Soho, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“The perfect place to eavesdrop and/or bring a lover… it just screams (murmurs?) romantique!” – this “legendary Soho institution” has navigated the sad loss of its owner and founder in September 2022, and remains one of the Top-20 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. Set in a “super-cosy”, Dickensian townhouse, its effortless charm bewitches all of the many who comment on it; and “long may its handwritten menus, its candles in bottles on the table, its tiny tables in the wood-panelled room and charming service continue”. “The range and quality of their legendary wine list at exceptional prices for London is the main gastronomic attraction, but their modern British food is pretty good too”: “never fussy, but always very well done and incredibly tasty”. “The church pew seating can get uncomfortable over a long sitting… nothing that another bottle of wine won’t solve!”. “I was worried it would decline after Andrew passed away, but the staff are doing his memory true service, continuing the Edmunds tradition of real hospitality: it is better than ever!”

“Wow factor = 10/10 – it’s an incredible experience”. This chef’s table and development kitchen in a Soho alleyway is “the place to go for a taste of Simon Rogan’s excellent and inventive cuisine” and does justice to the renown of his renowned Michelin three star HQ, L’Enclume, far away in the Lake District. “The decor was improved” in 2023 and you are served at a curved counter with 12 seats. Service is “very friendly” and you eat from a tasting menu designed by executive chef Oli Marlow and head chef Charlie Tayler for £185 per person, with much of the produce sourced from ‘Our Farm’ – Simon’s business in the lakes. Practically all reports rate the culinary results as “exceptional”.

“Clubby and crowded, but with an endearing Soho atmosphere nonetheless” – this retro all-day brasserie in a boutique hotel is “a go-to place” as a “fun” and stylish haunt… so long as you don’t mind it being “full of annoying Soho House types (I would use a stronger word, but it probably includes me!)”. It “won’t win any awards for the food” – which is at the comfort end of the spectrum, with “mince and tatties always on”.

“It always feels special” to visit the Hart Bros’ ‘Grande Dame of Dean Street’ (est. 1926 in a historic building, where Karl Marx started to pen ‘Das Kapital’) – a cosseting haven of “warm and friendly” hospitality with “lovely decor”; and “for somewhere this clubby-feeling in the centre of town, it doesn’t break the bank”. Jeremy Lee’s “monthly changing seasonal menu is a delight” – contemporary but with a slightly retro British vibe (and “it‘s always exciting to see what the pie of the day is”); thoughtful wine selection too – “some fair-priced reds” in particular. (At least that’s the story painted in the vast majority of reports: ratings would be even higher were they not capped by a small but noticeable minority who found the performance this year “disappointing on a couple of occasions”; or “tired”). Top Menu Tips – “the smoked eel sandwich is so good it manages to live up to its reputation!”. And “pie of the day is unmissable”, “with wonderfully thin, crisp, buttery pastry”.

“A tiny Soho wine bar”, with an ever-changing array of biodynamic wines and selection of vinyl for you to choose from. Launched in 2011, it doesn’t attract the volume of feedback it once did, but can still produce “sensational small plates of seasonal European cuisine”.

“Hidden away in Soho”, this surprisingly “calm” hotel restaurant in a quiet courtyard just minutes from Piccadilly Circus is “a great place to take a visitor” to escape the hustle of the surrounding streets. “Efficient service” and a “high-ceilinged dining room” make it a decent option for a working lunch, pre-theatre dining or post-work drinks, although foodwise it’s a question of “pleasant comfort food”. Top Tip – recommended for afternoon tea.

“This farm-to-table bistro” from the Gladwin Brothers is celebrating five years in Soho and mostly receives a good rep, for its “delicious and local” cuisine and “friendly” approach. It’s not entirely consistent though – even those who laud “admirable sustainable credentials and well-intended cuisine” can say “it does not quite hit a notable standard”.

