“Initially we thought, let’s do Dishooms in London and big cities, then we can stick Permit Rooms in smaller places,” Shamil Thakrar tells Broadsheet. The co-founder of Indian-dining group Dishoom calls the Permit Rooms a “concentrated piece of Dishoom” – like Dishoom in pub form, and typically smaller in scale and scope than the full-blown Dishoom restaurant experience. Both concepts give Thakrar an outlet for expressing his Indian culture without clichés. “I want it to be live, fun, cool and sexy.”
The first Permit Room opened in Brighton in 2023, followed by sites in Oxford and Cambridge. They are named after bars opened by Mumbai’s Goan “aunties” in their front rooms during India’s prohibition period (alcohol was banned in states around the country from the late 1940s); when the laws eased, they were required to apply for permits to serve booze.
The design evokes those illicit bars, and is a continuation of Dishoom’s retro-Indian aesthetic. Dark timber floorboards and panelled walls envelop the space, while a rich teal bar spans one side of the main dining room and matches the colour of the leather banquettes. Vintage portraits and artworks sourced from India pepper the walls, and roll-up blinds shade the windows.
Unique to this branch is its accommodation: two ensuite bedrooms with a living room above the venue. Another playful touch is that everything from the artwork to the furniture, books and vinyl collection is tied to the personal taste of the lodging’s fictional proprietor, a ’70s artist named Parvez Rustomjee. Rooms are fitted with record players, an eclectic book and music collection (Miles Davis, the Clash, early Indian electronica) and a cocktail cabinet. Plus, guests have a table reserved downstairs in Permit Room, along with other thoughtful perks. “You get a queue bump at any Dishoom restaurant if you want to eat there,” says Thakrar. The rooms also include a guide to the group’s favourite restaurants – including Brat, Bouchon Racine and The Devonshire, “and if you call us, we’ll get you a table”.
In the morning, overnight guests can order room service from Permit Room’s breakfast menu: the cinnamon-spiced French toast is gooey with cheese, and decorated with fresh berries and crisp bacon. The Crumpety Eggs Kejriwal is a lightly anglicised spin on a Mumbai dish of chilli, cheese and eggs, which usually comes atop toast (including at Dishoom) but here is loaded on crumpets. Thakrar says he pinched the dish from the Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai (which he calls Bombay). You can also get Dishoom’s signature bacon naan roll.
Back downstairs, the all-day menu has a mix of small snacks and larger dishes to share, including a few Dishoom favourites like chai and black dal, alongside Permit Room-only options such as spinach chaat with chutneys and puff pastry stuffed with spicy chicken. The cocktail menu includes pre-batched highballs, twists on classics – like a Margarita spiked with orange wine and a mangosteen Daiquiri – and a Bloody Mary selection, including a clear version made with jalapeno-infused vodka.
Though Thakrar didn’t originally intend to bring a Permit Room to London, he liked the concept so much he changed his mind. “Honestly it was a real problem that there wasn’t one near us,” he says. “And this is a 20-minute cycle ride from my house.”
Permit Room Portobello
186 Portobello Road, London, W11 1LA
020 3831 4404
Hours:
Mon to Thur 8am–11pm
Fri 8am–midnight
Sat 9am–midnight
Sun 9am–11pm
