The expansion of a much-loved restaurant often marks the point at which it loses its soul. Not so for Dishoom, which continues to excel with the opening of its sixth location, this time in London’s Kensington. The winning formula is still there: show-stopping Indian cuisine served in a space inspired by the old Irani cafés of Bombay. Dishoom Kensington, however, takes this journey one step further and draws design cues from the city’s abounding art deco architecture, created by the first generation of modern Indian architects in the 1940s.
Based in the art deco Barkers Building, the restaurant includes a bar, a 200-seat dining hall and an open kitchen. Architecture studio Macaulay Sinclair has filled the restaurant with original period furniture, art and light fixtures sourced in Bombay and a number of striking bespoke features including stone frieze panels, marble monogram insets and, in a further nod to the era, which also heralded Bombay’s jazz age, original photographs of jazz icons.
The result is atmospheric, which feels far from a franchise; rather a painstakingly detailed throwback to a bygone era that sets an appropriate tone for a well-curated menu of Indian comfort food. The Chef’s Special, the fiery Mutton Pepper Fry, is well matched with cooling cocktails like the refreshing Edwina’s Affair, containing a winning trifecta of gin, rose and cardamom. With ‘hot jazz’ humming in the background, the sweltering heat of Bombay nights seems closer than ever.
NFORMATION
ADDRESS
4 Derry Street
-
Click to buy: how will we buy watches in 2026?Time was when a watch was bought only in a shop - the trying on was all part of the 'white glove' sales experience. But can the watch industry really put off the digital world any longer?
-
Don't miss these art exhibitions to see in JanuaryStart the year with an inspiring dose of culture - here are the best things to see in January
-
Unmissable fashion exhibitions to add to your calendar in 2026From a trip back to the 1990s at Tate Britain to retrospectives on Schiaparelli, Madame Grès and Vivienne Westwood, 2026 looks set to continue the renaissance of the fashion exhibition
-
The most stylish hotel debuts of 2025A Wallpaper* edit of this year’s defining hotel openings. Design-led stays to shape your next escape
-
Neo-Gothic grandeur and decadent martinis await at Hawksmoor St PancrasThe dining room at the St Pancras London hotel has proved to be a revolving door for big-name chefs; now, it's Hawksmoor’s time to shine
-
Form... and flavour? The best design-led restaurant debuts of 2025A Wallpaper* edit of the restaurant interiors that shaped how we ate, gathered and lingered this year
-
At last: a London hotel that’s great for groups and extended staysThe July London Victoria, a new aparthotel concept just steps away from one of the city's busiest rail stations, is perfect for weekends and long-term visits alike
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
Sir Devonshire Square is a new kind of hotel for the City of LondonA Dutch hospitality group makes its London debut with a design-forward hotel offering a lighter, more playful take on the City’s usual formality
-
This sculptural London seafood restaurant was shaped by ‘the emotions of the sea’In Hanover Square, Mazarine pairs a bold, pearlescent interior with modern coastal cuisine led by ‘bistronomy’ pioneer chef Thierry Laborde
-
Montcalm Mayfair opens a new chapter for a once-overlooked London hotelA thoughtful reinvention brings craftsmanship, character and an unexpected sense of warmth to a London hotel that was never previously on the radar
