This Cult London Restaurant Is Headed To The Big Apple

Exterior of Dishoom

getty

The Black House Daal, a slow-cooked signature dish inspired by the legendary daals of India’s Grand Trunk Road. The House Chai, handed out in warm glasses to the streams of diners queuing along London’s streets. The Gunpowder Potatoes, crispy and tossed with crushed spices and herbs. And don’t forget the Bacon Naan Roll, a breakfast favorite that folds smoked streaky bacon, cream cheese, chili tomato jam, and herbs inside a warm naan.

Dishoom’s most famous dishes have become almost as recognizable as the restaurant itself, and soon, New Yorkers can taste what helped turn Dishoom into one of London’s most beloved restaurant brands.

After more than a decade of building a devoted following across the U.K., Dishoom is finally expanding internationally in 2027 with its New York City debut. Founded in 2010 by Kavi and Shamil Thakrar, Dishoom was inspired by the Irani cafés that once shaped Bombay’s landscape. These cafés, originally opened in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, became hubs where communities gathered over tea, food and conversation. Many of those cafés have since dwindled, but Dishoom has built its identity around preserving their spirit, evident through their nostalgic interiors and vintage design.

For Dishoom, entering New York is not simply about opening another restaurant. It is about bringing a carefully curated dining experience to one of the world’s most competitive culinary markets. Since opening their first location in Covent Garden, the restaurant brand has expanded across the U.K., but has remained selective about growth, prioritizing consistency and experience over aggressive scaling. That combination has helped Dishoom develop something many restaurant groups spend years trying to achieve: a devoted fan base.

In London, queues outside Dishoom locations have become part of the brand’s mythology, with guests willing to wait hours for its all-day dining menu and signature cocktails. Over the years, its restaurants have become fixtures of the city’s culinary landscape, attracting everyone from early-morning commuters stopping in for chai to international visitors seeking out one of London’s most recognizable dining destinations.

Now, after years of building this loyal following at home, Dishoom is preparing for the exciting challenge of introducing the brand to American diners. And the anticipation for its stateside arrival has long been building. In 2024, Dishoom tested the market with a breakfast pop-up at Pastis, selling out thousands of reservation slots within minutes.

This first U.S. location will open at 11 East 26th Street in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood. Located near Madison Square Park, the New York outpost will place Dishoom in one of Manhattan’s busiest dining corridors, where it will compete alongside some of the city’s most established restaurants and fellow new arrivals.

The New York opening also raises a larger question: can a beloved regional restaurant brand become an international one? Restaurant expansion is notoriously difficult—what works in one city does not always translate elsewhere. Successful growth requires maintaining quality, preserving culture and adapting to new audiences without losing the identity that made the brand successful in the first place.

For New York diners, the opening offers the opportunity to experience a restaurant that has become a culinary institution in London. For Dishoom, it represents a chance to test whether its distinctive blend of nostalgia, hospitality and Indian cuisine can resonate across the Atlantic.