Best Restaurants in Soho 2023 | Where To Eat

Andrew Edmunds

Soho, London ££

Established in the mid-1980s, at a time when London was just beginning to tire of the artful conceptualism of nouvelle cuisine, Andrew Edmunds brought informal bistro dining back to one of the lesser-known back-streets of north So… Read more

46 Lexington Street, Soho, London W1F 0LP

Aulis London

Soho, London ££££

Tucked in an alleyway linking Wardour Street and Dean Street, this offshoot of Simon Rogan’s Aulis in Cartmel (home to L’Enclume) has undergone a thoroughgoing makeover. Expansion into the small shop next door has crea… Read more

Tucked in an alleyway linking Wardour Street and Dean Street, this offshoot of Simon Rogan’s Aulis in Cartmel (home to L’Enclume) has undergone a thoroughgoing makeover. Expansion into the small shop next door has created a proper entrance leading straight into a tiny bar-lounge where pre-meal drinks and snacks are served. The reconfigured kitchen continues to offer high-stool counter dining, although the seats themselves (now 12 in number) are better spaced and more comfortable. The style remains the same, an astonishing, multi-course tasting experience prepared and explained in front of you (there’s is no printed menu), with dishes passed over the counter. Unfussy, serene and slightly spartan, it’s run with relaxing warmth by charismatic head chef Charlie Tayler and sommelier Charles Brown. Regular deliveries from Rogan’s Cartmel-based farm are supplemented by tip-top produce from elsewhere in the UK, and Tayler's supremely assured culinary approach is all about inherent simplicity, clever balance and pinpoint precision. Snacks are bijou masterpieces of the genre, from a brilliant mini truffle pudding caramelised in birch sap with fermented black garlic and a heap of shaved Welsh black truffle on top to a nugget of Launceston lamb belly glazed in ‘our miso’ with perilla and ‘capers’ (a clever riff employing pickled green elderberries). To follow, Newlyn crab custard is a deft conceit involving a sauce infused with rosehip vinegar, plus dabs of marinated trout roe adding pops of saltiness, while a raw, sliced Orkney scallop surprises with its rich, buttery, smoky sauce of wild chamomile, buttermilk and smoked pike roe. And then there is the turbot, served with a wondrous sauce created from a stock of smoked turbot bones and swirled with lovage oil. On the side is a tiny English muffin to mop up juices, while heavenly oven-fresh Parker House rolls (made with 100% beef fat) accompany a piece of 45-day dry-aged Hereford Breed beef garlanded with kale leaves. Like everything else on offer here, desserts are seasonal, clever and innovative – standouts at our last visit being frozen Tunworth cheese ice cream drizzled with London borage honey (so simple yet so satisfying), as well as a joyous summertime assembly of strawberry (fruit and sorbet) with buttermilk custard and apple marigold. With no menu to consult, knowledgeable wine advice comes as standard. Charles Brown’s recommendations are always fascinating, whether you are seeking guidance or opting for one of his suggested wine flights.

16a St Anne's Court, Soho, London W1F 0BF

Bancone Golden Square

Soho, London £

Like the Covent Garden original, this Soho offshoot majors in counter dining, although there’s much more space throughout: chatty groups congregate around the olive tree planted in the centre of the room, couples prefer the … Read more

8-10 Lower James Street, Soho, London W1F 9EL

Bao Soho

Soho, London £

It may have started out as a ‘gazebo with a cool box’, but the dinky original branch of hot-ticket Taiwanese bun specialist Bao is now something of a legend among the capital’s ‘walk-in’ restaurants. … Read more

53 Lexington Street, Soho, London W1F 9AS

Bar Crispin

Soho, London

A useful address on Kingly Street, this tiny corridor of a wine bar – high stools, tapas-style tables, a scattering of outside seating – is the place to come for a glass of wine and tasty, snacky food ranging from plat… Read more

19 Kingly Street, Soho, London W1B 5PY

Barrafina Dean Street

Soho, London ££

This spot-on take on the classic tapas bar is authentically, some say irritatingly, reservation-free – unlike Barrafina's other branches in the capital (Adelaide Street, Drury Lane, Borough Yards and King’s Cross)… Read more

26-27 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 3LL

Barshu

Soho, London ££

To put it mildly, ’this is really a place for people who love spice,’ commented one visitor to Barshu – a no-nonsense exponent of uncompromising, full-throttle Szechuan cuisine on the fringes of Soho Chinatown. Spread over t… Read more

28 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 5LF

Berenjak Soho

Soho, London £

'Thumbs up to the JKS restaurant group (some thirteen restaurants across London, including Hoppers,Gymkhana, Sabor, Bao and Kitchen Table) for supporting diverse cuisines to tease the palates of Londoners,’ cheered an i… Read more

