Dishoom to open Permit Rooms in Oxford and Cambridge

Dishoom is set to expand its footprint of Permit Rooms, its all-day bar and café concept that first launched in Brighton last November, into Oxford and Cambridge.

 

Permit Room Cambridge will open the doors to its 156-cover restaurant on 20 June, while Permit Room Oxford is due to open a 126-cover site in October this year. 

 

The Permit Room draws inspiration from the “beer bars and drinking holes” that grew out of post-prohibition Bombay in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

A selection of cocktails such as Thums Up Sazerac, based on the popular Indian soft drink Thums Up, the Mango Lassi Punch and the Orange Wine Margarita will be available alongside dishes such as the spicy chicken puff, the crispy spinach chaat, and the coconut caramel custard.

 

New menu items such as chicken keema pau (spiced minced chicken, fried egg and baked plump pau); patra (Colocasia leaves, gram flour, tamarind, coconut, spices); and shakkar malai toast (jaggery-sprinkled malai, toasted bun) will also be available.

 

The interiors of both Permit Room Cambridge and Oxford will feature retro artwork by Bombayites and artists local to the university towns. Diners will also be able to tune into weekly DJ sets.

 

Shamil Thakrar, co-founder of Permit Room and Dishoom, said: “I’ve had quite a few friends living in Cambridge over the years. When I think back to my early twenties, Cambridge pub crawls and gate-crashing the odd college party are a happy feature. I have rosy memories of hanging out there, and I’m very excited for the chance to return with our own Permit Room. I’m also looking forward to hosting our own pub crawls this time around.”