The wait is finally over as new street food hall, Castle Social, has opened on the top floor of the Castle Quarter in Norwich.

The space was previously home to a food court with Burger King and Chopstix. In January 2021 it became a Covid vaccination hub.

Both food businesses have since left the centre paving the way for Market Asset Management (MAM) to transform the space into a haven for foodies.

MAM is a market and food hall operator which already runs successful venues across the UK but this is its first in East Anglia.

The new Norwich site features all local street food kitchens, with Hank's Dirty, serving a fully vegan menu and Mamma Mia, with Italian dishes from the team behind Sicily Trattoria in the city.

The Street Food Box serves 'dirty' burgers and Curry Box will join the line-up in a few weeks.

Hayden Ferriby, commercial director at MAM, said: "We had been looking at various locations to expand and Norwich was crying out for an exciting food hall and we also love the city.

"When we found Castle Quarter and the old food court it was the cherry on the top as it is an amazing space."

At the centre of Castle Social is bar Pinker and Green, decorated with foliage, serving a range of drinks including cocktails, local gin and coffees.

The Dessert Emporium, a sister kiosk to the bar, will serve cakes, Ronaldo's Ice Cream and more from next week.

Tiffany Bond, venue manager at Castle Social, said: "There is a real emphasis on local businesses here and it is a place people can come to enjoy themselves."

There will also be live music on Friday and Saturday evenings and there is ample seating in the space.

Ordering is done by scanning a QR code on the tables, with the food traders also offering delivery through the major platforms.

While it is open now, the grand launch weekend is from Friday, November 4, with family activities on the Saturday, including a face painter, balloon modeller and a magician.

Castle Social opens from 11am daily.