4.5
Sensational food, amazing service - and accessible
It would have been an easy 5 stars, but for a slight access issue (explained below):
If you love great Indian food, then you definitely must visit Dishoom in Edinburgh.
The food is sensational. As is the service (Dishoom was voted as one of the "Top Ten Places to Work" by the Times).
It's also accessible. But there is a tip you should definitely be aware of before you go (and go you definitely should).
There is an issue. And it becomes more of an issue, the busier Dishoom gets (and it gets seriously busy - for good reason):
The lift (which you WILL have to use) and people milling around the area near the lift.
There are 3 levels to Dishoom in Edinburgh: the ground floor, where you arrive; the main dining room on the first floor; and the accessible toilet on the basement level (this is also where the bar is (the Permit Room).
And there is a lift between these floors.
The lift is not huge though (there is definitely no space to turn around in it). So if you enter head on, you just have to reverse out.
This is compounded by the fact that the stairs arrive near the same area as the lift. And the busier it is, the more of an issue this becomes (people arriving on the first floor tend to hang around this area as they wait for stragglers to climb the stairs, and at the end of their meal, people also tend to hang around this area, while they wait for the the last person in their party to put their coat on as they leave the table.
So when you arrive in the lift, you will likely be met with a sea of bodies.
Although the size of the area is almost identical on all 3 levels, it is more of an issue on the first floor (the main dining room). As this is the busier area.
So the tip:
When travelling down to the accessible toilet, enter the lift head on at the first floor (then reverse out on the much quieter basement/bar level).
When returning, do the reverse. Enter the lift in reverse on the basement level, so that you're facing forwards when the lift returns to the main dining area on the first floor.
Times to try and avoid if possible (the times when it is especially busy): at lunchtime between 12:30 and 2pm, after 7pm in the evening, and at any time on the weekend.
But as Dishoom is open all day, it's pretty easy to visit at a quieter time.
Enjoy.
[although my visit was in October 2023, these photographs were taken by the good people at Dishoom in June 2024, to show the current situation]
It would have been an easy 5 stars, but for a slight access issue (explained below):
If you love great Indian food, then you definitely must visit Dishoom in Edinburgh.
The food is sensational. As is the service (Dishoom was voted as one of the "Top Ten Places to Work" by the Times).
It's also accessible. But there is a tip you should definitely be aware of before you go (and go you definitely should).
There is an issue. And it becomes more of an issue, the busier Dishoom gets (and it gets seriously busy - for good reason):
The lift (which you WILL have to use) and people milling around the area near the lift.
There are 3 levels to Dishoom in Edinburgh: the ground floor, where you arrive; the main dining room on the first floor; and the accessible toilet on the basement level (this is also where the bar is (the Permit Room).
And there is a lift between these floors.
The lift is not huge though (there is definitely no space to turn around in it). So if you enter head on, you just have to reverse out.
This is compounded by the fact that the stairs arrive near the same area as the lift. And the busier it is, the more of an issue this becomes (people arriving on the first floor tend to hang around this area as they wait for stragglers to climb the stairs, and at the end of their meal, people also tend to hang around this area, while they wait for the the last person in their party to put their coat on as they leave the table.
So when you arrive in the lift, you will likely be met with a sea of bodies.
Although the size of the area is almost identical on all 3 levels, it is more of an issue on the first floor (the main dining room). As this is the busier area.
So the tip:
When travelling down to the accessible toilet, enter the lift head on at the first floor (then reverse out on the much quieter basement/bar level).
When returning, do the reverse. Enter the lift in reverse on the basement level, so that you're facing forwards when the lift returns to the main dining area on the first floor.
Times to try and avoid if possible (the times when it is especially busy): at lunchtime between 12:30 and 2pm, after 7pm in the evening, and at any time on the weekend.
But as Dishoom is open all day, it's pretty easy to visit at a quieter time.
Enjoy.
[although my visit was in October 2023, these photographs were taken by the good people at Dishoom in June 2024, to show the current situation]
