The Elysée in Percy Street: ‘…simply the centre of Greek live in London’

A HISTORIC Greek restaurant has said its fate has been sealed by just two councillors at the town hall after it lost its licence in a review hearing.

The Elysée, in Percy Street, described as “the centre of Greek life in London”, is a family-run restaurant that opened in 1936.

Its customers have included the likes of Prince Philip, The Beatles and Muhammad Ali, many of whom have signed the old red visitors book or are pictured in photographs on the restaurant walls beside sculptures by actor Anthony Quinn, who played Zorba the Greek in the eponymous 1964 movie.

But at a meeting last Tuesday – the Elysée’s second licence review in five years – councillors voted to revoke its licence following police concerns that the venue was too lax on crime and, in particular, was failing to protect female customers.

Speaking on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Service, lawyer Michael Feeney said it had then been deemed appropriate to give the restaurant “one last chance”, in recognition of its long history in the borough, but that further recent incidents suggest it was “paying only lip service” to its licensing obligations.

He gave details of an incident in November 2025, when two people said they had been assaulted by another customer and by security staff at the restaurant; and another in December, when a female customer alleged that she was assaulted by an ex-partner inside.

Police found the restaurant’s CCTV had not been working, security were not wearing body-worn cameras, and managers had failed to call the police.

Mr Feeney said: “The obvious question is why did it take two incidents and months of police involvement for the premises to begin complying with the conditions on their licence?”

The Elysée management’s description of the November incident as “a handbag fight” and “handbags at dawn” was also misogynistic, Mr Feeney said, showing “a dismissive attitude towards violence”.

Philip Kolvin KC, on behalf of The Elysée, said that revoking the licence would be disproportionate and urged councillors to take a more balanced view, citing 28 letters of support from the restaurant’s customers.

One of these, Alexander Zalocosta, wrote that the Elysée “…is quite simply the centre of Greek life in London, and an oasis where Greeks from all around the world can come and feel at home”.

Mr Kolvin told how, given it receives some 30,000 guests per year, levels of criminality at the restaurant have been “less than negligible” since the last licence review in 2022.

While he acknowledged that the management had made mistakes, they were not trying to skirt their obligations, he said, citing regular staff training and efforts to fix broken CCTV.

“It’s a family restaurant,” he said. “It’s not some difficult, high-octane, high-alcohol, dim-lit nightclub.”

But Camden councillors Sylvia McNamara and Meric Apak were unconvinced.

Cllr McNamara said: “There’s nothing that you have said that has convinced me that there’s an understanding about the extreme importance of women’s safety that we have and hold to.”

A spokesperson for the Elysée said afterwards: “Given the historic significance of Elysée and the serious consequences of the decision, including the potential loss of more than 40 jobs and the closure of a long-standing venue that many regard as a cultural institution, it is surprising that such a significant outcome was determined by a licensing sub-committee hearing involving only two councillors.

“We believe decisions like this risk sending the wrong signal to responsible independent venues that have contributed to the city’s cultural life and economic vitality for generations.”