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Yes, it’s still one of the most exciting neighbourhoods in London – and, by extension, the world – and no, it hasn’t ‘lost its edge’.
Soho has changed, without a shadow of a doubt, and some of its seedier edges have been sluiced away, but as it evolves it continues to be home to a multitude of superb destinations to drink, dance, and eat (although not in that order – unless you’re ending your night at Balans).
These days Soho’s close-knit Georgian streets house kitchens hawking all kinds of cuisines, from the traditional Italian delis and espresso bars that first appeared in the 1950s to fire food at its finest, sizzling Thai, Michelin-starred Japanese-European fusion cuisine, and critically acclaimed Indian dining.
Kindly peruse our top picks for Soho restaurants below.
HIMI | A Neo-Izakaya From A Hot Shot Team
HIMI is a discreet Japanese restaurant run by husband-and-wife team Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa. Between them, they’ve worked at some of the best restaurants on earth (the three-Michelin-Starred L’Abysse au Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris, Ginza Shimon in Tokyo, and Sake No Hana in London, to name but a few).
Izakaya literally translates as “stay-drink-place”, but at HIMI they’ve given this a neo twist, upgrading the traditional pub-style food to deliver dishes like crispy chicken karaage, flash-cooked hand-dived scallop tempura; and sushi platters with a classic trio of tuna, sea trout, mackerel, and more.
Details: 4 Newburgh Street, Soho, W1F 7RF | Book a table at HIMI
Rita’s | Margaritas & Comfort Food
Gabe Pryce and Missy Flynn have, some way or another, been keeping Londoners happy since 2012. They did it with their late night Hackney bolthole, and their sandwich bodegas. And now they’re doing it in a grown-up, bricks and mortar spot on Soho’s Lexington Street. The interiors are pared-back – white walls, simple furnishings, some noughties LED backlighting the bar – but the food comes at you full throttle, packing heat, butter and umami into the diner-with-a-twist menu.
Details: 49 Lexington Street, Soho, W1F 9AP | Book a table at Rita’s
The Devonshire | Possibly London’s best pub
Woah, woah, woah. Don’t scroll past The Devonshire because it is, ostensibly, a pub. Because while yes, you could easily pop in for a quick half before dinner or after a show (and have a very nice time of it, too), this is not your typical Soho boozer. Still drawing crowds more than a year after opening, The Devonshire comes to you from an almighty triumvirate of hospitality heroes: Oisin Rogers (the man behind Mayfair’s Guinea Grill), Charlie Carroll (the man behind Flat Iron), and Ashley Palmer-Watts, former chef director at The Fat Duck (widely considered one of the best restaurants in the country). As a result, the smart first floor grill room is now widely considered one of the best restaurants in Soho, with a chocolate mousse Palmer-Watts spent literally months perfecting. And as if this super-magnet needed any more pulling power, they’ve opened a rooftop dining space, too.
Details: 17 Denman Street, Soho, W1D 7HW | Book a table at The Devonshire
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Evelyn’s Table | Intimate Chef’s Table
Yes, this list is packed with Soho restaurants featuring buzzy counter seating. But if you’re after a really special experience, head to Evelyn’s Table. Housed in the basement of the stylish Blue Posts pub in Chinatown, it’s a chef’s table with room for only a dozen diners. Dabbous protégé Luke Selby, with the help of his younger brothers Nat and Theo, has won the place a Michelin star, serving up an ever-changing five-course menu with French and Japanese influences…
Details: 28 Rupert Street, Soho, W1D 6DJ | Book Evelyn’s Table
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Mountain | Brat 2.0
Following on from Brat was always going to be a tough mountain to climb. Imagine, then, on top of that, you’ve got to take over a space on Beak Street that used to be Byron Burger… Only Tomos Parry could be up to the task, unveiling his sophomore restaurant in a beautiful two-floor set-up with pale wood furnishings, a broody downstairs bar and a frenetic open kitchen. Strap yourself in for a lesson in high-quality produce cooked over the coals; pink bream scorched on a plancha grills and Anglesey lobster caldereta, a traditional Menorcan stew-like dish that’s carried to you straight from the grill in steaming ceramic pots.
