If you want a private dining venue that's a guaranteed crowd pleaser, it's got to be Dishoom. This well-loved Indian cuisine restaurant has many a site across London and each one usually has a line outside. For bringing people together, Covent Garden makes the most sense with an incredibly central location and a little more room to play with.
For those not quite so familiar with the Dishoom brand, the concept harks back to the Irani cafés of Bombay, serving an all-day menu inspired by Mumbai's cafe culture and rich culinary traditions. Inside, the Covent Garden restaurant aims to capture the magic of India's silverscreen era, using design references from the 50s with a colour palette of rich pinks and greens.
While there isn't a dedicated private space available at Dishoom Covent Garden, group bookings of 10 to 16 guests are welcomed in the cafe, ideal for celebrations, birthdays and big foodie feasts. If you'd like to host more than that, get in touch with the team and they will advise. Each booking is invited to choose from a generous group feasting menu, with servers bringing out dishes to the table to be enjoyed family-style.
The group dining menu at Dishoom Covent Garden can be altered for vegetarian and vegans, and starts with okra fries, bhel - a popular street food snack of puffed rich, onions, tomatoes and potatoes - and keema pau, a minced-meat curry with soft, buttered rolls. For mains, dive into sheekh kebab, gunpowder potatoes, chicken Ruby, house black daal, chilli brocolli salad, chicken berry Britannia, roomali roti, alongside plain naan and raita. Finally, for dessert, everyone gets a choice of mango, pistachio or malai kulfi.
Breakfast bookings are also welcome, with a breakfast feasting menu available for anyone who wishes to celebrate in style in the early hours.