Dishoom launches new lunch deal with ‘plentiful spreads’ from £16 per person — and no queuing

Dishoom is famous for the queues snaking down the street (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images) If there are two things Dishoom is known for, it’s a banging dish of gunpowder potatoes – and those infamous queues. Londoners will often snake around the block, chai in hand, waiting for a spot at one of the capital’s favourite Indian restaurant chains. It was founded in 2010 and sought to recreate the magic of the old Irani cafés dotted around Bombay, now known as Mumbai. They’re mostly gone these days, but the founders have reminisced about the special culture they fostered, one where pretty much anyone, from any background, would share a meal together and learn from one another. Now, Dishoom has 15 restaurants across the country – and it’s finally doing something about the queueing system. At least, at lunchtime. The chain is introducing a brand-new lunch deal with prices from £16 per person – and crucially, diners will be able to book this one. There’s no need to spend valuable minutes of your lunch break queuing, as bookings will be accepted between 12pm and 5pm. Crucially, this only applies to the afternoon service, so if you’re meeting up with friends after you’ve clocked off, you’ll still need to wait your turn. It’ll also only be in place Monday to Friday, so again, for any weekend dining plans, you won’t be able to book ahead and secure that golden table. One set menu costs £16 per person (Picture: Mario Mitsis / Sidetrack / Avalon) What will be on the Dishoom lunchtime menu? Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. There’s a set menu, called the Swift Vitality lunch – catchy, hey? It’ll be available in every Dishoom, right across the country. Latest London news Anyone who has dined at Dishoom before will know their prices aren’t necessarily the most accessible, with the famed Chicken Ruby priced at £18.90. That doesn’t include basmati rice, either, which costs a fiver. The Goan Monkfish Curry goes slightly higher, at £19.90, while the Mutton Pepper Fry will set you back £20.20. The Dishoom Chicken Tikka features in the deal (Picture: Mario Mitsis / Sidetrack / Avalon) Now, the lunch deal serves two, and costs £16 per person. This includes one salad (to share), and you can choose between a Malai Chicken Salad, served with chicken, leafy greens, sprouted beans, bulgur wheat, and vegetables, topped with a coconut dressing, or the Chilli Broccoli Salad, which pretty much does what it says on the tin. Then, you can add on two grills (again, to share), with a choice between the Murgh Malai (chicken thigh with garlic, ginger, and coriander), Dishoom Chicken Tikka (we don’t need to explain this timeless classic), Sheekh Kabab, Makhmali Paneer, Gunpowder Potatoes, or Saffron Cauliflower. …as will the Chilli Broccoli Salad (Picture: Mario Mitsis / Sidetrack / Avalon) It’s worth noting any drinks, extra dishes and the (optional) service charge aren’t included in this figure, so your final bill will likely tot up slightly higher. If you’re particularly hungry (or, in Dishoom’s words, require ‘extra lunchtime fortitude’), then you can also go for the Prompt Replenishment. Deals of the Day The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder Shop MySweetSmile's biggest Bank Holiday offers before they end Back-to-school shopping just got a lot cheaper thanks to Primark The back-to-school essential parents forget every year – and it could cost them Again, a set menu, this is priced at £20 per person, and includes one small plate (to share), one grill, the famous House Black Daal, and a choice between two Pulaos: the Chicken Berry, or the Jackfruit Berry, both essentially comprised of fluffy saffron rice and fruit. It’s been 16 years, so why are people still queuing for Dishoom? It’s downright impossible to try and nab a booking in advance online for Dishoom, with most of the cafés being walk-in only. At peak times, there are waits of up to an hour, but some customers claim they’ve waited more than two hours to make it across the restaurant’s threshold. Given today’s financial climate, it’s undoubtedly an impressive feat to still have massive queues down the block, but it does beg the question: after all this time, why are people still treating Dishoom like it’s the latest viral hotspot? Shamil Thakrar, one of the chain’s founders, previously confessed to Eater London, that he didn’t want the queues to disappear, and the thought of that happening kept him up at night. ‘My biggest fear is that people don’t love Dishoom any more, and the queue is a proxy for that. The queue is a signal that people like what we do.’ All of this aside, there is one very obvious benefit to queueing for Dishoom — the free drinks. As wait times stretch on, staff attempt to appease frustrated queuers by offering glasses of chai in cold weather, and shots of alcohol or homemade lemonade in the evenings. They’ve also been known to bring out umbrellas when the heavens open. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: Smoke seen across London after massive fire breaks out near Amazon warehouse Arrow MORE: Walkers launches new range that gives a modern twist to old fan favourites Arrow MORE: Boy, 17, fatally stabbed yards from Wembley Stadium named and pictured The Slice Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.