Dishoom has confirmed it will open a restaurant in Edinburgh in early 2027, making it the group's first Scottish site and, by floor area, its largest outside London. The confirmation follows a planning process that has been under way since mid-2025 and ends speculation that had circulated around several potential Edinburgh sites over the preceding two years.
The restaurant will occupy a category A-listed building in Edinburgh's Old Town, a location the group has declined to name specifically until the lease is formally exchanged. The space is understood to have historical significance within the city and will require sympathetic interior work to meet both planning requirements and Dishoom's characteristic design standards.
"Edinburgh has been on our minds for a long time," said a spokesperson for the group. "We want to do it properly, which means finding the right building and taking the time to build something that belongs there. We think we've found that."
Format and Scale
The Edinburgh site will follow Dishoom's established Irani café format — the Bombay café culture that has underpinned the brand since its Covent Garden opening in 2010. The restaurant is expected to seat in excess of 250 covers across multiple floors, with the all-day menu that the group has consistently maintained across all of its sites: the full breakfast service, lunch, dinner and a bar programme built around Dishoom's house cocktails and South Asian-inspired drinks list.
The size of the site makes it comparable to Dishoom's Birmingham restaurant, which opened in 2023 and has consistently operated at or near capacity since launch. Edinburgh's strong year-round tourism trade, combined with a substantial student and professional population, is expected to support a similar level of demand.
Supply Chain and Staffing
Dishoom operates a vertically integrated supply model for several of its core ingredients and preparations, including the black dal that requires 24 hours of cooking. The Edinburgh opening will require the group to establish a reliable supply chain for those components into Scotland, a logistical challenge that the group says it has been working through over the past year.
Recruitment for the Edinburgh site is expected to begin in late 2026. Dishoom has historically recruited from within its existing team for senior positions at new sites, promoting managers and senior front-of-house staff to lead new openings. Several roles are expected to be based in Edinburgh during a development period ahead of opening.
Broader Expansion Context
The Edinburgh confirmation comes as Dishoom's total site count reaches eight, including London sites in Covent Garden, Shoreditch, King's Cross, Carnaby, Kensington and Canary Wharf, plus Manchester and Birmingham. The group has maintained a deliberately measured pace of expansion over its 15-year history and has not franchised its operations.
No further new openings beyond Edinburgh have been confirmed by the group at this time.