Eating out in Soho
undefined • 4 June 2025
Soho is absolutely teeming with places to eat, drink and dance late into the night but when it comes to eating out, how do you know which ones to head for or avoid? Let us help you with our guide of cafes and restaurants that have been tried and tested (sometimes many times) by us. All of them are within a 10 minute walk of our building in 7 Greek St and they are listed in no particular order.
Dishoom
is a small chain with 8 restaurants in London serving Indian inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner. They always have some walk in tables available although it is best to try to book in advance and despite the food being not entirely authentic, it is just delicious and the cocktails are excellent. Don’t miss their gunpowder potatoes, chicken ruby or house black daal and wash it all down with a mango lassi. Located on Kingly St just behind Carnaby St.
Flat Iron
on Beak Street has a simple centre piece in its menu: steak. Everything else dances around that including crispy bone marrow garlic mash, chips made from beef dripping and a choice of 5 different sauces. Mouth-watering for carnivores but if you don’t eat beef then this is not for you.
Govinda’s
vegetarian restaurant has been established since 1979 and is part of the Hare Krishna Temple in London. As one of London’s very first vegetarian restaurants it serves good value plant based food in unpretentious surroundings (their most expensive main course with 12 items is the Thali Extravaganza priced at just £15.95). Located on Soho Street just off Oxford Street.
Another really good option for cheap eats is Bistro1
at the bottom end of Frith Street. The menu is unfussy but with lots of choice and they offer a 3 course lunch menu for £18.90 which is remarkable.
Gilgamesh
offers contemporary pan Asian food in dark and opulent surroundings. The range of food covers dim sum, sashimi and tempura as well as signature dishes of beef rendang and ribeye bulgogi and yuzu baby chicken. An express lunch with a choice of 3 courses will cost just £20. Located on Upper St Martin’s Lane which is just on the cusp of Covent Garden.
Can you recall the scene in Eat, Pray, Love when Julia Roberts tries pizza in Naples for the first time and cannot believe her mouth? The restaurant she visited was called L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
which has been pizza making since 1906 and named “the world’s best pizza”. Luckily for us, they have two restaurants in London including one on Old Compton Street. The interiors of the restaurant are, if we are honest, a little bizarre with such dark decor you are left wondering if they have paid the electricity bill but the pizza is quite simply “the nuts” and they are huge. Don’t settle for bad pizza.
Another good option for pizza with more of a canteen feel is Ruby’s
on Wardour Street. It’s well priced with unusual monthly specials on the menu alongside their good range of classics with vegan options.
Lina Stores
started off life as a one site deli in Brewer Street which still exists today. They have since expanded to restaurants in several locations, but nothing beats the original deli for fresh pasta and salami as well as Christmas hampers and panettones. They have a café and bar to eat on site but if you wanted to buy some groceries or a meal kit then you could prepare your food back at the flat.
Pie and Mash is a working-class British staple which you simply must try. Sadly, so many of the old institutions serving pie, mash and “liquor” (a parsley sauce, not booze) have since closed down but Mother Mash
is here to fill that craving. Choose your pie or sausages, style of mash (including Irish colcannon) and choice of gravy or liquor and tuck in. Finish off with sticky toffee pudding or apple crumble and leave the establishment knowing that you have had yourself a truly British experience.
A collection of restaurants particularly famous for their brunch menu, the Daisy Green Collection brings Australian food and coffee culture to London. Soho is home to Scarlett Green
offering shakshouka, tandoori salmon, Asian chicken salad, mars bar cheesecake and tiramisu for breakfast right up until 5pm. A different menu takes over for the evening. Order a summer negroni with gooseberry gin and don’t look back.
The Breakfast Club
also serves its menu all day and has several locations in London including two in Soho (D’Arblay Street and Old Compton Street). Enjoy pancakes, eggs and all manner of other classics with a strawberry matcha or immunity shot.
St Moritz
on Wardour St was set up in the 1970s and appears to still be in the same decade which is just wonderful. With a wood panelled interior reminiscent of a ski lodge you can choose from several fondues, bratwurst, rosti, veal in cream & mushroom sauce, frogs legs and snails. The wine list is, of course, Swiss.
Chotto Matte; Japanese Peruvian fusion starts here in this lively environment. Stand out menu items include gyoza paired with sea bass ceviche or red prawn truffles with smoked lamb chop. They have live Latin music every Thursday evening and a resident DJ on Friday and Saturday. As you would expect, the drinks menu is also super unusual. Really worth a visit for a unique experience where creative things happen with pisco.
