It was back in 2023 when the Dishroom group opened their first Permit Room in Brighton, and after its great success, Cambridge locals can also enjoy the much-loved restaurant's prohibition-themed spin-off. For those who don't know, The Permit Room is inspired by the Aunty Bars of Bombay, which began popping up in the early 1950s. Just a few years after India had gained independence and as the prohibition was in full swing, entrpreneurial aunties made some extra money by serving alcohol in tea cups and hosting secretive get-togethers in their front rooms.
The Permit Room Cambridge takes the idea of a bustling, underground hotspot and has turned it into a casual bar and eatery, imagined as a place where walk-ins are always welcome and guests regularly kick back and hang out, as if it were their own living room.
Retro colours and nods to Indian culture come through across the decor, making the Permit Room stand out compared to Cambridge's usual hospitality offering. To get the vibe going, music plays a big part in the atmosphere here, too, with local DJs taking over the decks regularly and vinyls from the 70s often played over the speakers.
As for the food, the menu is all day and while it's totally seperate from the Dishroom restaurants there's a few crowd pleasers on there you might recognise. You can enjoy savouries such as Chicken Pick-Me-Ups which are a bundle of battered chicken, deep fried and ready to roll in red chilli chutney, alongside lamb samosas filled with potato, onion, green pea, carrot and cinnamon and clove.
There's a great selection of curry and daal, such as the prawn moilee with coconut milk, fresh ginger, garlic and juicy prawns, which can also be made vegan with cauliflower. Or, try one of the chaats and patties, like the crispy spinach chaat with fried baby leaf spinach.