Dishoom: The Best Indian Food in London

Sharing is caring!

Everyone is always looking for the best Indian food in London and I’m here to tell you that it is Dishoom! Ever since we left India several years ago I have been on the hunt for great Indian food everywhere we go. After living in India for almost a decade, you can imagine our standards are quite high.

We require a good variety of dishes common to India (aka paneer), good spice levels and authentic tastes. It is not easy, but we have found some delicious Indian food around the world, sometimes in the least expected places! One of our favorite Indian food discoveries was on our trip to Fiji last year. It was a small hole in the wall place that our taxi driver recommended when we had a 2 hour layover before our flight home. It was a perfect and unexpected way to end our trip.

However, we have found our new favorite Indian restaurant that is not in India. It’s the old style Irani Bombay cafe chain restaurant Dishoom in London. I know, it’s a chain restaurant, but keep reading!

The Best Indian Restaurant in London – Dishoom

Dishoom: London's Best Indian food
Photo by Kang L

During our visit to London we were on the hunt for amazing Indian food that would live up to the city’s reputation. Our first visit was to Brick Lane, but we were highly disappointed with the westernized bland offerings.

Complaining to our fellow expat friends from Mumbai, they suggested we try Dishoom. I knew it had to be good if our expat friends were raving about it. It was better than good, it was as close as I have found to my favorite place in Mumbai.

What to Expect at Dishoom

Dishoom is a now well-established take on the old Irani cafés in 1960s era Bombay. These days there are only a few of the traditional Irani cafes left in Mumbai, but thankfully it’s spirit has moved to London with the crowd favorite Dishoom bringing in locals and tourists alike to critical acclaim.

My son and I arrived on Thursday afternoon excited to finally try some authentic Indian food. Much to our dismay there was a long line outside, even at 4 p.m. on a weekday! Come to find out, Dishoom always has a horribly long wait, which is made worse by the fact that you have to stay in line, outside (if there is no space at the bar/waiting area).

In summer this was OK, but in the rain or in winter it could be miserable. But trust me, the wait is worth it. And to make you feel a bit better, Dishoom offers free masala chai (so delicious I even let my son try it!) or nimbu pani (fresh lime water) while you wait.

What to Order at Dishoom – The Best Indian Restaurant in London

Dishoom: Best Indian Food in London
Photo via MostlyFood

Once you make it inside, you are sure to be overwhelmed with the options on the menu. If you aren’t sure what to get, order something from our recommendations. Trust me, we sampled a ton of food! Start with the Okra Fries. This is one of my favorite dishes in India and you will almost never see it outside of the country. In India it is often called Lady Fingers or Bhindi Masala. Unfortunately at Dishoom, it does not come with the masala gravy, rather a chutney, but nevertheless it is worth trying. The crispy goodness will convert even staunch okra haters!

We also tried the samosa’s but we were not super impressed with these in terms of authenticity, however, they were still delicious. Another favorite from our days in Mumbai that you will not often come across outside of India is Pau Bhaji (mashed potatoes and vegetables in a buttery bun). And Dishoom does it right. Delicious street food in an upscale dining environment!

The one dish that finally brought me to Dishoom was paneer. It is difficult to find great paneer outside of India, and apparently very few places in London have it, so if you make your way to Dishoom, you must try the Paneer Tikka. It is a perfectly spiced and charred slab of thick cheese (similar to very firm tofu). The spices were much like my favorite paneer tikka in Mumbai, a good amount of heat, but enough yogurt sauce to not send your mouth into drool overdrive.

For pescatarians, the Masala Prawns are amazing. I have to admit I never had such an amazing masala prawn dish in India, but the spices at Dishoom make it feel just like you are in India.

Dishoom: London's Best Indian Food
Photo by Kang L

For a traditional Indian dish to compare with other Indian restaurants, try the Dishoom Chicken Tikka. I know I am loading you down, but there are too many amazing dishes at Dishoom. For meat eaters, I have also heard the lamb chops are delicious but I haven’t tried those. 

In India if a dish doesn’t have a sauce, it is called a dry dish. To sample one of these, order the Gunpowder Potatoes.

But don’t get too stuffed, because you have to save room for my absolute favorite, Dishoom’s signature Black Daal. It is as close as I have found to my favorite daal in India and is enough to make me jump on a flight to London just to have a taste! It is cooked for 24 hours to ensure that the spices are blended to perfection. Finish it all off with some butter naan.

And now have an Uber account handy because someone will have to roll you home!

Where to Find Dishoom in London

Dishoom: best indian food in London
Photo Credit: DISHOOM/EMLI BENDIXEN

There are several locations in London, several of which are super convenient for tourists. Having visited  the Covent Garden, Shoreditch and King’s Cross locations, we prefer the Kings Cross location as it feels open and airy in an old timey transit shed. The wait times also seem slightly less than the other restaurants.

The Covent Garden location is right in the middle of the action, which also means very long wait times. The restaurant here feels smaller, darker and more intimate to me than the King’s Cross location, but if you are in the area for a show, it makes a great place to have dinner. If you have more than 6 in your party, you can make reservations in advance, which I highly highly recommend!

Since the original publishing of this post, new Dishoom locations have opened up! There is now one in Kensington and in SOHO as well as some outside of London too. I can’t wait for the day that it jumps the pond and ends up in Los Angeles.

Writing all of this up has me aching to hop on a plane again just for some of this delicious food!

Do you have a favorite Indian restaurant in London? Share your favorites with us in the comments below.

If You Enjoyed This Post, Sign Up To Receive Posts By Email or…

  • Join us on Facebook for regular updates and related articles
  • Check us out on Instagram to see what we are up to in photos
  • Follow us on Twitter for links to great travel articles curated just for you
  • Or share this post with others by pinning on Pinterest!

10 thoughts on “Dishoom: The Best Indian Food in London”

  1. Omg, I love Dishoom! I can add further proof why it’s the best! While traveling in Thailand I befriended another solo traveler. She was British and of Indian descent. While talking about Indian food, I asked her about Dishoom. She said it was the only Indian restaurant her parents, who were born and raised in India, would go to in all of London! 🙂

    Reply
    • Such a great story! Every time I hear people say Bricklane is the best Indian food in London I tell them nope, they need to try Dishoom! After so long in India Dishoom is the closest I have found to my favorite place on Mumbai.. drool worthy!!

      Reply
  2. This is the best treat for your readers. I do love Dishoom too, in fact, I’m searching for its recipe. Thanks for sharing. I’m craving again right here.

    Reply
  3. We’ve been across the pond a few times and love the Indian food there. Of course we’ve never had the pleasure of visiting India so our standards aren’t quite up to yours since you’ve seen it in its authentic form.

    Reply
    • It might be different from Indian food you are used to, but it’s so delicious for anyone I think!! Enjoy! London is the best!

      Reply
  4. I like that you are sharing Indian restaurants and cuisine in your blog. We would love to try indian cuisine as well. We will have to need suggestions where are the good okra fries or Bhindi Masala nearby our place.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.