The end of an era as Langan’s Brasserie in Piccadilly finally closes

IT was in 1976 that a drunken Irishman and superstar Michael Caine agreed to open a restaurant just off Piccadilly which was to be an eccentric version of a French Bistro and the world famous Langan’s Brasserie was born.

Soon after, Michelin star chef and restaurateur Richard Shepherd came on board and this triumvirate created one of London’s iconic restaurants which attracted not just the rich and famous but also those who had saved up all year for a special night out.

Peter Langan would sit at the bar supposedly working his way through seven bottles of champagne every night deciding which famous guest he would insult or in the case of Princess Margaret try to goose as she left.

He recognised that those who were famous and wealthy needed to be taken down a peg or two whilst those from ‘normal’ backgrounds should be treated as valued customers but eventually his outrageous behaviour became too much as by the late 1980s, he was quietly encouraged to stay away.

Then in 1988 after his wife had left him, it is believed that he set fire to his home and died at the age of 47.

Langan’s carried on and after Michael Caine sold his shares to Richard Shepherd, it continued, still a place to be seen but not quite as cool or outré as before and now despite setting up franchises in different locations, it has become a victim of the Covid-19 pandemic and is closing for good with up to 100 job losses.

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