Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Easy to book, consistently rated, genuinely good.
Dishoom Nine Elms is one of London's most consistently rated casual Indian restaurants, holding a 4.9 Google score from nearly 7,000 reviews and ranked #244 in OAD's Casual Europe list for 2025. It is a strong choice for groups and special occasions at an accessible price point, with extended evening hours and a format that works well for sharing. Book ahead for weekend slots.
Yes, and here is why the answer is direct: Dishoom at Nine Elms is one of London's most consistently rated casual dining options, holding a Google score of 4.9 from nearly 7,000 reviews and an Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe ranking of #244 in 2025, up from #293 in 2024. For a special occasion that does not require a ££££ price tag or a three-week booking sprint, this is where you should be looking. If you are weighing up a celebration dinner and want a room with genuine energy, a kitchen with real credentials, and food that holds up to scrutiny, Dishoom Nine Elms earns the booking.
The atmosphere at Dishoom Nine Elms runs warm and deliberate. The room carries the signature Dishoom sensory register: low lighting, a background hum of conversation, and an energy that sits closer to a well-run Bombay Irani café than a theme restaurant. For a special occasion, this matters. The noise level is present but not punishing at dinner, which makes it workable for groups wanting to hold a conversation across the table. Arrive early in the evening if you want the energy before it peaks; the room fills quickly on Thursday through Saturday nights given the extended midnight closing. For a date or a celebratory dinner, the atmosphere reads as occasion-ready without requiring you to dress the part formally.
Chef Naved Nasir leads the kitchen, and the Indian street food format here is not a simplified crowd-pleaser. The OAD recognition across three consecutive years, with a clear upward ranking trajectory, signals that the kitchen is delivering at a level that holds up against Europe-wide casual dining competition. That is meaningful context when you are deciding whether Dishoom Nine Elms is worth a special occasion dinner versus a smarter-casual fine dining alternative.
Dishoom handles groups better than most casual-format restaurants in London. The Nine Elms site, being one of the newer and larger Dishoom locations, has the floor space and operational flow to absorb larger parties without the experience degrading into chaos. For celebrations, the format works: sharing-style ordering keeps the table connected, and the kitchen's output is consistent enough to handle volume. If you are planning a group booking, contact the venue directly to discuss options, as specific private or semi-private arrangements are not confirmed in publicly available data for this location. Groups of six or more should factor in that the busiest windows (Friday and Saturday evenings) will have the highest energy and noise, which suits some celebrations and not others.
Booking difficulty at Dishoom Nine Elms is rated Easy relative to other destination restaurants in London. That said, weekends and Thursday evenings fill ahead of time, so do not assume walk-in availability on a Friday night. Book as soon as your date is confirmed to secure your preferred slot. The venue opens at 8am Monday through Friday and 9am on weekends, closing at 11pm most nights and midnight Thursday through Saturday, giving you a wide operational window to plan around.
Reservations: Book in advance; easier than most comparable London venues but do not leave it to the week of for weekend evenings. Dress: Smart-casual is the practical ceiling here; no formal dress code, but the room rewards a little effort for a special occasion. Budget: Price range is not confirmed in available data, but Dishoom sits in the accessible casual dining tier relative to London's ££££ fine dining set. Hours: Mon–Wed 8am–11pm; Thu–Fri 8am–midnight; Sat 9am–midnight; Sun 9am–11pm. Address: 42 Electric Blvd, Nine Elms, London SW11 8BJ.
If Dishoom Nine Elms is on your list, you may also want to look at what else London and the wider UK dining scene offers. For fine dining in London, CORE by Clare Smyth, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, The Ledbury, Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal are the benchmarks at the leading of the market. For exceptional dining beyond London, Waterside Inn in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood are all worth the trip. For a comparable Indian street food format, Bombay Canteen is worth knowing about. For high-end seafood at an international level, Le Bernardin in New York City sets the standard. Use our full London restaurants guide, our London hotels guide, our London bars guide, our London wineries guide, and our London experiences guide to plan the full trip.
Yes. Dishoom Nine Elms is one of the larger Dishoom sites in London and handles group bookings well. The sharing-style format is a natural fit for celebrations. For larger parties or semi-private arrangements, contact the venue directly. Groups of six or more should book well ahead for Thursday through Saturday evenings, when the room is at its busiest.
