Café Royal is closing
London is losing a major functions centre. The Café Royal on Regent Street close to Piccadilly Circus, will close down on December 21 2008. It was opened as a restaurant and hospitality facility in 1865 by Daniel Nicholas Thévenon, a Frenchman. Among its claims to fame is the incident in 1895 when the police arrived to arrest the author and wit, Oscar Wilde.
The 8-storey building has 21 classical conference and banqueting rooms, the largest able to seat 540 delegates. A popular venue is the wine cellar, where groups can dine and also cork their own wine and label it with a personalised label.