27 Romilly Street, Soho, London W1D 5AL

Best Sunday Roast

Blacklock Soho

Soho, London ££

Trendy chophouse that's big on sharing

Named after the vintage Blacklock irons used to grill its ‘skinny chops’, the original branch of this meat-loving mini chain channels the spirit of London’s old chophouses but gives the whole idea a trendy spin. … Read more

24 Great Windmill Street, Soho, London W1D 7LG

Bob Bob Ricard Soho

Soho, London ££££

‘Bob Bob Ricard confused me at first and I couldn’t really work out who it was for, but with a little distance and on reflection I think I rather like it. It says "have fun, don’t take life so seriously" which mi… Read more

1 Upper James Street, Soho, London W1F 9DF

Darjeeling Express

Soho, London £££

After a brief sojourn in Covent Garden, Asma Khan’s popular Indian eatery is back where it all started, on the top floor of Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court, next door to the site of the original venue. It's a coveted, li… Read more

Top Floor, Kingly Court, Soho, London W1B 5PW

Gauthier Soho

Soho, London £££

A serene haven on the streets of Soho, Alex Gauthier’s boutique townhouse (ring the doorbell to gain entrance) features dazzlingly white dining rooms, with heavy starched tablecloths and mirrors providing an apt backdrop for… Read more

21 Romilly Street, Soho, London W1D 5AF

Govinda's

Soho, London

Famously founded by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in 1979 (the Hare Krishna Temple is next door), this vegetarian/vegan evergreen is still making friends – thanks to its happy 'karma-free' vibe, low pri… Read more

10 Soho Street , Soho, London W1D 3DL

Gunpowder Soho

Soho, London ££

Soho holds many delights that may lift a person's mood: since 2021, when it opened on Greek Street, Gunpowder has been one of them. A bold black frontage, softened by greenery, leads into a sleek, intimate room where diners sit at… Read more

20 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 4DU

Hoppers Soho

Soho, London ££

Since launching in 2015, this buzy, cosy restaurant has become something of a Soho institution. Although there are now three branches of Hoppers dotted around the capital there is no sense of dining in a chain eatery. The intimate… Read more

Since launching in 2015, this buzy, cosy restaurant has become something of a Soho institution. Although there are now three branches of Hoppers dotted around the capital there is no sense of dining in a chain eatery. The intimate, characterful room is inspired by the shack-like ‘toddy shops’ found on Sri Lanka’s coconut plantations, featuring a beautifully patterned terracotta-tiled floor, rattan ceiling and Sri Lankan poster art, all designed with enough style to avoid any hint of a themed venue. Although there’s a handy glossary printed at the bottom of the concise (and cryptic) menu, first-time visitors may be a little overwhelmed if unfamiliar with Sri Lankan cuisine. We took the advice of our server and ordered the set menu. For a hungry diner, it’s the perfect way to sample a dish from nearly every part of the repertoire (apart from the larger ‘rice and roasts’ section). Top calls included pheasant chilli fry, a seasonal riff on Hoppers' signature beef rib fry, with pieces of pheasant breast in a crisp coating, fried with red onions, mild banana chillies, hot chillies, curry powder, spices and curry leaves – a perfect representation of the kitchen’s vibrant, spicy style. Equally enjoyable was seafood kothu with its generous amounts of squid and prawns stir-fried with chopped roti, cabbage and carrot in a spicy curry sauce. Black pork kari, a kind of dry curry reminiscent of a Malaysian rendang, was a real show-stopper, intensely flavoured with a darkly roasted spice base and a unique tangy, sour and smoky note provided by goraka (a sun-dried and smoked fruit native to Sri Lanka); this came generously accompanied by dhal, sambols, raita and one of the bowl-shaped rice and coconut pancakes that gives the restaurant its name. With just eight wines on the list, the emphasis is on exotic cocktails (some made with the Sri Lankan coconut-based spirit Ceylon Arrack) and own brand beers. That said, an affordably priced carafe of Rhône rosé complemented the food perfectly.

49 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4SG

Humble Chicken

Soho, London ££££

Angelo Sato came to our attention in the summer of 2021, shortly after the return of normal restaurant service. In the agreeable and energetic space that was formerly Barrafina, the young chef raised yakitori to a new level with '… Read more

54 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4SJ

Imad's Syrian Kitchen

Soho, London ££

A taste of Syrian cuisine in the West End

Feeding hungry people is second nature to Imad Alarnab – and he has the backstory to prove it. A well-respected restaurateur in his native Damascus, he was driven out by the Syrian war and forced to trek across Europe, cooki… Read more

Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, Soho, London W1B 5PW

CLOSED

Ino

Soho, London ££

Deep in the Soho hinterland, where the restaurant competition is hotter than anywhere else in the country, this self-styled 'gastrobar' is a contemporary Greek venue from the team behind an Athens spot with the sobering name of Fu… Read more

