Dishoom Manchester

Eagerly awaited Dishoom has finally opened in Manchester Hall, the 1920s Grade II listed building originally used as a Freemasons’ Hall. Like their other restaurants in London and Edinburgh, this newest member of the Dishoom family pays loving homage to the old Irani cafés of Bombay, with capacity for over 200 diners.

The main dining room is a grand space which can seat 150, with dark wooden furniture and colourful leather banquettes. There are specially commissioned portraits of the Indian Masons’ Grand Masters hanging around the room, and a large bar at one end illuminated by the original stained glass windows of the hall. 

The all-day menus cover all the Dishoom favourites, from bacon naans to charred lamb chops.  The latter – marinated in lime juice and jaggery, warm dark spices, ginger and garlic – is blackened by the grill but still juicy inside. The house black daal, cooked slowly for 24 hours, was dark, rich, and deeply flavoured. Chicken tikka is a family recipe, using a marinade of sweet vinegar rather than yoghurt, laced with ginger juice, turmeric, garlic and green chilli.

There’s a special dish exclusive to Manchester, too. Nalli nihari biryani is tender shank of lamb layered with rice and caramelised onions then sealed beneath a pastry blanket, served with a rich gravy on the side and raita enriched with chicken livers.

The bar also offers some bespoke tipples – Beram’s cobbler with mango, pineapple and dry manzanilla; and Chevalier’s sour, with raspberries, tamarind and Rangpur gin – alongside some cracking local beers.

After great anticipation, Dishoom opened its doors to Mancunians in 2019 and was met with the same fond response as that of its London predecessors. The first Northern outlet for the much-loved restaurant group offers seating for over 200 diners in the prestigious Manchester Hall. In accordance with the other sites, the mahogany furniture and colourful leather banquettes pay tribute to the old Irani cafés of Bombay and are suitably in keeping with the original stained glass windows of the building that houses it.  

The menu offers the same familiar favourites that Londoners have come to know and love – spicy lamb chops marinated overnight in lime juice and dark spices then blackened on the grill, Gunpowder potatoes tossed in butter, herbs and spices, and flaky vegetable samosas filled generously with warm spiced pea and potatoes. For biryani fans, the Manchester menu offers a special Nalli Nihari; an indulgent rice dish that combines tender shank of lamb with caramelised onions all sealed under a pastry blanket and enriched with a chicken liver raita and nihari gravy.

From the breakfast menu, options include a spicy Parsi omelette, a stack of sweet Uttapam pancakes served with fresh berries and coconut, unlimited portions of date and banana porridge and of course the notorious bacon naan roll – freshly baked by hand and cooked to order in the tandoor oven.

From the drinks list the traditional house chai is a popular choice and available all day long, but for something stronger the menu served in the Permit Room offers some exciting twists on cocktail classics including a Bollybellini, Colaba Colada and Meensakshi’s Mojito – the usual mint-soda affair but with an unexpected addition of vanilla and pineapple. Alternatively there is also a good selection of beers, ciders and wines to try, and for those with a low spice tolerance; the Lassis and Coolers are a welcome addition.