It’s pretty likely that you’ve heard about Dishoom before now. It’s kind of a big deal. With seven restaurants across London, plus branches in Manchester, Birmingham and more, Dishoom is one of the most talked about restaurants in the city (possibly even the country).
Open early till late, the day starts right with their cracking great breakfast. I’ve raved about it a few times – in fact, it features in our list of London breakfasts you must try before you die – and, trust me, there’s a reason for it. Special shout out to the Bacon Naan – a light, puffy naan bread surrounded by layers of crispy sugar-cured bacon, melted cream cheese, coriander and chilli tomato jam. It laughs in the face of the British bacon buttie. In fact, I’d go as far as saying you can’t call yourself a Londoner until you’ve tried one.
Alternatively, opt for the Full, erm, Indian. The Big Bombay Breakfast includes akuri (spicy scrambled eggs), char-striped smoked streaky bacon, peppery Shropshire pork bangers, masala baked beans, grilled tomato and mushroom, and buttered pau buns. Or my controversial go-to order: the Sweet Uttapam Stack. A bit like pancakes, this delicious brekkie comes topped with creamy yoghurt, fresh berries, toasted coconut flakes and jaggery syrup.
If it’s lunch or dinner you’re after, Dishoom has it all. And get ready to feast. The dishes are designed to share, and staff recommend getting a couple of dishes per person. Highlights for me include the House Black Daal, the Mattar Paneer, the Chole Puri (a chickpea curry served with puffy bread) and the Spicy Lamb Chops. The Gunpowder Potatoes are a winning side order too, if you’re looking for something other than (or as well as) rice.
They’ve recently added a few new items to the menu for the first time ever(!) and I had the pleasure of testing them out. Sadly, the options weren’t as, er, free of gluten as I expected, so my choices were slim – but the new Makhmali Paneer is worthy of a shout out. It had been marinated in yoghurt and a special Punjabi masala and, truly, I could have eaten three whole plates of this to myself.
Shamil and Kavi Thakrar, Founders of Dishoom, said:
“Making significant changes to the Dishoom menu feels like a really big deal to us. Our recipes are a true labour of love – they take months – sometimes years – to get to somewhere where we’re really happy with them. It’s hard to say goodbye to any of them! Bombay, however, is a real melting pot of a city that is constantly bubbling and evolving. There are new ideas and influences each time we return. We went on a research trip to Bombay with Executive Chef Arun Tilak at the start of [2024], and tried literally hundreds of dishes across the city.”
Bringing home tons of inspiration, they’ve also added a brand new seafood staple to the menu, the Goan Monkfish Curry; along with the crisp and spicy deep-fried Fish Amritsari, which is the perfect accompaniment to your meal.
The drinks menu is so massive that you might want to start browsing before you arrive – it took my dad and I an embarrassingly long time to decide on just “two beers please.” But there’s a hefty list of cocktails—including 23 new additions—to cast your eyes over, as well as wine, beer and lassis, so it’s a good idea to at least narrow down your preferences. If it helps, The East India Gimlet comes strongly recommended, and the Chillitini is a personal favourite of mine.
How can I get a table at Dishoom?
Dishoom is famously a walk-in restaurant, and has been known to draw long, Wimbledon-esque queues at dinnertime. However, the hack to bagging a table is to go during the day, as groups of any size can book before 5:45pm. However, after 6pm, the London branches only accept bookings for groups of over six people.
Dishoom has restaurants in Battersea, Canary Wharf, Carnaby, Covent Garden, Kensington, King’s Cross and Shoreditch. Book a table, or discover the full menu and opening times over on their website.
Can I make Dishoom’s recipes at home?
Dishoom have very generously shared a bunch of their recipes online, which you can find on their website here. But they also have their very own cookbook if you fancy cooking up a Bombay storm at home. It promises “recipes for almost everything on our menu”, including bacon naan rolls, okra fries, black daal, and warming vegan dishes like their jackfruit biryani. They’ve also thrown in some refreshing drinks recipes for the full dining experience. Titled Dishoom: From Bombay with Love, the book also functions as a love letter of sorts to old Bombay, focusing on the food, culture, and history of the city.
On their website, you can also order meal kits that come with everything you need to make their bacon or vegan sausage naan rolls. You can even buy their special recipe chutneys and condiments, as well as their crowd-pleasing chai tea.
So, armed with all this information about one of London’s greatest Indian restaurants – go forth and feast!