An Indian restaurant that has been serving curries on London’s Regent Street for a century is facing eviction after the property portfolio owned by King Charles refused to renew its lease. The outcome of the case could result in the restaurant’s premises at Victory House being converted into office space.
What is the case?
The Crown Estate says it plans to undertake a comprehensive refurbishment of the offices on the upper floors of the building, which have remained vacant since a flood disrupted their power supply in 2023.
As part of the project, the estate wants to remove the wall separating the entrance to ‘Veeraswamy’, the restaurant, from the entrance to the offices, creating a larger reception area for office tenants. It argues that the change would allow it to materially increase the rent it can charge. However, Veeraswamy’s owners contend that the refurbishment can be carried out without forcing the restaurant to leave.
Veeraswamy’s parent company ‘MW Eat’ will be presenting its case in a five-day hearing beginning on June 29.
In a witness statement, Ranjit Mathrani, co-owner of MW Eat, 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. This is a standard part of many similar refurbishments in London and elsewhere in the UK.”
The restaurant has proposed sharing the expanded entrance with the office space and has also offered to match the higher rents that the Crown Estate believes it could obtain from new office tenants. The estate, however, declined both proposals.
“This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly,” a spokesperson for the Crown Estate said. “We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House to both bring it up to modern standards, and into full use.” “We understand how disappointing this is for MW Eat and have offered help to find new premises on our portfolio so that the restaurant can stay in the West End, as well as financial compensation.”
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Compensation dispute
Another point of contention is compensation. MW Eat estimates that relocating, fitting out a new site and closing during the move would cost around £5 million. It says the compensation offered by the Crown Estate would cover only “a fraction of these costs”.
Victory House is part of the Crown Estate’s vast land and property portfolio, which generates revenue for the Treasury and the royal family. The estate belongs to the reigning monarch “in right of the Crown”, but it is not the monarch’s private property. Revenue from the estate is surrendered to the Treasury each year for the benefit of the nation’s finances in exchange for the Sovereign Grant.
The restaurant’s fight to remain at its historic location has drawn widespread support from top chefs, restaurant critics and notable diners. A petition calling for Veeraswamy to stay in its original premises has gathered 20,000 signatures and was delivered to Buckingham Palace by the restaurant’s owners in February.
Responding to the campaign, the Crown Estate said: “With external advice, we have reviewed alternative proposals including those put forward by MW Eat, and unfortunately there isn’t an alternate scheme which meets our responsibilities as stewards of this heritage listed building, our legal obligations and our responsibilities to manage public money.”
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About the restaurant
Veeraswamy opened in April 1926 and has been hosting guests, including emminent personalities. It’s patrons over the decades have included Winston Churchill, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Charlie Chaplin, and Queen Elizabeth II, among others.
Its menu was created by Indian-born Edward Palmer, who drew inspiration from dishes served at the royal palace of Hyderabad, recipes he learned from his grandmother.
The restaurant survived the Blitz and the highs and lows of the highly competitive restaurant industry. It 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.
The restaurant, which now holds a Michelin star, is also credited by its owners with helping establish the tradition of pairing a pint with a curry in England. According to them, the King of Denmark was a regular visitor whenever he travelled to London. He arranged for a cask of Carlsberg beer to be stored at the restaurant and served whenever he dined there.
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