London's Oldest Indian Restaurant Hits 80 Years Strong

Gurbachan Singh Maan knocked on strangers' doors for a decade before he could open one of his own.

The Punjabi immigrant arrived in Britain in 1936 with a suitcase of goods to sell. He walked London's streets day after day, saving every penny he could. Those 10 years of door-to-door sales taught him something valuable about the Indian community living far from home: they desperately missed a simple taste of the familiar.

In 1946, Gurbachan opened Punjab Restaurant on Braham Street in Aldgate. His modest kitchen offered homesick Indians the Punjabi flavors they grew up with. Word spread quickly through London's Indian community, especially among workers at the Indian High Commission and students who'd made the city their temporary home.

The demand soon outgrew his small space. The family relocated to 80 Neal Street in Covent Garden, where the restaurant still stands today. Nearly 80 years later, it holds the title of Britain's oldest North Indian Punjabi restaurant.

Gurbachan's grandson Sital took over around 1970 after arriving in London at just 15. He'd lived in the rooms above the restaurant while going to school, so the kitchen became like a second home. Under his care, Punjab became one of the first restaurants to introduce tandoor cooking to Britain, a tradition that continues shaping the menu today.

Sital expanded the space over the years, first sideways, then backwards, then upwards. But the core stayed the same: freshly blended spices like coriander, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric, prepared the way his grandfather taught him.

The 1970s brought an unexpected threat when redevelopment plans put Neal Street at risk of demolition. The family joined neighbors fighting to save the historic area. Their effort paid off when Covent Garden was preserved, protecting not just their restaurant but an entire neighborhood's character.

The Ripple Effect

Today, Gurbachan's great-grandson Amrit Maan continues the family tradition. He still quotes his great-grandfather's guiding words: "We rise by uplifting others." That simple philosophy, born from a door-to-door salesman's decade of patience, now feeds thousands at one of London's most beloved Indian restaurants.

The family weathered recessions, demolition threats, and a global pandemic by staying true to what Gurbachan started: offering comfort through familiar food. What began as one immigrant's gamble on a modest kitchen has become a living piece of London's culinary history, still serving the same recipes that once reminded homesick Indians they weren't alone.

Four generations have proven that sometimes the longest journeys start with knocking on doors, and the best legacies are built one meal at a time.