Dining
Every Dishoom in London, Ranked
Seven London Dishooms ranked by the room rather than the menu: a Victorian railway shed at King's Cross, a dishevelled Irani cafe in Shoreditch, art deco jazz in Kensington.
In short: our top picks are Dishoom King's Cross, Dishoom Shoreditch and Dishoom Kensington. 7 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
The menu barely changes between Dishooms, so this is not a ranking of the bacon naan. Every London cafe pours the same house chai and serves the same Bombay comfort food, which leaves the room to do the separating, and the rooms are not close: a Victorian railway shed at King’s Cross, a deliberately dishevelled Irani cafe in Shoreditch, an art deco jazz room in Kensington. All seven hold most tables back for walk-ins, so on a Friday night the real question is which queue you are willing to join. Here is how they compare.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Dishoom King's Cross | King's Cross | ££ |
| Dishoom Shoreditch | Shoreditch | £££ |
| Dishoom Kensington | Kensington | ££ |
| Dishoom Covent Garden | Covent Garden | ££ |
| Dishoom Carnaby | Carnaby | ££ |
| Dishoom Battersea | Battersea | ££ |
| Dishoom Canary Wharf | Canary Wharf | ££ |
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Editor’s choice
Dishoom King's Cross
Why we pick itA former railway transit shed that spent a century moving goods between Britain and India, now a vast, airy room hung with original posters from the independence movement. The largest of the seven, with semi-private spaces and outdoor seating, and the only one that reads as a destination rather than a branch.
Best room of the seven
-
Dishoom Shoreditch
Why we pick itThe one that still reads as a proper Irani cafe: an eccentric old Bombay room that made the trip to London in 2012, with the dishevelled corners left in on purpose, ceiling fans overhead and a verandah where dogs are welcome. It runs latest too, to midnight from Thursday to Saturday.
Closest to the original
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Dishoom Kensington
Why we pick itThe 1940s Bombay jazz age in art deco: voluptuous curves, chandeliers and shine, with The Marine Liners playing as the house band on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. The only Dishoom where the music is the reason to pick it.
Live jazz three nights a week
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Dishoom Covent Garden
Why we pick itBuilt around 1949 Bombay and its Talkies era, hung with artefacts, portraits and collectables from the golden age of Indian cinema, with an indoor-outdoor verandah and a lift between floors. The one to know coming out of a theatre.
Most central
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Dishoom Carnaby
Why we pick itSixties Soho meeting sixties Bombay, with Slip Disc, a vinyl bar, attached. The cafe is candid about the cost of that address: a queue gathers after 6pm and at weekends, and it can run thirty minutes to an hour.
Worth knowingThe queue after 6pm and at weekends runs thirty minutes to an hour, by the cafe's own estimate.
Vinyl bar attached
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Dishoom Battersea
Why we pick itInside Battersea Power Station, and the only branch that drops vintage Bombay for a retro-futurist reading of it, with portraits and architectural plans from the people who imagined the city's future. Private dining spaces make it the easiest of the seven for a large group.
Easiest for a big group
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Dishoom Canary Wharf
Why we pick itSeventies Bombay as seen from opposite the stock exchange, old art and faded pictures set against modern lines, out on Water Street in Wood Wharf. Its semi-private room seats up to thirty-two, the largest bookable space in the group.
Semi-private room for 32
Before you book
The booking rule is the same across the group: any size can reserve before 6pm, after that only groups of six or more, and everything else is walk-in with free chai while you wait. Carnaby says plainly that the queue runs thirty minutes to an hour at peak. Breakfast from 8am is the reliably quiet hour at every cafe, the bar counters take walk-ins when the dining room cannot, and Shoreditch runs latest, to midnight from Thursday to Saturday.
Common questions
Which Dishoom is best in London?
Dishoom King's Cross is our editor's choice: A former railway transit shed that spent a century moving goods between Britain and India, now a vast, airy room hung with original posters from the independence movement. The largest of the seven, with semi-private spaces and outdoor seating, and the only one that reads as a destination rather than a branch. Dishoom King's Cross, Dishoom Shoreditch and Dishoom Kensington lead the guide, with 7 places in total, all chosen on merit.
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