Dishoom was founded in 2010 by cousins Shamil and Kavi Thakrar, drawing inspiration from the Irani cafés that flourished in Bombay from the early 1900s until their gradual disappearance in recent decades. These cafés — often run by Zoroastrian Iranian immigrants — were beloved democratic spaces where every Bombayite, regardless of class or religion, could eat well for a modest price. Dishoom set out to honour and reinvent that tradition for a British audience, opening its first location in Covent Garden with a menu that paid homage to the food, the aesthetic and the spirit of those legendary establishments.
Over the years Dishoom has grown to eleven locations across the UK, including multiple sites in London — Covent Garden, King's Cross, Shoreditch, Carnaby, Kensington, Battersea and Canary Wharf — as well as restaurants in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham. Despite its expansion, the brand has maintained a cult following built on food genuinely rooted in Bombay's culinary traditions: the 24-hour-cooked house black daal that draws queues before doors open, the bacon naan roll that has become one of London's most iconic breakfast dishes, and the whole lamb rack pre-ordered days in advance for larger parties. Dishoom's Permit Room concept, a relaxed bar spin-off, has also taken root in cities including Brighton, Cambridge, Liverpool, Oxford and Portobello.
Beyond the restaurants, Dishoom publishes its own cookbook — a bestselling volume that shares recipes and the cultural history behind them — and operates a shop selling meal kits, house chai blends, cookware and provisions. The brand has also raised millions of pounds for Magic Breakfast, a charity tackling child hunger in the UK, with each Dishoom meal funding a free school breakfast for a child in need.