Veeraswamy, the century-old Indian restaurant in the UK, the oldest of all, will be taking the Crown Estate to court this month over its ongoing eviction tussle. Co-owner Ranjit Mathrani said all negotiations with the Crown Estate, the portfolio of King Charles, failed as the estate is hell-bent on a costly court case. The estate wants the space of the restaurant in Victory House to be converted into office space. Veeraswamy’s parent company MW Eat will be presenting its case to the central London County Court in a five-day hearing beginning on June 29, UK media reported.The estate said it wanted to carry out a “comprehensive refurbishment” of the offices on the building’s upper floors, which have been empty since a flood affected their power supply in 2023. This would require them to knock down the wall that separates the entrance to Veeraswamy. They wanted to create a larger reception area for office tenants, which would allow it to “materially increase” the rents it can charge, it said. Veeraswamy agreed to the proposal and said it could be done without evicting them, and also offered to match the rent that the estate estimated they would get when it would be given to office space.“We have really done all we can to answer all their concerns,” Mathrani said, adding that the estate lost more money than the renovation project would have required — in the legal tussle which also involved loss of rent, as Veeraswamy’s lease was not renewed.“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,” Mathrani said in the witness statement.
Hallowed history of Veeraswamy
The restaurant opened in April 1926 and served guests including Winston Churchill, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Charlie Chaplin and even Queen Elizabeth II. Its menu was created by Edward Palmer who was inspired by the recipes for the dishes served at the royal palace of Hyderabad, which he had learned from his grandmother. The Guardian reported that the king of Denmark used to visit Veeraswamy whenever he came to London – he decided to ship out a cask of Carlsberg beer to be stored at the restaurant and served to him whenever he ate curry.
What the Crown Estate says
“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.”“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,” the estate said.MW Eat said estate’s compensation will not be enough.A petition to keep Veeraswamy in its original premises has amassed 20,000 signatures and was delivered to Buckingham Palace by the restaurant’s owners in February.
