The first restaurant to launch at a new £115 million leisure complex will open before Christmas.

Korean Cowgirl has announced its new location at the Riverside development in Canterbury will start serving guests on Monday, December 19.

The high-end smokehouse broke the news on Instagram this week, with a post saying it will have a launch event next month.

“We’re opening on Monday, December 19,” it said.

“Don’t miss out on being a part of the launch of the restaurant at Riverside.”

The post was met with excitement, with one foodie responding “welcome back”.

Bosses at the Korean Cowgirl say they were forced to shut its popular Palace Street branch in August because of an administration issue with its premises licence.

The Asian-Texan fusion restaurant had become a popular establishment over the past six years, earning itself a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor.

But due to an “innocent clerical error”, the establishment lost its licence to serve alcohol.

Restaurant bosses said they felt they had no choice but to close with immediate effect.

A statement from Korean Cowgirl said: “We are deeply saddened to close our Canterbury restaurant after six long years.

“We would like to thank our staff and customers for supporting us over the many years. If we cannot do it right we won’t do it all.”

Council records show the restaurant - which serves burgers, wings and rice bowls - has applied for a fresh alcohol licence at the new location.

If approved, it will be open between 9am and midnight from Sunday to Wednesday and operate an hour later on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Korean Cowgirl currently has two other locations - one at the Cave Hotel near Faversham and another in Camden.

The newest branch will be joining several other establishments at Riverside, including the upmarket bar and restaurant Sekkoya.

A five-screen Curzon cinema has already launched at the city council development, and a licence has been granted for a BrewDog bar.

Plans for a Boom Battle Bar offering bowling, axe-throwing and table tennis in one of the 13 units have also been revealed, as well as Fireaway Pizza.