How did I not know Dishoom existed until now? Visiting London from California, this ended up being…read moreone of the highlights of our trip. It has to be some of the best Indian food I've had outside of India. The little complimentary chai while you wait in line is such a thoughtful touch and really sets the tone. Even though there was a queue, it moved surprisingly quickly. Once inside, the service was warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. As for the food... every dish we ordered was outstanding. Rich flavors, perfectly balanced spices, and you can tell a lot of care goes into every plate. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. If you're in London, don't overthink it. Just get in line, enjoy the chai, order what sounds good, and have a fantastic meal. We'll definitely be back the next time we're in town.

I just do not understand the hype surrounding this restaurant. It's hard to get a reservation and…read morethere's a long queue to get a table without one. I just don't get it. In my opinion, there are 2 main things to know about Dishoom: it's an Indian restaurant that is a chain, with 11 locations worldwide. The food is really good for a chain, bit it doesn't begin to come close to a restaurant that takes care of of its individual customers. Walking in, there's lots of energy. People are having a good time, there's no question. We were seated upstairs where there must have been around 40 tables. All of the staff are walking around in a hurry, cause everything here is in a hurry. The intention is to get you our in less than an hour. They want you in, through, and out. I saw this with multiple tables. Our server Yanko came to our table quite promptly and helped us make selections, both for food and drinks. For the first time in my experience eating in a restaurant, the appetizers arrived minutes before our cocktails. They came so fast that we didn't even think it was our order. And then moments after the drinks arrived, all of the main dishes and sides were placed on the table. With no way to keep anything warm. All of this with 10 minutes of placing the order. I appreciate prompt service, but this takes it to an absurd extreme. Our appetizers included the house Chaat and prawn koliwada. I enjoyed the prawns more but the flavors were facile, not close to what I expect and have enjoyed in excellent Indian restaurants. The main dishes were the Goan monkfish curry and Sali Goan. These were also just OK, absolutely nothing special. The cheese naan was soggy, though the flavor was good. This was an unacceptable texture for a naan. Dessert was Basmati Kheer, flavorful Basmati rice with fruit compote on top. In between and unneeded, was a thin layer of creme brulee. I did enjoy my tea: ginger, lemon and honey and my wife liked her mint tea. I do not know the restaurant scene in Edinburgh, we've been here for 4 days. But this is just not a place I'deven consider returning to. It's really a factory that feeds folks, not a restaurant that cares for its customers. The business model had been optimized to maximize income with lots of throughput. What's been almost completely lost in my opinion, is the heart and soul of the dining experience.

The star of my meal was the Chat Bomb (pani puri) appetizer. Though I throughly enjoyed each dish I…read moretried. The other dishes were very good as well, though not quite to the top tier in differentiation in flavor. Might have been the dishes I ordered, however I expected a larger variation in taste between them. Still, was excellent and wouldn't hesitate to eat here again, with two orders of chat bombs

Wow! One of the better Indian meals I've had anywhere. It's no wonder that it's in London, one of…read morethe better spots worldwide. Nice ambiance and attentive service on a rainy night where I was the only patron. Lots of takeout happening though. This might not be the fanciest Indian food place I've been to in London but it's right up there at the top for quality. The Lamb Rogan Josh was delicious and spicy. Just unbelievable depth of flavor. The Chana Masala was outstanding. Do yourself a favor and order any of the lamb dishes here, you won't be disappointed. Highly recommend this for those looking for good Indian food!

this is my third time eating here and it was really disappointing. I went again because I had had…read moreone decent meal there and a colleague wanted to go. I won't return. You get very little protein in the curry for the cost, the vegetable samosas were tiny. The food was supposed to be spicy and it was bland. The staff wasn't very receptive. I've had a better curry from a Marks & Spencer meal. it was a disappointing mail, and I felt like it was a waste of money.

Always consistently good Indian fare. I go quite a bit. The restaurant is pleasant to dine in. I…read moreusually order to go. The portions are ample. Makes 2 meals for me.... Friendly and reasonably priced...

Incredible Indian food! It's a quaint and romantic little spot with portions that are perfect for…read moremy boyfriend and I. They are not monster portions like in the states. We are definitely coming back while we're still in town.

The restaurant was pretty packed and had great reviews so we have it a try. Started with the lamb…read moresamosa and it was pretty good-the cool green sauce was delicious that it came with. The lamb dish with spinach was decent but the lamb was a tad tough. The butter chicken was more sweet than what I'm used too, but the chicken was tender. The staff was extremely friendly- wish I loved the food. But I heard people raving about their dishes as we walked out so perhaps we just picked the wrong dishes .

This is one of the best meals I've had in forever. We did the 5 course tasting menu and each one…read morewas a revelation- packed with flavor, beautifully presented, nice portions. Service was polished and professional. Sitting among the old books of the former library is neat. The Mmm cocktail was just that. A lovely way to end a perfect trip to London.

