A restaurant owner has hit back after a series of one-star reviews he's branded as "fake" suddenly appeared online threatening to affect the reputation of his business.

Indian eatery Padharo was subject to a flurry of negative comments on Google, much to the surprise of owner Ankit Vaghela.

Mr Vaghela and his team woke up to the reviews on Wednesday morning after they "mysteriously appeared" overnight.

The reviews have affected the online rating of the independent restaurant, which specialises in vegetarian and vegan dishes and is highly thought-of in the city, but it remains bolstered by the support of customers.

Mr Vaghela said: “Most of the accounts used for the reviews seem completely unrelated to any customers we have had.

“Looking at the people who made the reviews, they have not left any other reviews, and they were all done in the middle of Tuesday night.

“My customers are everything to me and the restaurant, and I am always here and make the food.

“The main issue is that these reviews bring our overall Google rating down.”

(Image: Ryan Stanikk) One of the reviews slams the restaurant’s “bad service, rotten food, and poor ambience”.

They added: “[I] Will recommend you don’t visit here.”

Uncertainty shrouds the intentions of those who made the scathing reviews.

But Mr Vaghela suspects the reviews were made by customers who previously made a complaint.

READ MORE: Top-rated restaurant faces bill for damage after 'thieves' break in

He said: “They ordered through Uber Eats then phoned to say the Dosa had a funny smell.

“We advised them to bring it to the restaurant and I checked it myself. There was nothing wrong with it and I had cooked it fresh that day.

“I explained it was probably just the batter, and they accepted my offer of making them a new batch.

“Then, they demanded a refund. We could not offer that as it was bought through Uber Eats and they would need to do it through them.

“This led to them becoming very hostile.”

The one-star reviews have been reported to Google and Mr Vaghela hopes people will see they “are not genuine”.

“Some of the reviews left are quite insulting”, he said, adding: “But we are trying to make the most of a bad situation.”

Since sharing the reviews with followers on Facebook and Instagram, the restaurant has since been inundated with support.

Mr Vaghela said: “I have never had numerous people make one-star reviews at once before.

“The outpouring of support from people has been really nice to see.”