London Soho Restaurant Guide

“No-fuss”, “fresh seafood done really well” combines with a “fun” and “buzzy” (“riotous” even!) ambience, at this Soho landmark – formerly a butcher (est 1911) that morphed into a restaurant 25 years ago. “It’s still excellent after all these years, like meeting an old friend – we love it”. “Go for the specials, they’re always worth trying”.

“With lashings of individuality”, this unreconstructed Soho wine bar from 1977 stands out for its “old-fashioned style and service” – “the owner, Simon, and his crew simply deliver!” – and “is still going strong with a traditional menu” of “classic French bistro food” (gravadlax, calf’s liver, steak…). There’s also a “most interesting wine list that has great depth at good prices, rather than too many wines at very high prices”. It can, though, “become a little overcrowded (due to its seeming popularity with the Chartered Surveyors’ Tribe)”.

“Beautiful, old-fashioned surroundings” imbue this “classy” Gallic favourite (est 1927) with a “lovely old-school atmosphere”, and – if you’re looking for a “classic” French meal (Chateaubriand, coq au vin, tournedos Rossini, boeuf bourguignon, profiteroles) in the heart of Soho, it has few rivals nowadays. Its rating slipped a fraction in the last survey, though, on the back of a couple of less wholehearted endorsements: “mainly good, but not as exceptional as your last review implied”.

“Spice heaven!” – this “old favourite” is “worth a detour north of Shaftesbury Avenue” to “experience genuinely interesting and mouth-popping Sichuan specials” – so “be brave when you order”. The food-writer, China expert and consultant “Fuchsia Dunlop’s touch makes it a regional Chinese diamond in the Chinatown rough”.

2019 Review: To a bizarre extent, this large D&D London venue in central Soho – home in its day to the legendary Marquee Club, and nowadays featuring entertainment with DJs, cocktails and dinner – inspires practically zero feedback. Top Tip: such commentary as we have is for what is perhaps its best feature: Saturday brunch (£25 for two courses, plus £20 for bottomless Prosecco).

2019 Review: “You’re not here for the food, but for the sake of keeping young children busy”, say reports on this Piccadilly Circus fixture, complete with animatronic animals and indoor rain storms. “The food’s average and overpriced, the decor’s tired… but the kids love it and ask to go time and time again…”

Taiwanese fried chicken is the order of the day at Mr Ji's, which started a few years ago as a stall in Camden; this bricks and mortar branch opened in January 2021, with a little help from the team behind cult favourite Ta Ta Eatery.