Permit Room Portobello will open its doors tomorrow (9 May) in Notting Hill.
The group confirmed back in January that it had taken over the four storey Victorian property that was previously occupied by the Portobello Gin Distillery for its first Permit Room location in the capital.
Inspired in part by the early hotels of Bombay, Permit Room Lodgings will welcome its first guests in June 2025, with the two-bedroom residence housed on the top floor of the Portobello Road property.
Permit Room is positioned as being a more drinks-led counterpoint to Dishoom’s core restaurant brand, and takes its influence from the ‘permit rooms, beer bars and drinking holes’ of 1960s and 1970s Bombay.
It opened its first site in Brighton in late 2023 and followed this with locations in Cambridge and Oxford last year.
Permit Room Portobello will feature a breakfast room and bar area on the ground floor and a dining room on the first floor, with the lodgings housed above.
The food menu will feature a selection of bar snacks alongside curries and larger sharing plates with options including prawn moilee; half or whole chicken tandoori; and Dishoom’s signature black daal.
There will also be exclusive breakfast options such as the Permit Room French toast; and eggs Kejriwal crumpets.
Speaking to Restaurant late last year, Dishoom CEO Brian Trollip described Permit Room as being a more guest-led experience when compared to the group’s concept.
“We are restaurateurs at heart and enjoy the fact that food is the heart of permit rooms in Bombay,” he said.
“Permit Room is different to Dishoom, it is a really fun all-day eating and drinking space – there is definitely a Dishoom feel to it, but it is a distinct experience.
“It’s a relaxed all-day space whereas Dishoom is quite curated – every single part of your journey is managed, whereas Permit Room is much more guest led. You can pop in and use it as you want at any point of the day.”
Dishoom operates 10 restaurants under its core brand including several sites in London and regional locations in Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham.