After conquering the world of Indian small plates by, let’s be honest, basically inventing them, Dishoom has now turned its attention to something even more intoxicating: a standalone cocktail bar, with rooms to sleep in.
Permit Room is now open in Notting Hill, taking over the former Portobello Road Distillery. It’s the fourth of its kind, following successful launches in Brighton, Cambridge, and Oxford, but the first in London, and the first to come with its own hotel rooms, which are set to launch this summer.
The setup: a three-storey building where cocktails flow, snacks abound, and the whole thing is designed to evoke Bombay’s old-school drinking dens. Downstairs is the breakfast room and bar, upstairs is the First Floor Dining Room (a nod to the old Notting Hill haunt that used to live here), and above that is something new for Dishoom: a two-bedroom apartment that’ll be bookable from this summer. It’s set to come with two en suites, a living room, and a setup that leans more towards ‘stylish friend’s house’ than ‘corporate hotel’. Expect a two-night minimum stay, and first dibs on tables downstairs if you’re sleeping over.
Food-wise, you can go classic with bacon naan rolls and sweet malai toast in the morning, or stretch out into dishes like prawn recheado, gingery lamb curry, and fried chicken puffs. There are also some new arrivals nodding to the whole “we now have bedrooms” thing – think: French toast with hot honey and cheese, or mustardy Crumpety Eggs Kejriwal with bacon.
And obviously, there are cocktails. From the short and punchy Feni Martini to chai caffè martinis, orange wine margaritas, and entire towers of Kingfisher beer – handy when the DJs take over in the evening.
Open daily from 8am to 11pm. And now, also technically open 24 hours – if you’re upstairs.
NOTE: Permit Room is open now. Hotel rooms will come this summer. You can find out more at the Permit Room website.
Permit Room | 186 Portobello Road, W11 1LA
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