A landmark London restaurant is celebrating its 80th anniversary. And Punjab Restaurant is paying tribute to the man who helped transform it from a small family business into one of the capital’s most recognised Indian dining institutions.
Punjab Restaurant in Covent Garden has honoured its chairman, Sital Singh Maan, whose association with the business spans more than seven decades. The restaurant, founded in 1946 by his grandfather, Sardar Gurbachan Singh Maan, is widely recognised as the oldest North Indian Punjabi restaurant in the UK.
Sital Singh arrived in Britain from Punjab in 1955 at the age of 15 and lived above the family’s restaurant on Neal Street while attending school and helping with the business. Over the years, he worked across various family ventures before taking over Punjab Restaurant from his grandfather in 1970.
Under his leadership, the restaurant expanded significantly. The business acquired neighbouring properties, increased its seating capacity and secured the freehold of its Covent Garden premises. Punjab also played a role in campaigns that helped preserve parts of Covent Garden during redevelopment plans in the 1970s.
Today, the fourth generation of the Maan family continues to run the restaurant. It remains at 80 Neal Street and serves traditional Punjabi dishes using recipes passed down through generations.
The anniversary celebrations recognise the contribution of the restaurant’s founder, Gurbachan Singh Maan. He opened the original establishment in Aldgate in 1946 before moving it to Covent Garden five years later. The celebrations also acknowledge Sital Singh Maan’s role in preserving and growing the family business.
As Punjab marks eight decades in business, the restaurant says it remains committed to the values on which it was founded. These include offering authentic Punjabi food and providing a home away from home for generations of diners in London.
