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Number 2 of 20 in London

Dishoom Covent Garden

Bombay once had hundreds of cafés kept by immigrants from Iran, with bentwood chairs, marble tables and rules painted on the wall. Almost all have closed. This restaurant set out to bring one back, in London.

What it is
Bombay café
Opened
2010
Area
Covent Garden
Nearest museum
The National Gallery, 400 m

London this week

    What Dishoom Covent Garden is known for

    1. The room

      Ceiling fans, sepia family portraits, checked floors and mirrors, copied with care from the cafés that survive in Mumbai.

    2. All day

      It opens for breakfast, when bacon is rolled in fresh naan, and runs through to grills, biryani and a black dal that is cooked for a whole day.

    3. The queue

      Few tables can be booked in the evening, and the line down Upper St Martin's Lane is part of the place. Staff bring chai to those waiting.

    What to know

    • The first of the Dishoom cafés, opened in 2010
    • Modelled on the Irani cafés of Bombay
    • Evening tables are mostly for walk-ins: expect to queue

    Where Dishoom Covent Garden is

    Address

    12 Upper St Martin's Lane
    London WC2H 9FB, United Kingdom

    Nearest station

    Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly) or Covent Garden (Piccadilly)

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.

    A Bombay café in London

    The Irani cafés were opened in the early twentieth century by Zoroastrian immigrants from Persia, and were among the few places in Bombay where people of every class and faith ate together.

    The Covent Garden café was the first of what is now a group across Britain. Each of the others is given a story of its own.

    Dishoom Covent Garden: common questions

    Where is Dishoom Covent Garden?
    At 12 Upper St Martin's Lane, in Covent Garden, London. The nearest station is Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly) or Covent Garden (Piccadilly).
    Which museums and sights are near Dishoom Covent Garden?
    The National Gallery is 400 m away, The British Museum is 750 m away, London Eye is 1.2 km away. Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
    What is Dishoom Covent Garden known for?
    The room, All day, The queue. The first Dishoom, opened in 2010 in homage to the old Irani cafés of Bombay, and the most rated restaurant on this list by a long way. Five minutes from the National Gallery and from Covent Garden.
    When did Dishoom Covent Garden open?
    In 2010. The first of the Dishoom cafés, opened in 2010.

    What visitors say about Dishoom Covent Garden

    Rating from Google

    4.7

    29,865 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 8 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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