HS2 threatens one of UK’s best Indian food streets

Drummond Street, a south Asian hub, is under threat from HS2 works at Euston station in London but now moves are afoot to revive the area

Friday lunchtime and the dining room at Chutneys is in full swing. Happy customers, many longtime regulars, are tucking into the buffet, returning for many helpings of mild, sweet matar paneer, dark-green, minerally sag aloo, freshly cooked parathas and – of course – housemade chutneys. At £9.95, it’s a steal.

Things look rosy, but for manager Abdul Mubin, the opposite is true. Trade is down 60% since the pandemic, says Mubin, who grew up in London’s Euston area and has worked at Chutneys and Diwana Bhel Poori House, the landmark sister restaurant on the other side of the road, since 1987.