On July 2nd, Harpenden High Street welcomes Grand Trunk Road by Papa J, bringing Luton’s 22-year-old Indian tapas brand to one of the town's most volatile addresses. For local foodies, 72 High Street has recently felt like the culinary equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle.

Since 2018, this 17th-century Grade II listed building has cycled through names faster than we change our minds about the weather. We’ve seen Harry’s Bar, Mad Squirrel (whose digital beer screens clashed with our historic High Street), Twisted Angel, Hoo House (which ended in a noisy licensing battle and a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation in early 2025), and most recently, Yeatei—a Pan-Asian spot named after the Cantonese slang yeet hay ("fiery inner heat"), which sadly collapsed within eight months. To call it a tricky site to monetize is like calling school-run traffic slightly inconvenient.

But it wasn't always a revolving door of cocktail shakers. For nearly two decades from the early 90s, the venue was Billy’s Wine Bar. Run by the late West Common resident and Harpenden Rugby Club mentor David Singleton until his sudden passing in 2010, Billy's was a beloved social anchor. The building itself was saved from demolition in the late 1970s by the Harpenden Society, led by Paul Usher, who successfully fought off a developer planning to replace the historic block with modern retail units. Back in Victorian times, it was even "The Old Red Lion" beer-house, before being converted into a bicycle shop run by the Rolt family.

Now, Papa J's founder Ravi Bhikha is relocating his entire Luton operation here under the new Grand Trunk Road name. We are keeping everything crossed that their two decades of regional success will be the magic touch needed to finally break the spell of this subdivided, acoustically challenging space. We wish them the absolute best.

The Grand Trunk Road Cheat Sheet

  • The Location: 72 High Street, Harpenden (AL5 2SP).
  • The Legacy: A 17th-century structure saved by the Harpenden Society in the 1970s and granted Grade II listed status.
  • The Launch: Opening on July 2nd. More details can be found on their website.
High Street