Dishoom to open first standalone spin-off bar in Brighton

Indian restaurant group Dishoom is to launch its first standalone bar and café in Brighton this November.

The Permit Room will launch in the Lanes area and draw inspiration from the “beer bars and drinking holes” which flourished in post-prohibition-era Bombay.

Liquor sales were banned in the city in 1949 but the law was relaxed in the 1960s and 1970s to allow those with specific permits to drink – giving rise to the city’s ‘permit rooms’.

The Brighton bar and cafe will open for breakfast and serve naan rolls, coffee, hot chai, Bloody Mary’s, and Mimosas.

A wider all-day menu will feature chakli and peanut masala; crispy spinach chaat; jackfruit berry pulao and puddings such as a coconut caramel custard and ice cream sandwiches.

Permit Room’s drinks offering will take cues from the flavours of Bombay and include a Mango Lassi Punch with Old Munk Rum; and a Chai Caffe Martini.

An exclusive sour beer has been created in partnership with local brewery, Unbarred Brewery, and there will also be collaborations with other local suppliers.

The bar will open with a live music residency in partnership with Going South, a platform for British South Asian talent, with weekly sets on Thursday evenings.

Shamil Thakrar, co-founder of Permit Room and Dishoom, said: “We’ve been going to Bombay for decades now, and have had many a merry time in bars whilst on our travels.

“We’re also dedicated fans of cocktails and the UK’s drinking scene, and were genuinely inspired by the rebellious spirit and heritage of Bombay’s aunty bars, permit rooms and drinking holes. It feels like the right time to try something new.”

Dishoom was founded in London’s Covent Garden in 2010 and has since expanded to six restaurants in London and regional sites in Edinburgh, Manchester, and Birmingham.

It has long been eyeing a site in Brighton and launched a ‘dark kitchen’ with Deliveroo Editions in the city during the pandemic.

The group, which saw pre-tax profits boosted to £4.7m last year, said it would continue to consider potential new restaurant openings in the UK.