“For first timers, the room [a converted banking hall] remains one of – if not the most – dramatic dining room in London and possibly the UK” at this Ian Shrager-designed hotel north of Oxford Street. Jason Atherton’s smart brasserie cuisine more than holds its own nowadays, too, and it‘s a hit with expense-accounters as well as those on a big night out: “come for the business meeting, stay for the mac ’n’ cheese and wine list – always a treat!”.

“Tiny, but perfect in every other way” – “you couldn’t ask for better bistro food” than that produced by Neil Borthwick (Angela Hartnett’s husband) at this quirky dining room, where “simple dishes are realised with flair” and with “big, big flavours”. “Downstairs is a throwback to Soho boozers of yesteryear, you head upstairs to eat” – the room where General de Gaulle composed some of his speeches during WWII. “With six or seven small tables, it’s a rustic and cosy room, complete with very friendly and entertaining service, a humble and charming chef, and a feel of spit-and-sawdust, it’s the perfect spot for a cosy Soho supper”. Top Menu Tip – “the crisp bacon jowl will live long in the memory… and even longer on the hips!”

“Wine is the star attraction in this luxurious hidden basement in Soho”, with a “lengthy, well-thought-out list” from master sommeliers Gearoid Devaney & Xavier Rousset (who founded it as Trade, a club for industry insiders). “The light bites are not to be ignored”, which “make this one of the better options for quiet drinks in the centre of town” – and late opening is another feature.

“A really special experience for serious foodies” – Layo & Zoë Paskin’s (also of Barbary and Palomar fame) intimate 12-seater is part of a period Chinatown pub, where they have created different venues on each level. Here in the former beer cellar, “the only option is the kitchen counter, so you are right in on the action” and the creation of “superbly executed cuisine” from a small team, which is now headed by Seamus Sam, former head chef at Tom Aiken’s Muse, whose August 2024 arrival post-dated our diners’ poll. Feedback volume and ratings have slipped marginally since Luke Selby left for Le Manoir at the end of 2022. The most critical report? “A perfectly competent meal, served in an appropriately reverential atmosphere, albeit a cramped and uncomfortable setting (but then places of worship often are) by suitably devout believers and not cheap”. But perhaps there will now be an uptick under the new chef? Top Tip – a variety of drink pairings range from ‘Firm Favourites’ to ‘No & Low’ (a mixture of alcohol-free and low ABV wines).

With the closure of Pollen Street Social opposite (as Mary’s, see also), Jason Atherton’s elegant small Mayfair venue is now one of his two remaining ‘Socials’. It still wins praise for its “delicious, bistro-style offer” (e.g. “superb succulent pork chop with mash”) and “lovely booths and dining at the bar”. But its ratings slipped this year: service has seemed more up-and-down of late; and there is a view that it’s “a competent bistro with sound cooking but otherwise unexciting”. Perhaps as the dust settles on the reshaping of the Atherton empire, it will regain its va-va-voom?

“On the site of the old Gay Hussar in Soho”, Dan Keeling & Mark Andrew’s “tightly spaced” drinking den has recreated the “wonderful raffish atmosphere” of its famous predecessor. In combination with the attractions of its “fabulous wine list” – “always with something new to try”; with the huge draw of “outstanding vintages by the glass”; and “presided over by knowledgeable and really friendly staff” – it “makes you nostalgic for the days of the long long lunch”, especially “if a cheeky afternoon away from work can be arranged”. A few critics view its culinary performance as “indifferent” to the point of being “vastly overrated”, but most diners hail its “unfailingly good Anglo-French classics” as “superb food, where they manage to elevate the simple into something special”. Nowadays one of the Top-40 most-mentioned locations in our annual diners’ poll, its most ardent fans claim “there’s no better place to eat in London”, especially if you go for the “amazing value set meal”. Top Menu Tips – “The Liver Pâté Choux bun nibbles are addictive”; “the roast chicken with rice and Jura vin jaune sauce is pretty good too”.

