Dishoom has released the first images of its new Glasgow café ahead of opening on Friday 29 August.
The city centre site spans 6,720 sq ft across a historic 1877 building located in the Glasgow Stock Exchange.
Like every Dishoom, the Glasgow café is built around a story. Here, the design tells a captivating story of a fictional 1950s spy, Xallu Vakil, through a blend of mid-century modernism and a rich, cinematic narrative.
The café interiors, designed in collaboration with long-term partners, the interior architecture and design studio Macaulay Sinclair, reimagine the post-independence art scene of mid-century Bombay, including strong links to the influential Bombay Progressives - an art movement formed in 1947.
A rich hardwood bar is finished with aged brass, and there’s a bespoke marble floor. A custom double-sided clock is integrated into a glazed screen acting as a division from the dining area.
Guests are surrounded by geometric terrazzo and vintage parquet in the dining space, while polished plaster walls in verdant greens and soft pinks contrast with exposed concrete ceilings.
The space is illuminated by a mix of vintage light fittings sourced directly from Bombay and bespoke fixtures manufactured in the UK.
Three abstract art canvases have been commissioned and a mural has been applied directly to an exposed concrete column.
Fabric-topped tables, custom laminate surfaces and marble tables with hardwood edging dress the space, as well as a stunning mid-century pavilion-inspired owners’ desk ready to welcome guests upon arrival.
Dishoom created a backstory for the restaurant around a 1950s Bombay spy who has slipped into Glasgow to lie low. This character sets the tone of intrigue and sophistication that runs through the space, revealed in playful details like coded sign-writing on the walls and Morse code hidden within the house rules.
The restaurant features a Permit Room bar serving cocktails and soft drinks, including a new Glasgow‑exclusive drink: a twist on the classic Rob Roy, made with butter‑oat fat‑washed whisky, sweet vermouth and a house‑made currant and sultana liqueur.
In addition to its much-loved menu of Bombay comfort food, the Glasgow café will serve a Haggis Pau – Dishoom’s first and only breakfast special.
The dish is made of spiced specially-made Dishoom pork haggis atop hot, buttered buns, served with a couple of fried eggs, crisp Carluke’s bacon rashers, honeyed chilli chutney, cream cheese and fresh coriander leaves.
During lunch and dinner, guests can enjoy Lamb Chettinad, a rich, slow-cooked Tamil Nadu curry with coconut, black pepper, curry leaves and red chillies, served with flaky Malabar Paratha.
These dishes join the full menu of Dishoom favourites, from the slow-cooked house black daal and crisp okra fries to the classic chicken ruby.
Guests can start their day with the famous bacon naan roll, enjoy comforting small plates and grills, or linger into the evening over a feast that captures the spirit of Bombay’s cafés, street stalls and homes.
Pratik Sijapati, head chef at Dishoom Glasgow, said: “We have loved creating dishes that feel right at home in Glasgow, a city with such an incredible heritage for South Asian cuisine.
“The Haggis Pau offers a playful take on a local classic, while the Lamb Chettinad tells a story of families who carried their recipes from southern India to Bombay. These dishes are our way of saying thank you to Glasgow for welcoming us – and we cannot wait to share them with our guests.”
Dishoom is proud to carry forward its Meal for a Meal initiative, continuing its commitment to nourishing children in need. For every meal enjoyed at every Dishoom café, a meal is donated to a child who might otherwise go without.
Through partnerships with Magic Breakfast in the UK and The Akshaya Patra Foundation in India, Dishoom supports vital school meal programmes both at home and abroad. To date, over 20 million meals have been gifted, with many more still to come.
Dishoom Glasgow will open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from Friday 29 August, with reservations available for breakfast and lunch now available.
