A Cambridge independent restaurant is celebrating yet another accolade after Prana Indian Restaurant on Mill Road was named Best Fine Dining Indian Restaurant 2026 – Cambridge at the LUXlife Hospitality Awards 2026.
The latest achievement continues a standout year for Prana, which earlier in 2026 celebrated 10 years since its relaunch, having originally been established on Cambridge’s Mill Road in 2012.
It is also the latest in a series of recognitions this year. Prana was earlier named Best Contemporary Indian Restaurant 2026 – Cambridgeshire, while the restaurant has also been shortlisted as a Voter’s Choice finalist at the English Curry Awards 2026.
For owner Kobir Ahmed, the latest award is not only an opportunity to celebrate Prana’s success, but also to shine a spotlight on Cambridge’s independent hospitality sector and Mill Road itself.
A decade since Prana’s relaunch
Prana’s story began in 2012, before the restaurant later closed for a major transformation. It relaunched in 2016 with a renewed vision for contemporary Indian dining, meaning 2026 marks a decade since that new chapter began.
Kobir said:
“When we relaunched Prana in 2016, we wanted to create an Indian dining experience that Cambridge could be proud of.
Ten years later, to be celebrating our anniversary and continuing to receive recognition like this is an incredible feeling.
Being named Best Fine Dining Indian Restaurant 2026 – Cambridge means a huge amount to all of us, particularly in a city with such a diverse and competitive food scene.”
Prana has built its reputation around combining traditional Indian flavours with contemporary presentation, quality ingredients and a strong focus on hospitality and the overall dining experience.
Making Mill Road a destination
The award also comes at an important time for independent businesses, with changing shopping and dining habits meaning high streets increasingly have to give people compelling reasons to visit.
For Kobir, who is also involved in representing businesses through the Mill Road Traders Association, the future is about making sure Mill Road continues to develop as a destination in its own right.
He said:
“The way people use our high streets is changing. We can’t simply assume the footfall will always be there – we have to give people reasons to visit.
Mill Road has an incredible mix of independent restaurants, cafés, shops and businesses that you simply don’t find everywhere else. We want people from across Cambridge and further afield to come here, spend time here, discover somewhere new and want to return.
Awards like this are fantastic for Prana, but if our success also encourages someone to visit Mill Road and discover some of the other brilliant independent businesses around us, then that is something we can all celebrate.”
Kobir believes individual businesses succeeding and the wider street succeeding should go hand in hand.
“We want Prana to be a destination restaurant, but we’re equally passionate about Mill Road becoming a destination in its own right.
There is so much here to experience. Our challenge is making sure people know about it and continue to choose Mill Road.”
Recognition for the people behind Prana
Despite another award being added to Prana’s growing list of achievements, Kobir says the recognition ultimately belongs to the team and its customers.
“No restaurant wins awards because of one person. This is recognition for our chefs, our front-of-house team and everyone who works incredibly hard behind the scenes.
Most importantly, it belongs to our customers. We have people who have supported Prana for many years, alongside customers discovering us for the first time. We never take that support for granted.”
Rather than seeing the latest award as a finishing line, Kobir says it creates an expectation for Prana to continue improving.
“Awards raise expectations. If somebody chooses Prana because they’ve heard about us or seen that we’ve won an award, we have to deliver an experience that lives up to it.
It’s been a very special year for Prana, but we’re certainly not standing still. We’re incredibly proud to represent Mill Road and Cambridge, and we’re excited about what comes next.”
