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Photos: Permit Room, Brighton - The city's new Bombay-styled all-day cafe and some of their dangerously good cocktails

Steve Holloway
·2-min read
Permit Room in East Street, Brighton
Permit Room in East Street, Brighton

Dishoom Permit Room (the Dishoom part appears slightly smaller on the menus) is based in a great Lanes’ location in East Street.

The small, but burgeoning chain began in Covent Garden and has expanded to sites all over London, and Edinburgh and Manchester.

It was originally created as a homage to the bygone Irani cafés of Bombay, but there’s a slightly different inspiration to the smart new Brighton venue.

A Thums Up Sazerac - An old-school classic of rye whiskey, cognac. bitters and absinthe, sweetened with a reduction of Thums Up (an Indian cola).
A Thums Up Sazerac - An old-school classic of rye whiskey, cognac. bitters and absinthe, sweetened with a reduction of Thums Up (an Indian cola).

Our BN1 iteration celebrates the inventive answers to Bombay’s 1949 prohibition and the subsequent small, specially permitted, drinking spots.

The Permit Rooms recognises Brighton and Hove’s penchant for a less-than hurried session of great food and drink, and this new all-day bar-cafe is operating from breakfast time to 11pm.

It has an interesting menu including naan rolls stuffed with bacon for a breakfast, snacks aplenty, some popular Dishoom favourites and some dishes specially created for Brighton.

Drinks include natural and organic wines, rotating guest beers, lassis and a formidable selection of genuinely different cocktails.

Outside seating at Permit Room, East Street, Brighton (Photo: N\A)
Outside seating at Permit Room, East Street, Brighton (Photo: N\A)


A Feni Martini - A green olive rests in a cloudy-cold mix of dry gin. Axia Extra Dry Mastiha Spirit and cashew eau de vie (Photo: N\A)
A Feni Martini - A green olive rests in a cloudy-cold mix of dry gin. Axia Extra Dry Mastiha Spirit and cashew eau de vie (Photo: N\A)
The front of Brighton's Permit Room
The front of Brighton's Permit Room
The Permit Room's terrace (Photo: N\A)
The Permit Room's terrace (Photo: N\A)
A Spicy Guava Frosé - A tumbler of rosé ice-crush with guava fruit, and candied red chilli. (Photo: Caitlin Isola Caprio)
A Spicy Guava Frosé - A tumbler of rosé ice-crush with guava fruit, and candied red chilli. (Photo: Caitlin Isola Caprio)
Inside Brighton's Permit Room
Inside Brighton's Permit Room
The'DJ Walla's decks at Brighton's Permit Room
The'DJ Walla's decks at Brighton's Permit Room
Inside Brighton's Permit Room
Inside Brighton's Permit Room
A Mango Lassi Punch - Bombay's Old Monk Rum with yoghurt and spicy mango syrup. (Photo: Caitlin Isola Caprio)
A Mango Lassi Punch - Bombay's Old Monk Rum with yoghurt and spicy mango syrup. (Photo: Caitlin Isola Caprio)
Inside Brighton's Permit Room
Inside Brighton's Permit Room
The bar at Brighton's Permit Room
The bar at Brighton's Permit Room
A Chai Caffé Martini at Brighton's Permit Room (Photo: Caitlin Isola Caprio)
A Chai Caffé Martini at Brighton's Permit Room (Photo: Caitlin Isola Caprio)
Inside Brighton's Permit Room
Inside Brighton's Permit Room