UK’s first Indian restaurant’s courtroom showdown on ice after bombshell growth
Britain’s first curry house is working on a plan to remain open as the King refurbishes the site amid fears it’ll have to be closed forever.
A legal scrap between the UK’s oldest Michelin-star Indian restaurant and the King’s Crown Estate has this week been put on ice after a judge delayed the court showdown and both sides work to resolve the row. The 100-year-old Indian eatery, the Veeraswamy, has been fighting for its survival as the establishment’s royal landlord moved to kick the restaurant out of its original home.
Located in Victory House, Regent Street, London, the century-old curry spot previously called on the King to save them “from extinction” as The Crown Estate sought not to renew its lease.
The estate row started earlier this year when the landlord announced plans to modernise the Grade II-listed building. Planning documents showed changes to the current entrance would make the restaurant inaccessible.
Ranjit Mathrani, chairman of MW Eat, Veeraswamy’s owner, told your Daily Star he is now working with the body to get the works done while keeping the restaurant open. He said: “We will make every effort to see if the dispute can be settled.
“In addition to meet a claimed prime concern of The Crown Estate (TCE), we have offered them that we would assume the responsibility of the planned refurbishment works being undertaken with Veeraswamy in situ.
“We have offered in principle undertake, the proposed refurbishment works to the office areas as the development manager using these specifications, timetable and proposed costs in such a way as to preserve the continuing presence of Veeraswamy.
“This would be on appropriate terms and with appropriate protections in place for TCE. However, TCE have turned down this offer.” The Crown Estate and the curry house were set to meet at London County Court earlier this week.
However a judge has stated the five-day court feud has been delayed due to “administrative reasons”. Mr Mathrani said the company would be given new dates to appear in court “because of the prior commitments of the legal team and expert witnesses on both sides, it is unlikely to be before late autumn this year”.
The food spot has a rich history feeding a star-studded number of guests from wartime PM Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Godfather actor Marlon Brando. The eatery even dished up grub to Londoners as bombs dropped on the city during the Blitz throughout WWII.
The Indian’s £205,000-a-year lease expired last summer after the Crown Estate refused to renew it. The Crown Estate has stated its decision to deny the restaurant’s lease is due to Victory House needing to undergo “comprehensive refurbishment” after flooding in the building’s basement in 2023.
The Crown Estate’s plans would see Veeraswamy kicked out of the building and the space it has called home, for more than 100 years, converted to office space.
Despite the refusal, the eatery has stayed open due to the ongoing legal action. As The Crown Estate and the food spot continue on a collision course the Estate has stated they have offered to help the Veeraswamy find a new home.
A spokesman 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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