Indian Accent London closes permanently due to ‘unviable’ location

The London outpost of chef-restaurateur Manish Mehrotra's Indian Accent restaurant in Mayfair has announced its permanent closure, saying the business is “unviable” at its current location.

However, the restaurant said it hopes another Indian Accent could open in London at a larger location at some point in the future.

A statement on the group’s website said: “IRL, the company which licensed brand Indian Accent in London is deeply saddened to announce its permanent closure. This difficult decision was made as a last resort after carefully considering all the factors in play as a direct result of Covid-19.

“Social distancing would reduce the restaurant capacity to just 30 covers. This combined with the significant fixed costs as a result of operating on one of the most expensive streets in the world and the general economic uncertainty in the UK, means that the business is unviable at its current location.

“A huge thank you to all our guests for their love and support and to the incredibly talented and dedicated London team whom we shall miss. Chef Manish Mehrotra and the rest of the team hope to bring Indian Accent to London at a larger location at some point in the future.”

The site opened in December 2017, following the original restaurant in New Delhi, which opened in 2009, and a New York outpost, both of which remain unaffected.

Indian Accent is the latest London establishment to announce it will not reopen, following A-list favourite Le Caprice in St James’ and the two-Michelin-starred Ledbury in Notting Hill. The Ledbury's owner Brett Graham said it would be impossible to keep staff and customers safe with even one-metre distancing restrictions in place.

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