Smart-casual. There is no enforced dress code, but the room at Nine Elms has a level of polish that suits a little effort, especially for a special occasion. Think well-put-together rather than formal. Jeans are fine; a suit is unnecessary.
Dishoom is an Indian street food restaurant with a consistent track record: 4.9 on Google from nearly 7,000 reviews and ranked #244 in OAD's Casual Europe list for 2025. The format is leading understood as a high-quality, high-energy Irani café concept applied to London. First-timers should book in advance rather than attempting a walk-in on a weekend, and should expect a sharing-style menu designed for groups to eat together rather than independently.
Dinner is the better choice for a special occasion: the room fills with energy as the evening progresses, and the extended hours on Thursday through Saturday (until midnight) give the meal room to breathe. Lunch is a practical option if you want a lower-noise experience or if the evening slots are fully booked. The kitchen runs from 8am on weekdays, so an early sitting is also possible if your schedule demands it.
Yes. The counter and bar seating options at most Dishoom locations suit solo diners well, and the casual format means there is no awkwardness eating alone. The menu works equally for one or a full table. That said, if you are dining solo for a special occasion, the experience is more atmospheric at dinner than at a quieter lunch sitting.
Dishoom's menu has historically included options across vegetarian, vegan, and non-vegetarian preferences, which is consistent with the Irani café and Indian street food format. For specific allergen or dietary requirements, contact the venue directly before booking. Do not rely on general assumptions for serious dietary needs.
Specific current menu items are not confirmed in available data, so any dish-level recommendation here would be speculative. What is confirmed is that the kitchen has earned three consecutive OAD Casual Europe recognitions under chef Naved Nasir, which suggests the food consistently performs at a high level for the format. Ask the team for current recommendations when you arrive, or check the venue's own materials ahead of your visit.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dishoom | Easy | ||
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Unknown |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Unknown |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Unknown |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Unknown |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Unknown |
What to weigh when choosing between Dishoom and alternatives.
Yes. Nine Elms is one of the newer and larger Dishoom sites, making it a stronger choice for groups than the original Covent Garden or Shoreditch locations. Book in advance for parties of six or more. The format — shareable dishes, a lively room — suits group dining well, and Dishoom's OAD Casual Europe ranking (currently #244) reflects consistent execution at volume.
Come as you are. Dishoom is a casual-format restaurant — jeans and a jacket are fine, as is whatever you wore to work. There is no dress code enforced at Nine Elms. The room runs warm and the vibe is relaxed, so prioritise comfort over formality.
Dishoom serves Bombay-style Indian street food, not a traditional curry-house menu — the two are quite different in format and flavour profile. Chef Naved Nasir oversees the kitchen, and the restaurant has held an Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe recommendation since 2023, rising to #244 in 2025. Nine Elms opens from 8am on weekdays, so breakfast is a real option if you want to skip the dinner queue.
Lunch is easier to secure and less pressured — dinner on Thursday through Saturday fills fast and the room gets loud. If the food is the point rather than the atmosphere, lunch or an early weekday dinner gives you the same kitchen with fewer crowds. The restaurant opens at 8am Monday through Friday, so breakfast is also a practical and genuinely less-visited option.
Yes. The counter and bar seating at Dishoom locations suit solo diners, and the format — ordering a few dishes at your own pace — works well alone. Booking difficulty is rated Easy relative to other London destination restaurants, so securing a solo spot on shorter notice is realistic, especially at lunch.
Dishoom's Indian street food menu includes a range of vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes by default — the cuisine type lends itself to plant-based options without special requests. For allergies or specific requirements, contact the Nine Elms site directly ahead of booking. The address is 42 Electric Boulevard, Nine Elms, London SW11 8BJ.
The menu at Nine Elms follows the wider Dishoom format, built around Bombay street food dishes. The restaurant's OAD Casual Europe ranking — #244 in 2025, rising from #293 in 2024 — reflects consistent quality across the menu rather than one standout dish. For specific current dishes and seasonal changes, check directly with the restaurant before visiting, as menus are subject to change.
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