Dishoom Covent Garden

Dishoom at 12 Upper St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden WC2 is the original Dishoom — the restaurant that started in 2010 and launched what became London's most commented-on restaurant group. Hardens confirms it as consistently the most-discussed restaurant in their annual diners' poll across all seven London branches. Cousins Shamil and Kavi Thakrar created a homage to the Irani cafes of Bombay — the Parsi-owned teahouses that fed Mumbai from the 1920s until they gradually disappeared. The formula is distinctive: 24-hour slow-cooked black daal, bacon naan roll for breakfast, sizzling house black pepper chicken, chilli cheese toast, unlimited chai — "a novel variation from what you get in a typical curry house," writes Hardens. The Covent Garden branch expanded in 2020 into the neighbouring former Jamie's Italian. Queues form every evening. Open from 8am daily for breakfast.

Available for dine-in at 12 Upper St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden WC2H. Phone 020 7420 9320. Own website: dishoom.com. Open from 8am daily.