UK's oldest Indian restaurant begins legal fight with Crown Estate over Regent Street eviction - as owner says they're being disrespected because they don't serve British cuisine

Published: 07:46 EDT, 5 November 2026 | Updated: 07:48 EDT, 5 November 2026 The UK's oldest Indian restaurant will today launch a legal battle to stop the Crown Estate evicting it from its historic Regent Street home, claiming the landlord would have shown more respect if it served more traditional British cuisine.Veeraswamy has served its acclaimed curries from the first floor of a landmark site near Piccadilly Circus since 1926, attracting everyone from Princess Anne and Lord David Cameron to Mahatma Gandhi.But its future hangs in the balance due to a row with the Crown Estate, which manages a vast collection of properties on behalf of King Charles - including the building in which the restaurant is based.The Crown Estate told the restaurant in 2024 that its lease would not be renewed due to the need to carry out a 'comprehensive refurbishment' of the building, which has been left with vacant office space following a flood.Ranjit Mathrani, a former investment banker who chairs Veeraswamy's parent company, MW Eat, is challenging the decision at Central London County Court.He said the landlord claimed it would be unsafe to carry out renovations while the restaurant remained in place and that it could ultimately secure higher rents from office tenants.'We have done everything to meet their concerns,' Mr Mathrani told the FT.'It is obvious that they do not appear to have sufficient regard for Veeraswamy and its tradition, its background, its role, and its culinary heritage. Would they actually have taken the same stance had it been a cuisine with which they were more familiar?'Would they have done that to Gordon Ramsay? No.' Veeraswamy has been serving customers at Victory House on London's Regent Street since 1926 Restaurant bosses Ranjit Mathrani and Namita Panjabi have been 'blindsided' by the announcement The Crown Estate said: 'We strongly refute any suggestion that The Crown Estate prefers particular types of cuisine. 'We are proud to have a diverse dining offer across our West End portfolio, reflecting the diversity of London itself.'The Crown Estate argues that the entire premises requires a full revamp and that Veeraswamy's entrance area is in the way. Knocking through it would create an additional 11 sq metres of space.Without its own entrance, there can be no restaurant and so, as part of the renovation works, the space currently occupied by Veeraswamy will be converted into new office space - demand for which has increased rapidly in the West End since the pandemic.But Mr Mathrani isn't convinced by the explanation.He says the Crown Estate refused to allow the restaurant to continue trading until a new site could be found - a move that may force it to shut, potentially leaving loyal staff redundant and customers heartbroken.While it insists there is no alternative entrance for the restaurant due to restrictions on the listed building, Mr Mathrani says other options were never seriously considered.MW Eat has also offered to pay the same rents the estate would have collected from office tenants, or to buy a 35-year lease for the whole building and carry out the refurbishment works itself.Mr Mathrani said the estate offered compensation of £500,000. While this is 20 per cent more than the statutory amount, he complained it was only a fraction of the £5million required for such a move. Diners inside Veeraswamy's in 1963, when it had already been operating for nearly 40 years Butlers and kitchen staff of the restaurant in 1927Top chefs Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux Jr and Michael Caines are among a number of high-profile chefs calling on the Crown Estate to engage in 'meaningful dialogue' and 'act responsibly' to save Veeraswamy.They added that the restaurant's 'rightful home' is in Victory House and that converting the establishment into offices would be 'sacrilege', representing a profound loss both for London's restaurant scene and for the capital's tourism industry.The vast majority of Regent Street is owned by the Crown Estate, which is held by King Charles during his reign.It is not his private property and he does not manage or make decisions about its assets. The estate pays its profits to the Treasury, which in turn provides a percentage to the royal family in the form of the Sovereign Grant.