4 Newburgh Street, Soho, London W1F 7RF

Kiln

Soho, London ££

If you want to gain access to Ben Chapman’s smoking-hot Soho homage to Thai regional cuisine (and much more besides), you have two choices: assemble a group of four friends (or more) and book a table in the basement dining r… Read more

58 Brewer Street, Soho, London W1F 9TL

L'Escargot

Soho, London £££

London's oldest French restaurant still going strong

Opened in 1927 as L’Escargot Bienvenue (complete with a snail farm in the basement), this bastion of old Soho has moved gently with the times while retaining its ageless sense of style – thanks in part to its current p… Read more

48 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 4EF

Masala Zone Soho

Soho, London £

There are some restaurants that surprise you, as with this branch of the five-strong Masala Zone mini chain. After a refit, it looks and feels just right, from its glowing golden lights, rich colours and comfortable chairs to the … Read more

9 Marshall Strett, Soho, London W1F 7ER

New Review

Noble Rot Soho

Soho, London £££

Glorious thought-provoking wines steal the show

The second Noble Rot (the original is in Lamb’s Conduit Street, a third in Mayfair), opened on the site of the legendary Gay Hussar in late 2020. Spread over two floors, the dark, unfussy interior is understated and warmly a… Read more

2 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 4NB

Paradise

Soho, London £££

Refined Sri Lankan cuisine in sleek surrounds

We are pleased to report that Dom Fernando’s one-of-a-kind Sri Lankan restaurant continues to be a crowd puller. It helps that a major revamp has given this snug Soho spot a sleeker, more elegant look, while the kitchen's mo… Read more

61 Rupert Street, Soho, London W1D 7PW

Quo Vadis

Soho, London ££

A little creative reconfiguration of its ground-floor space has worked well at this old Soho player. Where once a revolving door scuttled you into a large lobby, there is now a more direct route in, with crimson banquettes against… Read more

26-29 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 3LL

Rasa Sayang

Soho, London

For many years, Rasa Sayang has been a popular no-frills spot for halal Straits cooking in Soho Chinatown. Service is brisk and the menu reflects the diversity of the region's cuisine: start with roti canai or chewy tempeh (fermen… Read more

5 Macclesfield Street, Soho, London W1D 6AY

Rita's

Soho, London £££

Of all the multifarious eating and drinking opportunities in the heart of Soho, this ‘warmly welcoming’ little restaurant is one of the more compelling. Rita’s goes about its business with gusto, its popularity n… Read more

49 Lexington Street, Soho, London W1F 9AP

CLOSED

Social Eating House

Soho, London £££

* SEH is closing for good on 31 July 2024. Chef Alex Parker will be heading up the kitchen at Mary's (Jason Atherton's reboot of Pollen Street Social). * It's easy to walk past the discreetly signed entrance of this most casual o… Read more

* SEH is closing for good on 31 July 2024. Chef Alex Parker will be heading up the kitchen at Mary's (Jason Atherton's reboot of Pollen Street Social). *

It's easy to walk past the discreetly signed entrance of this most casual of Jason Atherton’s ‘Social’ restaurants. The restrained interior has changed little over the last decade, bare on napery and big on artfully distressed walls offset by a low mirrored ceiling, wood and coppery tones. But Paul Hood's departure and changes in the kitchen have brought a new-found energy and drive to the place. Executive chef Alex Parker’s cooking reflects experience at Claude Bosi at Bibendum as well as time spent at City Social, and there's no doubt he is aiming high. The kitchen’s something-for-everyone approach has been retained, with the set lunch and early-dinner menu remaining a bargain – you can hardly jibe at the prices when you can have three courses (with a glass of wine and service) for under £50. The carte is a work in progress, with high points ranging from well-sourced Josper-grilled meats (perhaps dry-aged Scottish Black Angus sirloin) or a dazzlingly delicious mushroom and chicken raviolo with seaweed jam and Parmesan velouté to roast guinea fowl breast with prawn-stuffed wings, baby artichoke and a deeply flavoursome barigoule sauce – a standout dish that gives a taste of the new regime’s flair. Or consider the theatre of a ‘chef’s experience menu’ offered at the eight-seat kitchen pass, where Parker has already stamped his personality, imagination and technical innovation on the multi-course taster. There are hits aplenty here: a foie gras and pistachio sandwich; a beef tartare waffle topped with caviar; Cornish red mullet with anchovy tapenade and bouillabaisse; lamb saddle with baba ganoush, black garlic and gremolata. And who can resist a mini Eccles cake with Stilton? Clever stuff. There’s serious dedication on the drinks front, too, with well-tailored cocktails and a list of confidently chosen wines including plenty by the glass.