We enjoyed the Cinnamon Club our last evening in London and it was a great way to end the trip…read more Such a staple establishment and with rich history that it is a fine dining experience you dont want to miss. Prior to becoming a restaurant it was an actual library, and they include the story and imagery to show it's history. I love that they have kept the essence with the library shelving and books.. your check even comes in a book. The food and service here were exquisite.. it felt improper to take out my phone or I would have more photos to show, but I did take a few at dessert time. The staff was friendly and helpful in providing recommendations. The wine and cocktail lists were plentiful. They also had a nice tea list, some beer options, and plenty of non-alcoholic spritzers (as was pretty common in London). The menu has a selection of meals from another chef, for those who can't handle even the mild heat of Indian cuisine. There is not a kids menu and as expected with Indian food, most of the food has a kick to it. I ordered tandoori chicken and a side of rice for my children, and they provided a tomato sauce (similar to a tikka masala sauce) for the kids to dip into; my son enjoyed the cucumber yogurt sauce to cut the bite of the spice. The food was spectacular. I had a scallops dish as a starter, then the lamb curry which was wonderful. My husband had the prawns with vermicelli, and my in-laws both had a chicken dish. We also enjoyed a selection of naans. We all polished off our plates with ease, and continued into after dinner drinks and dessert. The bathrooms here are downstairs in an area seemingly without heat.. bc it was freezing in there!! But there are additional seating areas as well. This is a popular place for business meals, and gatherings. I highly recommend trying out this establishment for yourself.

Now called Cafe Ishaq. Great food. Awesome service. Would definitely return. Less than :10 minute…read morewalk from Westminster Bridge.

Quick in and out. Not very busy. Reasonably priced. Chicken tikka masala was average.. Not sure…read moreI would go back.

Nice place, pleasant staff, we enjoyed the food, great flavors. The only thing that I noticed the…read morebutter chicken and tikka masala was on the sweeter side. The cucumbers Ritha was very bland. Will go back and try other items on the menu.

The group wanted Indian food, and one of our folks had bookmarked this place because it was very…read moreclose to our hotel with pretty good reviews. We were mostly nervous that it was going to be a much nicer restaurant that we were dressed for (which was very casual and sweaty after a mid-June day walking all over London), but despite the white tablecloths and general fancier feeling of the inside of the restaurant, we were not made to feel out of place. The outside and signage are more low-key/casual looking so you need to be looking for it too, Cafe Ishaq won't be jumping out at you. It was empty of customers when we entered, around 7pm, so we were seated immediately. Cold waters were ordered all around, as well as several bottles of wine to share amongst the many of us. Prices are shockingly decent, but then there is a sort of hidden service fee (a percentage of the bill) added on at the end, much like in the US when some places have an automatic tip added on for parties over a certain number of people. This was just a percentage added to every bill. Like...just make the prices what they are gonna be...that it one of the good things about Europe, that taxes are included in the price and people are paid a better wage so tipping is not often done. Still, you get generous helpings of food for the price. If I recall (I forgot to take a picture/take note of what I ordered...and we all ended up sharing everything amongst the 7 of us) I got the Saag Paneer, which is my Indian restaurant go-to because YUM. And it was yummy! I also got an order of the Keema Naan to share, which was soggy, but flavorful. We all enjoyed our meal here. The food was delicious, and we were never once rushed. Service got a little slow after food was delivered and getting our checks to pay and leave was a minor ordeal. We tried to be clear about whether and how checks would/could be split, but it did not happen correctly. It wasn't too terribly over-the-top pricey that we couldn't manage and pay each other back over the rest of the time in London. If you want low-key, unhurried, and tasty Indian food, this is a good place to get it. I am not sure I would say you should go out of your way to come here, but if you were in the area, keep it on your radar.

The food, service, and ambiance make for a wonderful dining experience. Highly recommendedread more

In my opinion, this is the best Indian restaurant in London. The Rajasthani thali was sublime,…read moreghatta curry, dal bhaiti, churma, the absolute best. The service was wonderful. The restaurant itself is beautiful. We ate here at least three times, each time the highest quality food. Both the vegetarian and meat thali are excellent.

I wish I had taken more pictures so I could reminisce on this meal when I am not able to enjoy it…read morein person. This restaurant was recommended to me by someone who comes here whenever they're in London and it did not disappoint. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and the restaurant is very busy/popular. I decided to have lunch on my own and there was about a 15 minute wait. All of the staff I interacted with were very kind, and the inside of the restaurant is dimly lit so it sets a cool and intimate vibe. It's a very vibrant atmosphere. The menu had so many delicious options to choose from. I went with the vegetable samosas to start and a fresh nimbu soda which was very refreshing. For my main dish I had the chicken ruby and a said of garlic naan. Everything was so incredibly fresh. The food was served as soon as it was done being prepared and the flavors were immaculate!!!! 10 out of 10! No notes! And I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking. For delicious Indian food.

Dishoom literally never fails to disappoint. My first experience was at Convent Garden location and…read morethe Carnaby location was just as amazing! We managed to snag a reservation here before coming to London on a Saturday around 6:30 PM. We got there right on time and and our table was ready immediately. We had great booth in the back of the restaurant so it wasn't too loud. We all ordered some drinks when we sat down and opted for a Kingfisher to drink. For appetizers, we got some samosas and chili chicken which were delicious! They also gave us some of these rice crackers with different sauces which were delicious. For our entrees, we got some biryani, ruby chicken and rice, malai chicken, the gunpowder potatoes and 3 orders of naan! It was all delicious! The biryani with the yogurt sauce is my personal favorite but their garlic naan is great too. For dessert, we got the chocolate cake and I opted for the chai to end the meal which was delicious! This meal was stunning and you must stop by Dishoom while in London.

Absolutely loved the food here during our visit to London. They have a good variety of vegetarian…read moreand non-vegetarian options. We got dal rice, chicken tikka, naan. Everything was simply delicious and the quantities were good. Service was fast. Food arrived quickly and we were in and out hassle free. Ambiance was nice as there was enough seating and nice vibe as it's near Main Street.

Great food, incredibly friendly staff. Open super late!…read more Good place to get a late night bite to eat after everything else is closed.