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Dishoom will open its newest London café this October, bringing its loving homage of Bombay to Borough. Set within the West Wing of the Grade II-listed Hop Exchange the 8,060 sq ft café will span two floors, with spaces for all-day dining and a covered verandah. Ahead of the official opening, Dishoom Borough will welcome its first guests for a soft launch from 12th – 20th October offering 50% off food, sign up here to be the first to hear more. 

Built in 1867 and designed by R.H. Moore, the Hop Exchange was once a bustling trading floor for London’s hop and brewing industry, and is the last remaining example of the city’s Victorian ‘outcry’ exchanges.

Like every Dishoom, Borough will share the team’s deep love for Bombay, its food, history, culture and quirks while paying homage to the Irani cafés that were once part of the fabric of the city. Open from breakfast until late, the new café will bring together Dishoom’s much-loved food, drink and warm hospitality, alongside a new dish and drink created exclusively for Borough.

Dishoom Borough’s arrival will be celebrated with a Diwali gathering, with further events to follow.

“I’ve wanted to open a restaurant in Borough for well over fifteen years. It’s one of my favourite parts of London, and one of those rare places that still feels completely itself,” said Brian Trollip, Dishoom CEO. “We’ve waited a long time to find a building we really love here, and I’m incredibly excited that we finally have. We think we can create something genuinely special in it, and hopefully add a little more to a part of London that is already unbelievably brilliant.” 

THE STORYTELLING

The opening of every Dishoom café begins with a story: a fictional founding myth set in a particular moment of Bombay’s history, which shapes the character of the café. For Borough, the story harkens back to Bombay’s great Victorian marketplace, Crawford Market.

At the cafe’s heart is the democratic spirit of the marketplace: a shared space where people from all walks of life come together. The story also nods to Bombay’s Parsi theatre tradition, known for its lively adaptations of Shakespeare in Gujarati and Urdu.. Hamlet? No, Omelette!

Set in Crawford Market during Diwali in 1953, Dishoom Borough’s tale loosely reimagines Romeo and Juliet. Two young people from different corners of the market catch one another’s eye among the stalls and arrange to meet again at a Diwali celebration, only to discover that their families stand on opposite sides of an old divide.

Narrated by the owner of an Irani café within the market, the tale leaves the pair asking, ‘What’s in a name?’ It is a story of longing and breaking barriers, set against the colour and commotion of a market where everyone is welcome.

THE DESIGN OF DISHOOM BOROUGH

The Dishoom team have worked closely with long-time collaborators Macaulay Sinclair on the design of Dishoom Borough. The café draws directly on research carried out across Bombay’s markets, looking particularly to Crawford Market, Fort Market and the much-loved working spice merchant Umrigar Stores.

Crawford Market lends the café something of the architecture and grand scale of a civic trading hall, while Fort Market and Umrigar Stores provide the smaller, lived-in details: the particular character of spice-stall shelving, packaging and the daily rhythm of trade. Together, these references ground Borough not in a generic idea of a Bombay market, but in real and particular places.

A system of forged metalwork runs throughout the building, with arched screens inspired by Crawford Market framing stairs and entrances, and overhead gantries supporting light fittings. These elements define and connect the different spaces, drawing directly from the ironwork, hanging systems and well-worn architectural language found across Bombay’s markets.

The joinery combines Victorian detailing and proportions with the more idiosyncratic, improvised character of market stalls, drawing on the spirit of jugaad and the way things are adapted, assembled and added to over time. The mood shifts between floors: the ground floor takes its cue from the rougher, more industrious public trading floor of a market, while the first floor is quieter and more elevated, reflecting the more private world of a market’s owners and traders.

Parsi theatre sits more quietly in the background as a textural reference, helping explain why a Shakespearean love story belongs in this world, and informing the café’s theatrical details and hand-crafted character.

Ian Roome, director at Macaulay Sinclair, said: “After many years exploring potential sites around Borough, we’re incredibly excited to see this one become a reality. The Hop Exchange is an extraordinary building with a fascinating history, making it the perfect opportunity for the next chapter in our collaboration with Dishoom.”

THE FOOD & DRINK 

Dishoom Borough will open every day from early until late, beginning with breakfast plates before giving way to an all-day sharing menu of Bombay comfort food from Executive Chef Arun Tilak and his team, spanning small plates, grills, biryanis, salads, rolls and curries. As evening draws on, an ever-changing selection of late plates will be served from 9:30pm, Sunday to Thursday. Larger groups of eight or more can gather around the table for a lavish group feast, served daily and made for sharing. Drinks will flow throughout, from warming cups of chai and refreshing coolers to top-notch tipples.

Unique to Borough will be Keralan Pepper Chicken: butterflied chicken layered with bountiful spice and slow-roasted until smoky and tender, served with a coconut-mellowed pepper and curry-leaf sauce, flaky golden Malabar paratha and crisp onion salad. To pair, the Borough-special Black and Thunder Flip couples two Indian loves: Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch and Thums Up cola, vigorously reduced with cinnamon, then chilled and richly frothed with whole egg, cream and nutmeg.

Guests can book a table anytime before 5:45pm, after groups of six or more can book. Bookings for Dishoom Borough will open soon, sign up here to be the first to hear.

Dishoom Borough will open in October with further details to follow.