Camden Council revokes licence of Percy Street restaurant

One of London’s oldest Greek restaurants has lost its licence after a string of warnings over serious crimes allegedly perpetrated at the venue.

Elysée at 13 Percy Street in Fitzrovia, a “focal point of the Greek community”, opened in 1936 and has since boasted famous clientele including the victorious 1966 England football team, the Beatles, and reportedly HRH Prince Philip.

Its managing director Alexander Karageorgis said he and his fellow director Kyriacos “love these premises dearly”.

But after 90 years in business, complaints of noise and a recent history of alleged violence and sexual assault at the venue has led to three premises licence reviews.

The restaurant notably shut temporarily in 2022 — and the licence suspended for six weeks by Camden Council — following an alleged rape inside the premises, after which strict rules were imposed on the venue for it to hang on to its licence to sell alcohol and late-night refreshment.

Those changes included the removal of the existing designated premises supervisor (DPS) and the appointment of Stefano Fraquelli to take on the day-to-day responsibility for licensable activities and act as primary contact with the local council and the police.

In his witness statement, Fraquelli said he has been “closely involved in the development of Fitzrovia as an area of gastronomic significance” through his association with the Spaghetti House brand and Metropolitan Restaurants.

As the DPS Fraquelli stated he has “made sure that there is a deep understanding among staff of the approach to promoting the licensing objectives and particularly customer safety”.

However, on Thursday 12 March a Camden Council licensing panel revoked its permission to sell alcohol and provide late-night refreshments and entertainment because it was failing to promote the objectives set out in the Licensing Act 2003.

Councillors Sylvia McNamara (Labour, Kentish Town North) and Meric Apak (Labour, Kentish Town South) heard that the Metropolitan Police investigated Elysée after two victims alleged they’d been assaulted at the restaurant in November 2025. Upon inspection, officers say they discovered “serious, fundamental mismanagement”.

In the bundle of documents submitted ahead of the hearing, a police officer stated: “The Metropolitan Police strongly believe that this venue continues to pose a significant risk to the community, and in particular to women. Evidence has been obtained demonstrating repeated breaches of a number of licence conditions, despite the licensee having been advised by the licensing sub-committee during a review hearing in 2022 that this represented their final chance.”

One victim alleged she had been assaulted by both a customer and security staff. Police were disturbed that managers referred to the incident in “misogynistic” terms such as “handbags at dawn”.

At the licensing hearing, police stated there were further breaches after they had triggered the third review. In December, a woman told police she had been assaulted inside the restaurant by her ex-partner, who then followed her out.

Police slammed staff for failing to call the police on both occasions. The Met was especially critical that, according to a witness statement, during one of the incidents the venue’s bouncers had reportedly left an assault victim hiding behind a door. They added that security workers were not using body-worn cameras as mandated under one of its 92 licensing conditions, which also included the need for fully-functional CCTV systems.

“How many stern lectures do [they] need?” said Met Police barrister Michael Feeney.

“Remarkably, when police visited on New Year’s Eve, the CCTV still wasn’t working. They knew they were on their last chance and they’ve blown it twice,” he added.

The restaurant’s lawyer apologised on behalf of clients Gales Restaurants Ltd and assured councillors the owners took the rule breaches seriously. Philip Kolvin KC argued that the incidents at the venue were small relative to the wider area of Bloomsbury ward, which was blighted by hundreds of incidents every month. He added that staff were being trained to uphold the licensing conditions.

He pointed to the dozens of letters of support from customers championing the restaurant as a “much-loved, longstanding cultural institution” which had served the Greek and Cypriot communities for 90 years.

“They paint a compelling picture of a safe, customer-focused environment,” he said, adding that the venue attracted 30,000 guests a year.

He stated that the CCTV camera had now been fixed and said the body-worn cameras issued to staff were faulty at the time, leading to staff’s frustration with the devices. But he agreed they should have been replaced sooner.

Kolvin said the restaurant was “not beyond redemption”, but the council’s committee disagreed and moved unanimously to revoke the premises licence.

“It’s distressing that these two incidents were both linked to women’s safety,” said Cllr McNamara, who criticised staff for not following the relevant training and the owners for not taking sufficient responsibility. The panel agreed that the management culture was undermining the borough’s licensing objectives.

The council received dozens of letters of support from Elysée customers who praised the quality of its food, “conscientious” staff, and “warm hospitality”. On behalf of a family of patrons, Kalliopi Lemos said Elysée was a “focal point of the Greek community”.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a spokesperson for the restaurant called the decision “disappointing and deeply disproportionate”.

“Given the historic significance of Elysée and the serious consequences of the decision, including the potential loss of 50 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,” the restaurant stated.

When asked if Elysée would appeal the decision, its spokesperson said: “We are currently considering our options following the decision and remain committed to doing everything possible to protect the future of Elysée, the livelihoods of the people who work here, and to continue contributing positively to London’s cultural life, hospitality sector, and vibrant night-time economy.”

Camden Council, Licensing Panel E, Thursday 12 march 2026: Elysee Restaurant: 13 Percy Street, London W1T 1DP. Agenda. Webcast.

Additional reporting by Linus Rees.

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