58 Poland Street, Soho, London W1F 7NR

Sola

Soho, London ££££

* Sola is now offering an individually priced carte in its new downstairs lounge area for those who want a glimpse of the full tasting menu.* Bang in the heart of the Soho action, amid the jostle of Dean Street, Victor Garve… Read more

* Sola is now offering an individually priced carte in its new downstairs lounge area for those who want a glimpse of the full tasting menu.*

Bang in the heart of the Soho action, amid the jostle of Dean Street, Victor Garvey's Sola (recently refurbished and extended) represents a highly personal take on contemporary North American food, but with a difference. While all the innovation and conceptual dash of modern technique is on show, there is a firm focus on delivering high-impact dishes in an accessible framework – not least for value. It is all too easy to dazzle when price is no object, but look at the £59 set lunch menu here, and then ask yourself: how does he do it? From the parade of astonishing canapés – including crisped-up belly of suckling pig topped with a huge cloud of jasmine foam, little rolls of pickled kohlrabi and apple cream – to the take-home pastiches of American candy bars, the intensity level never wavers. Ingredients are top-drawer throughout, as is the case with two large pieces of bluefin akami cut into neat, rectangular lozenges alongside a cylindrical sesame-dotted tuile made from soybean flour, stuffed to bursting with gorgeously fatty minced otoro. Striking accompaniments include a quenelle of super-light avocado mousse, cubes of ponzu jelly, burnt and raw spring onions, pickled shimeji mushrooms, edamame and a ponzu sauce with tapioca pearls. How can a main course top that? And yet... here comes pink-roasted squab breast with a gratin of artichoke and Emmental, crisp-fried artichoke, crisped pigeon skin and a parfait of foie gras encased in squid-ink gel, the whole dish held together by a gloriously savoury black-olive praline. Dessert might be as refreshingly light as Pink Lady apple with Calvados sorbet and sumac pastry, or as richly luscious as poached pear in caramel sauce with an almond financier and truffle ice cream. Only the wine offering, which is predominantly Californian, seems to limit the operation needlessly, offsetting the powerful appeal that the menu pricing exerts – a result of the transatlantic exchange rate.

64 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 4QQ

Speedboat Bar

Soho, London ££

It may live a little in the shadow of Plaza Khao Gaeng as the super-spicy, ‘authentic’ Thai place from Luke Farrell, but the chef’s latest opening is earning its stripes. The Soho site has been part of JKS Restau… Read more

30 Rupert Street, Soho, London W1D 6DL

The French House

Soho, London ££

For generations of thespians, journos and assorted bohemians, ‘The French’ has been a talisman of old Soho – a pub with its own code (no mobile phones, no music, beer in half-pint glasses). Yet this brilliant boo… Read more

49 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 5BG

The Palomar

Soho, London £££

Although it's been refurbished to extend the eating counter for groups of four, provide velvet-lined booths for couples who want privacy and add larger tables for up to 10, the real energy at this buzzing Israeli-inspired joint in… Read more

Although it's been refurbished to extend the eating counter for groups of four, provide velvet-lined booths for couples who want privacy and add larger tables for up to 10, the real energy at this buzzing Israeli-inspired joint in Chinatown nevertheless centres on the stools at the counter facing the open kitchen. The easiest way to decide what to eat is simply to watch the procession of dishes being assembled in lickety-split time for neighbouring diners and choose whatever looks tastiest. Otherwise, graze on a couple of snacks – nuggets of zaatar chicken schnitzel or bitesize lamb skewers with carob molasses, say – while perusing the menu. The kubaneh is an essential accompaniment whatever you order, a puffy dome of golden-brown bread that could be the perfect embodiment of 'tear and share'. Dunked into tomato and tahini sauces, it is a course in itself but it’s also an essential conduit for mopping up the last morsels from any plate: the confit garlic yoghurt beneath a fleshy pair of spiced lamb cutlets, say, or the sunset-orange chimichurri pooling around slices of rare ribeye. Vegetables are a good shout: aubergine served as baba ganoush or as a carpaccio with white miso; a risotto made with freekeh and stirred with kale and dukkah. However, most of the fish and meat dishes come with some intriguing interpretation of greenery: an Israeli spin on kimchi with bream, or a jumble of kohlrabi, molasses and feta beneath dusky-pink chunks of tender glazed octopus both get a big thumbs-up. There’s wine to drink – the Lebanese house Cinsault rosé from the Massaya Winery is lovely – but cocktails are arguably even better: try the Bumblebee, a food-friendly mix of gin, honey, ginger and lemon. The Palomar may no longer feel like the hippest venue in town, partly because so many places have copied the formula – not least its Covent Garden sibling, the Barbary. But when the flames are shooting up behind the counter and your new-best-friend chef is offering a shot, there are few more thrilling perches around Soho.

34 Rupert Street, Soho, London W1D 6DN

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