The Fitzrovia restaurant, on Newman Street, made the announcement via social media. The restaurant describes the decision as being made ‘with a heavy heart’, saying that it had tried to find a way to reopen but that recent events had made it ‘too cost-prohibitive and risky’.
In the post, Laksamania says the restaurant had experienced ‘countless ups and downs’, including the challenges brought by the Covid pandemic. Despite those difficulties, the business says it had managed to keep its doors open and describes that achievement as ‘no small feat for an independent, family-run business in London these days’.
The restaurant attributes its latest difficulties to a combination of pressures affecting the hospitality sector and its customers and describes 2025 as bringing a ‘tsunami of challenges’. It says that many people had been ‘feeling the pinch financially’ in recent years, resulting in less disposable income being spent on eating out. At the same time, it says rising overheads and reduced assistance towards business rates had created an additional financial burden that the business could no longer sustain.
Founded by chef Danny Tan in 2018, Laksamania built its reputation around regional Malaysian cooking, with a particular focus on laksa and noodle dishes.
Tan began working as a chef at the age of 17 and subsequently worked in a number of highly rated kitchens in Kuala Lumpur, including the five-star Hotel Shangri-La. He spent seven years developing his skills in Malaysian, Thai and Chinese cooking before moving to the UK in 1987. Since arriving in Britain, Tan has worked as a head chef in several restaurants.
The business went on to thank its customers, describing them as ‘amazing’ and ‘passionate foodies who helped to spread the word from the very beginning.’ It also pays tribute to its staff, crediting their hard work with making the restaurant’s operation possible.
The post concludes: ‘Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye,’ before thanking customers for the memories created during its eight years in business.