Dishoom Carnaby: what to order and when to go

Dishoom Carnaby is at 22 Kingly Street, in the Carnaby corner of Soho, a short walk from Oxford Circus. It is an homage to the Irani cafés of Bombay, and it is open all day, every day, from breakfast through to evening drinks.

A little history

It was the fourth Dishoom in London, after Covent Garden, Shoreditch and King's Cross, and the group's first Soho site. Hardens reported in September 2015 that it would open that October. The very first Dishoom opened in Covent Garden in 2010.

The story behind the room is set at Heathrow in November 1967, and plays on the rock'n'roll crossover of 1960s Bombay and London. The restaurant has its own vinyl soundtrack, an LP called Slip Disc, made as a tribute to the Bombay-London grooves of the decade. The Irani café idea itself comes from Zoroastrian immigrants from Iran: Dishoom's account is that there were almost 400 such cafés at their peak in the 1960s and fewer than 30 now.

What to order

At breakfast

Breakfast runs from 8am on weekdays and 9am at weekends, until a quarter to twelve. The order is the Bacon Naan Roll (£11.70): smoked streaky bacon in a naan baked to order in the tandoor, with cream cheese, tomato-chilli jam and coriander. Dishoom's own tip is to ask for chopped green chilli on the side. Hungrier, go for the Big Bombay (£17.70), with akuri, bacon, Shropshire sausages, masala beans, mushrooms, tomato and buns.

From midday

The all-day menu starts at twelve. Small plates to build around: Gunpowder Potatoes (£10.90) and Saffron Cauliflower (£11.90). Naan is £4.90, garlic naan £5.60, and the bread basket £11.50. The House Black Daal, described as cooked over 24 hours, and the Okra Fries are the dishes diners praise most often on Tripadvisor, so order those with the bread.

Sali Boti is named as the Carnaby signature: lamb braised in gravy, finished with crunchy sali crisp-chips and served with buttered roomali roti. Reviews are mixed on it, and one diner preferred the Chicken Ruby, so it is worth asking the table which way to lean. To finish, the Chocolate Pudding is £10.70. For a drink, the Kohinoor Fizz mixes gooseberry syrup, lime, London Dry Gin, Aperol and sparkling wine with egg white.

Weekday lunch has a deal: Prompt Replenishment serves two at £20 per person, Monday to Friday, noon to 5pm.

When to go

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 8am to 11pm, Friday 8am to midnight, Saturday 9am to midnight, Sunday 9am to 11pm.

Dishoom Carnaby is mostly a walk-in café. Per its own Carnaby page, you can book any time before 6pm, and after that most tables are held for walk-ins. Online bookings open up to four months ahead, and groups of 10 to 16 are welcome in the café (there is no private dining). The sensible plan is a daytime booking, or a walk-in at breakfast, to skip the evening queue.

Evening waits vary. Recent Tripadvisor reviews mention about 45 minutes on a Monday night and about 25 on a Sunday after the theatre, while older ones describe an hour or more on Saturday evenings. Treat those as anecdotes rather than promises. Go at opening for the shortest wait.

There is outdoor seating (dogs allowed), a wheelchair-accessible entrance and seating, and step-free access to the front door. The menu is listed as vegetarian, vegan and halal friendly, but anyone with allergies should check with staff before ordering.

For after

Liberty sits at the northern end of Kingly Street, so a wander up after a daytime meal is easy. Carnaby Street's shops are just around the corner, which makes it a sound plan for a long, slow weekend lunch.