Despite its cosy and historic charm, it’s tempting to omit this cosy Soho landmark which dates from 1867. It once was a major West End destination, and still has a gorgeous Champagne bar, but Soho House (owners since 2016) seem to have been mostly interested in converting its upstairs event spaces into 33 bedrooms, leaving the downstairs dining room run to be run in partnership with a North London pub (The Clarence Tavern x Kettner’s): “the food is average but it has a nice setting”.

“Scrumptious food, Soho ambience: a winner!” – Cameron Emirali and Luke Wilson’s “intimate” fixture has won renown above its size and inspires feedback from diners living all over London. The food from the open kitchen “is amazing and interesting” and “it’s a place to come back to” (“I’ve eaten at 10 Greek 20+ times, I’ve never had one bad mouthful of food”). Top Tip – ask for their ‘Little Black Book’ of ‘rarer wine gems’.

“Rishim Sachdeva’s ‘mostly’ vegan food is consistently thrilling in its creativity, ingenuity and presentation” and long-time supporters welcome his graduation from a pop-up to this permanent site in July 2023 near Oxford Circus. Rishim “magically roams the globe drawing from many cuisines which somehow harmonise”. The “smart (for a vegan restaurant)” interior mostly pleases, but “can perhaps seem a little hard-edged at times”, but fans say “I would enjoy Rishim’s food on a bed of nails – it is brilliant!”

“Enjoyable if not ‘set-the-world-alight’ food, decent service and a nice environment” sums up feedback on this two-year-old bistro-style venue, open to the public on the ground floor of stylish Soho members’ club 1 Warwick. It wins most praise for a “fantastic brunch”, but one or two reporters expected more from ex-Duck & Waffle chef Tom Cenci – “it’s nice enough, but is in a competitive area and could be even better (and maybe it will get better)”.

“What an addition!” – Just north of Piccadilly Circus, a “dream team” including Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and Guinea Grill ex-manager Oisin Rogers have created the most commented-on debut of the year in our annual diners’ poll, as well as London’s new No. 1 gastropub. “Downstairs: it’s a proper, bustling pub with excellent beer and creamy Guinness. Upstairs: it’s more a set of pub ‘dining rooms’ than a restaurant” and with “the backdrop of a real, open-fire grill”. When it comes to the “great quality food, simply cooked” it’s “more a case of ‘old time favourites’ than ‘cutting-edge’ cuisine… less Instagram and more ‘get it down you’, leaving little to be criticised”, albeit allowing for a certain amount of “hype”. “Full of laughter and happy punters”, “energetic” service is “brilliant from start to finish”. “What a cracking place!!”. Just one problem – “it’s impossible to get a reservation!”. Top Menu Tips – “steak, lobster, scallops, crab, soufflé are all brilliantly executed”; “Steak and Guinness suet pudding is gorgeously rich”; “particularly love the bread-and-butter pudding”; and “the fact there’s a good-value set menu”.

This wine bar/restaurant group has a steady fanbase on the strength of its vinous offerings, although its “bistro fare” is perhaps not much better than “acceptable”. The best of its four venues is probably the “cosy” Marylebone flagship with live jazz and late opening at ’28-50 By Night’, and there’s a “very convenient” branch a minute’s walk from Oxford Circus.

“Exceptional food with flavours to match” still features in some reports on ex-Greenhouse chef Alex Dilling’s fêted two-year-old, overlooking Regent Street from the grand confines of the Café Royal, which soon after its launch was blessed with two Michelin Stars. However, feedback in our survey slumped badly this year. No-one says the food is bad, but half of reporters consider it “overpriced” and there’s a theme in feedback of a rather “dull” feel to the enterprise: “lots of clever techniques but the flavour and feel fell short…”; “I’ve given 4 for food to acknowledge the skill, but this was a demonstration of skill without any soul…”; “all very ‘comme il faut’ but slightly underwhelming and a touch impersonal with well-drilled, but slightly impersonal, service”.