Interior architecture and design studio Macaulay Sinclair has revealed the design story behind the interiors of Dishoom Leeds, its latest project in collaboration with the Indian restaurant group.
Located at 68–78 Vicar Lane between the Victoria Quarter and Victoria Gate, the new dining destination centres around a fictional 1950s and 1960s venue named Café Flamingo. The concept draws from historical events, beginning with the real-life 1944 explosion of the SS Fort Stikine at Bombay’s docks. In Dishoom’s reimagined narrative, the explosion disrupted a planned gold heist, scattering gold bullion across the city and allowing Café Flamingo’s fictional owner to discover gold bars in the rubble to fund a grand restoration.
The design team translated this story into physical architecture by conducting field research into Bombay’s Art Deco residential buildings along Marine Drive and The Oval.
At street level, the restaurant features a gloss pink timber shopfront and a curved glazed entrance leading to a ground-floor bar clad in pink marble, with fluted details and sapele wood panelling. Internal design elements pay direct homage to specific sites in India:
- Shiv Shanti Bhavan: A painted geometric pattern wrapping the stair and ground-floor columns mirrors motifs from the building’s façade.
- Court View: Metalwork on the new central staircase and leaded stained-glass screens take cues from the residential property’s balustrades and window grilles.
- Regal Restaurant & Bakery: Timber wall panelling mimics the layout of the historic 1930s Irani café.
- Rajjab Mahal: First-floor bar canopies incorporate geometric marquetry patterns derived from the structure.
The interior integrates more than 40 restored vintage furniture and lighting pieces sourced directly from Bombay, alongside reclaimed mahogany, geometric terrazzo flooring, and handmade rattan blinds.
“A lot of what you see in the restaurant came directly from time spent in Bombay, exploring and documenting those buildings and sourcing original pieces,” said Ian Roome, director at Macaulay Sinclair. “The research gives us an architectural and material language to work with, which we can then reinterpret throughout the space.”
Shamil Thakrar, CEO of Dishoom, added: “For Leeds, they’ve distilled the architecture, textures, and everyday Deco details of Bombay’s Oval and Marine Drive into a space that feels breezy, soulful, and beautifully lived-in.”
Dishoom Leeds officially opened its doors to the public on 14th August 2026.
