Veeraswamy, Britain’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant, is facing an uncertain future less than a year before its 100th anniversary. Since opening on Regent Street in 1926, the restaurant has operated continuously from Victory House, a Grade II-listed building near Piccadilly Circus, surviving the Blitz and decades of social change. Its owners say plans by the Crown Estate to refurbish Victory House would make the restaurant’s continued presence at the site impossible.
A campaign to save Veeraswamy has gathered momentum: a petition to Buckingham Palace has attracted more than 19,000 signatures and won public backing from prominent chefs including Raymond Blanc, Michael Roux and Richard Corrigan. Supporters argue that Veeraswamy is a national culinary landmark and should be preserved.
The dispute centers on redevelopment proposals from the Crown Estate, which owns Victory House. Planning documents indicate the ground-floor restaurant area would be converted into offices and that changes to the entrance would reduce access. The Crown Estate says it has offered financial help and assistance in finding alternative West End premises, and that the decision was not taken lightly. Veeraswamy’s owners, Ranjit Mathrani and Namita Panjabi, respond that the estate intends to reclaim roughly 11 square metres of ground-floor space, which would block access to the mezzanine dining room and make continued operations unviable. They say practical alternatives exist that would allow the restaurant to remain without obstructing redevelopment.
Legal action is under way, but owners warn the case may not be resolved in time and that the restaurant could close before its centenary in March. Supporters hope King Charles III, who has spoken about building community links, might quietly back their appeal; Buckingham Palace has said the matter is for the Crown Estate.
Veeraswamy has played a notable role in popularising Indian cuisine in the UK. Founded by Edward Palmer, it catered initially to Anglo-Indian tastes and later to generals, civil servants, business leaders and expatriates. Historic and celebrity visitors are said to include Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Charlie Chaplin, Marlon Brando and Winston Churchill; later guests have included Princess Anne, David Cameron and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The restaurant remained open through wartime bombing, introduced Britain’s first tandoor oven in the 1950s, and helped bring dishes such as korma, vindaloo and tandoori chicken into the mainstream. Veeraswamy won its first Michelin star in 2016 and has retained it.
As debate continues, campaigners, staff and regulars are urging a resolution that preserves both the building’s redevelopment plans and the future of an institution many regard as part of Britain’s culinary heritage.
