India Club in London: Iconic restaurant to shut after 70 years - BBC News

The India Club in London, which was set up in the 1950s, is set to close in September.

17 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, India ClubImage caption, The interiors of the India Club have largely remained unchanged since the 1950sBy Cherylann MollanBBC News, MumbaiThe place is nondescript; if you don't look for it, you may not find it. And yet, for over 70 years, many Indians in London have sought it out, looking for familiar flavours and faces - a taste of home abroad.

The India Club - an iconic lounge-cum-restaurant and bar - that sits inside the Hotel Strand Continental on a busy stretch of road in central London, has been a historically and culturally significant space for the South Asian community in the city for decades.

It was set up in the 1950s as a place for early Indian immigrants to meet and connect, but now the India Club is set to shut down as the owners of the building it is housed in want to demolish a part of the structure to set up a more modernised hotel.

Many patrons say they are saddened by the news as the closure of the Club will lead to the city losing a part of its history.

Image source, India ClubImage caption, A farewell party held at the India Club in 1966The Club has been battling against closure for years. A couple of years ago, its owners - Yadgar Marker and his daughter, Phiroza - won their battle against the demolition after their campaign to save the place received thousands of signatures.