverblackburn.co.uk
There’s also a full what’s on guide, including things to do in the run-up to Christmas. You can check that out by using this link – www.discoverblackburn.co.uk/whats-on/
Also, look out for a new video about Shinsen Sushi coming soon on Discover Blackburn’s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.