Veeraswamy, the UK’s oldest Indian restaurant, is taking the Crown Estate to court this month as it faces eviction after a century on Regent Street in London. The Michelin-starred establishment, which opened in April 1926, has served guests including Winston Churchill, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Charlie Chaplin, and Queen Elizabeth II. However, it now faces closure as the property portfolio owned by King Charles has refused to renew its lease.
Historic Restaurant at Risk
The menu was created by Indian-born Edward Palmer, inspired by recipes from the royal palace of Hyderabad. It is even claimed that the habit of having a pint with a curry in England began at Veeraswamy. The king of Denmark used to visit whenever he came to London, shipping a cask of Carlsberg beer to be stored at the restaurant. The restaurant survived the Blitz and the competitive restaurant sector but now faces the culmination of a year-long legal battle after the Crown Estate declined to renew its £205,000-a-year lease last year.
Legal Battle and Refurbishment Plans
The case could lead to the restaurant in Victory House being converted into office space. Veeraswamy’s parent company MW Eat will present its case to the central London county court in a five-day hearing beginning on 29 June. The Crown Estate says it wants to carry out a “comprehensive refurbishment” of offices on the building’s upper floors, which have been empty since a flood affected their power supply in 2023. This would involve knocking down the wall separating the entrance to Veeraswamy and the offices to create a larger reception area for office tenants, allowing it to “materially increase” rents.
However, the restaurant’s owners say the works could be done without evicting them. In a witness statement, co-owner Ranjit Mathrani said: “It is well within the competence of many reputable contractors to deliver the defendant’s programme of works in a manner which could accommodate the restaurant business.” The restaurant has proposed sharing the larger entrance and matching increased rents, but the estate declined.
Compensation and Relocation Costs
A Crown Estate spokesperson said: “This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly. We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House to bring it up to modern standards. We understand how disappointing this is for MW Eat and have offered help to find new premises and financial compensation.” But Mathrani, 83, described those claims as “disingenuous”, noting that nothing suitable had been offered. MW Eat expects relocation costs of around £5m, while the estate’s compensation would cover only “a fraction of these costs”.
The building is part of the Crown Estate’s vast portfolio, which generates money for the Treasury and the royal family. It belongs to the reigning monarch “in right of the crown” but is not private property. A campaign to keep the restaurant in its historic space has amassed 20,000 signatures, delivered to Buckingham Palace in February. The Crown Estate said: “With external advice, we have reviewed alternative proposals and unfortunately there isn’t an alternate scheme which meets our responsibilities.”
