Dishoom Covent Garden is the branch people queue at, and the queue is avoidable by fifteen minutes.
Book for 5.45pm and you get a table. Book for 6.15pm and you cannot, because after 6pm only groups of six or more can reserve.
Dishoom publishes its own wait times rather than being vague about them: little or no queue at breakfast and lunchtime, and 30 minutes to an hour after 6pm and at weekends.
So moving your booking half an hour earlier converts an hour’s wait into a reservation. That rule applies across the group, and it bites hardest here because this is the busiest branch.
Open to midnight on Friday and Saturday
Monday to Thursday: 8am to 11pm.
Friday: 8am to midnight.
Saturday: 9am to midnight.
Sunday: 9am to 11pm.
That midnight close on Friday and Saturday makes it one of the few places in that part of town serving proper food that late, which is the real advantage of this branch over the others.
Breakfast runs 8am to 11.45am on weekdays and 9am to 11.45am at weekends. The All Day menu starts at noon.
If you want breakfast at 8am on a Saturday, you cannot have it here. Only the Shoreditch branch opens at 8am at weekends.
Waiting is better than it sounds
Two details that change the experience of a 45 minute wait.
You are given complimentary chai while you wait.
Once there is room, you can take a seat at the bar with drinks and snacks while your table is readied.
So the hour is not an hour standing in the street. Most tables are deliberately held back for walk-ins, which is why the booking calendar looks so thin, and turning up is the intended route rather than a fallback.
Book four months out, for up to sixteen
Online bookings are accepted up to four months in advance for up to 16 guests, with enquiries taken for larger parties.
Four months is a long horizon at this price, and it means a Christmas or birthday table can be held well before the walk-in crowd has thought about it. Remember the six-person threshold: a group of six or more can book an evening table like anyone else.
The Talkies room
The branch is built around Bombay in 1949 and the Talkies era of Indian cinema, when sound arrived and the picture houses filled. The walls carry artefacts, photographs and portraits of 1930s and 1940s Bombay.
Among the figures on the walls: the stuntwoman Fearless Nadia, the actress Leela Chitnis, Devika Rani who founded Bombay Talkies, and the founders’ own grandmother, Hira-bhen.
There is an indoor-outdoor verandah, which is the part to ask for.
Two things only this branch does
Each Dishoom has its own specials, and these are Covent Garden’s.
Prawn Pathia. Prawns marinated overnight in ginger, garlic and lime, charred on the grill, in a fiery, sweet and tangy tomato masala, with an onion salad and Roomali Roti for mopping. Meant to be shared.
The Diamond Thriller. Cointreau, cranberry and Finlandia vodka with a chilli and lime shrub, named for the films of Fearless Nadia.
Neither appears at the other branches, so if you have eaten at Dishoom before, this is what is different.
Diets and access
The All Day menu carries Pau Bhaji, Makhmali Paneer, House Black Daal and Gunpowder Potatoes among the vegetarian dishes, and there is a dedicated vegan and gluten-free menu rather than substitutions on the main one. The branch is described as halal-friendly.
The published access list here is fuller than at most restaurants: wheelchair-accessible entrance, wheelchair-accessible seating, a wheelchair-accessible lift, step-free access to the front door, a loo on the same floor as the dining area, and a disabled loo.
Where it is
12 Upper St Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9FB, on 020 7420 9320.
Covent Garden and Leicester Square are the nearest Underground stations, with bus stops at Cambridge Circus and Leicester Square.
It sits between Seven Dials and the theatres, which is why the midnight close matters: it is a genuine after-theatre option.
How to plan it
Two or three of you in the evening: book 5.45pm, because 6pm closes the door on small bookings.
Six or more: book any time, including late.
Not shifting the time: expect 30 to 60 minutes, with free chai and a bar seat on the way.
No queue at all: breakfast or lunch.
After the theatre: Friday or Saturday, open to midnight.
Breakfast at 8am on a weekend: go to Shoreditch, which is the only branch that does it.
A big occasion: book up to four months ahead, up to 16 people.
Order the Prawn Pathia, which you cannot get at the other branches.
Dishoom Covent Garden
- Address
- 12 Upper St Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9FB
- Nearest
- Covent Garden and Leicester Square, with buses at Cambridge Circus and Leicester Square
- Hours
- Monday to Thursday 8am to 11pm, Friday 8am to midnight, Saturday 9am to midnight, Sunday 9am to 11pm. Breakfast 8am to 11.45am weekdays and 9am to 11.45am weekends, All Day menu from noon
- Booking
- Any group size before 6pm. After 6pm only groups of six or more. Online up to four months ahead for up to 16 guests. Most tables are held for walk-ins
- Price
- Bombay comfort food across breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a dedicated vegan and gluten-free menu
- Standing
- The Talkies-era café of 1949 Bombay, with an indoor-outdoor verandah, open until midnight on Friday and Saturday
How to get in
Booking for 5.45pm rather than 6.15pm turns an hour-long wait into a reservation, because small bookings close at 6pm. Dishoom publishes its own waits: none at breakfast and lunch, 30 minutes to an hour after 6pm and at weekends, with complimentary chai and a bar seat while you wait. The Prawn Pathia and the Diamond Thriller are specials to this branch alone.
Where to go next
Dishoom across London compares all the branches, including the new Borough café and the 6pm rule in full.
The Indian restaurants page covers the rest, and Covent Garden restaurants cover the neighbours.
Questions we get asked
Do you need to book Dishoom Covent Garden?
Bookings of any size are taken during the day, but after 6pm only groups of six or more can reserve. Most tables are deliberately held for walk-ins. Booking for 5.45pm instead of 6.15pm is the simplest way for a couple to get a guaranteed evening table.
How long is the queue at Dishoom Covent Garden?
Dishoom publishes it: little or no queue at breakfast and lunchtime, and total waits of 30 minutes to an hour after 6pm and at weekends. You get complimentary chai while waiting and can take a bar seat with drinks and snacks once there is room.
What time does Dishoom Covent Garden open and close?
Monday to Thursday 8am to 11pm, Friday 8am to midnight, Saturday 9am to midnight and Sunday 9am to 11pm. Breakfast runs to 11.45am and the All Day menu starts at noon.
Does Dishoom Covent Garden do breakfast at the weekend?
Yes, but from 9am rather than 8am. Shoreditch is the only Dishoom in London serving breakfast from 8am at weekends. Breakfast finishes at 11.45am everywhere.
What is special at Dishoom Covent Garden?
Two things found only at this branch: the Prawn Pathia, grilled prawns marinated overnight in ginger, garlic and lime in a tomato masala with onion salad and Roomali Roti, and the Diamond Thriller cocktail of Cointreau, cranberry and Finlandia vodka with a chilli and lime shrub.
Is Dishoom Covent Garden wheelchair accessible?
Yes, and the published list is fuller than most: a wheelchair-accessible entrance, accessible seating, an accessible lift, step-free access to the front door, a loo on the same floor as the dining area and a disabled loo.
How far ahead can you book Dishoom Covent Garden?
Up to four months in advance online, for up to 16 guests. For larger parties or private dining you contact the café directly.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 296 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