Cecconi’s pizza bar
(yes pizza again) is on Old Compton Street with a range of pizza and pasta choices that you might expect but it is worth noting that they have a Friday and Saturday late night food menu from 11pm to 1am. Try the chocolate negroni.
Bone Daddies
on Peter Street is a great place to pop in and have a quick warming bowl of noodles swimming in delicious broths with Korean and Japanese options.
The Ivy Soho Brasserie
is delightful whether you sit inside or out on Broadwick Street. Famous for their Shepherd’s Pie where the mash is beautifully piped on top, they have a two course heritage lunch menu for £20.95 and they also do an excellent traditional Sunday roast. It’s a great place for non-speedy dining.
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London is perfect for older children.
The English summer season is packed with events intended to reward us all for our patient hibernation, bringing us together to experience something special. Summer 2026 is no exception and with something for everyone depending on your passion, below is just a small selection of what London has to offer this year: Solo Queens – Olivia Dean, Raye, Ariana Grande & Lily Allen are all playing at the O2 this summer. It’s not too late to get tickets at this huge venue. The Lads – The Weeknd, Bruno Mars and Bon Jovi are all playing at Wembley this summer too. The Fringe event – prefer your music a bit more underground? The Brick Lane Jazz Festival returns over 3 days in June, showcasing a huge range of new and established acts across a range of local intimate venues. The Outdoorsy One – Garth Brooks, Maroon 5, Lewis Capaldi are all playing British Summer Time. Since 2013, this has been an annual institution in outdoor music right in Hyde Park and the scale and organisation of it has to be seen to be believed. On the other hand, if it rains you will definitely get wet but that’s part of it isn’t it? One for the Geeks – Dungeons and Dragons Fan Expo is being held in the O2 on the 21st and 22nd of August. This is one for D&D traders and gamers who take things seriously. For Foodies – Taste of London food festival comes to Regent’s Park offering five continuous days of feasting in June. Masterclasses are on offer as well as a chance to purchase direct from artisan suppliers and plenty of cocktail opportunities. For Designers – Clerkenwell Design Week takes place over 3 days in May with the usual plethora of talks and events as well as hundreds of brands and emerging talent exhibiting their latest offerings. A feast for the eyes with plenty of high quality options for you to rest your legs in style too by testing out one of the many chairs. The Perennial Classic – still impressive for its scale, popularity and colour; the Chelsea Flower Show. Held in the vast grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, this veritable institution is televised for the BBC and never fails to deliver. Its scale has to be seen to be believed. Warning: has the power to convert even the most reluctant gardener. The Grand Master – with the full programme not announced until late April, expect an eight week season of daily orchestral classic music concerns set in the Royal Albert Hall. “Prommers” can expect the pinnacle in the famous “Last Night of the Proms” which traditionally celebrates patriotic music of the United Kingdom. Pick up a “Day Promming” last minute ticket for just £8. The Decadent Option – for some of the most impressive set and costumes you will ever see, The Royal Opera House is a distinguished cut above the competition. Offering a range of both opera and ballet performances, this summer’s highlight is a classic; The Marriage of Figaro runs from the 4th of June to the 2nd of July 2026. The Niche – tagging onto the end of the season to such an extent that it is almost off season, The Lapada art and antiquities fair returns to Mayfair’s Berkeley Square at the end of October. Exhibitors cover nearly every discipline across the art and antiquities spectrum, meeting strict knowledge and expertise requirements with highly vetted wares only. Browsing essential, purchases optional. The Warm Up Act – tickets to Wimbledon can be virtually impossible but the lesser subscribed Queen’s Club Tennis Championship takes place just before in June. Head over to West Kensington to assess the favourite’s form played on grass. For Children – a lovely venue in the heart of one of the Royal Parks; Regent’s Park’s Open Air Theatre is showing Anansi the Spider for the over 4s in August and September. Bring an umbrella. The Comedies – Shakespeare’s wonderful classics A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labour’s Lost and As You Like It are all being performed throughout this summer. Which will you choose? The Spectacle – Back by popular demand, War Horse is on at the Olivier Theatre on the South Bank between 16th May and 30th July 2026. Based on the famous novel by Michael Morpugo, it is performed entirely by the Handspring Puppet Company with life size horses. The Musical – it shouldn’t be funny but it is; The Book of Mormon continues its run at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End. Expect jaw dropping irreverence and a certain crisis of faith. Each of these events is between 2 and 60 minutes' travelling distance from each of our 7 centrally located buildings.