Details: Hardy House, 16-18 Beak Street, Soho, W1F 9RD | Book a table at Mountain
Humble Chicken | Double Michelin-Starred Japanese
Ambitious young chef Angelo Sato’s Frith Street restaurant is Humble by name but hugely ambitious by nature – having now secured two Michelin stars. What began as a Yakitori bar then evolved into Humble Chicken 2.0, a 16 course tasting-menu-only experience (or a 12 course Saturday lunch option), with chicken so humble an ingredient that it barely features at all – although you might well encounter hand dived scallops, beef tartare and hamachi. However, there is yet more change afoot: with two stars secured, Sato is on the hunt for his third (we told you he’s ambitious). Yes, following another refurb, Humble Chicken 3.0 is on the way, and reservations for the summer are now being taken.
Details: 54 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 4SJ | Book a table at Humble Chicken
Donia | Authentic Filipino
There’s a superb Filipino restaurant on the top floor of Kingly Court, Donia know?
It’s from Philippino-born chef Florence Mae Maglanoc (also behind Panadera) and since the tail end of 2023 they’ve been serving up dishes including black tiger prawns in fermented plum broth and chicken inasal, to great acclaim – including a well-deserved Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025.
Details: Top Floor, Kingly Court, Soho, W1B 5PW | Book a table at Donia
Kiln | Roadside Thai
Roadside eateries. They’re pretty middle-of-the-road. Not so, however, in Thailand where highway-adjacent restaurants are actually somewhat amazing; and which have inspired Soho’s Kiln, from the talented team behind Thai grill house Smoking Goat. In this dark, close-packed den, pull up a seat at the sleek steel counter, behind which the team rustle up dishes like roast suckling pig, and fattened lamb skewers with Szechuan peppers.
Details: 58 Brewer Street, Soho, W1F 9TL | Book a table at Kiln for downstairs only (non-counter dining)
Darjeeling Express | Cult Homestyle Indian
Remember Darjeeling Express? Not the Wes Anderson movie (that was The Darjeeling Limited), but the Indian restaurant that was nigh on impossible to get a seat in due to self-taught chef Asma Khan’s wonderful food, her subsequent TV fame (she was on Netflix’s Chef’s Table) and because, well, it was a bit small. Now, after a five year venue search, Khan is back where she started in Kingly Court, with much more space to work with (including an open kitchen), her returning cast of female chefs, and her legendary family recipes, like Bengali goat curry and beef tamatar gosht.
Details: Top Floor, Kingly Court, Soho, W1B 5PW | Book a table at Darjeeling Express
Bubala Soho | Incredible Veg
Chris Fynes
Welcoming, unpretentious, and thrumming with flavour, Bubala sits in the god tier of Soho restaurants. Like its forerunner Bubala Spitalfields, the place offers an all-vegetarian (or all-vegan, if you prefer) menu of Middle Eastern goods. Highlights are tough to narrow down, frankly, because there are just too many. From cloud-like laffa flatbreads, to silky burnt butter hummus, to fried halloumi bathed in black honey, to the extraordinary potato latkes, with their mille-feuilles-like folds… it’s all a highlight. And the signature house sodas are a dream for anyone on the wagon.
Details: 15 Poland Street, Soho, W1F 8PR | Book a table at Bubala
Goldies | Fire Food And Fantastic Wines
Wood-fired dining in the heart of Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street, from the team behind Blanchette? It’s a winning combination from the off. The eponymous Goldies are frites, which are fried (twice) in either beef dripping or vegetable oil, and are served in generous portions alongside a host of dips. Alongside them are a host nigh-on-irresistible barbecued main courses – from baby chicken to aged Hereford sirloin on the bone, to grilled sea bream – and sides included ever-delicious challah bread and Humus, and beef croquettes served with walnut and parmesan. Prices are notably reasonable, particularly for central London – when it comes to high-end casual dining, Goldies is on fire (although to be clear, its food is merely appropriately scorched).
Details: Bottom Floor, Kingly Court, Soho, London W1B 5PW | Book a table a table at Goldies
Speedboat Bar | Buzzy Thai Dining
With Speedboat Bar, chef Luke Farrell (also behind Arcade’s wildly popular Plaza Khao Gaeng) gives a teaser to what life is like in Bangkok’s Chinatown… in Soho’s Chinatown. Woks rule the kitchen, sizzling charred Lo rice noodles tossed with seafood and chillies; crispy pork with long pepper & green ash melon; and minced pork with holy basil. Other menu standouts include the signature tom yum mama soup, and the 7-11 convenience store-inspired pineapple pie, served with a scoop of taro ice cream. Talking about the drinks would be opening a whole new can of worms, so we’ll leave it at snakeblood negronis (and that Speedboat Bar stays open until 1am on weekends).
Address: 30 Rupert Street, Soho, W1D 6DL | Book a table at Speedboat Bar
Quo Vadis | A Soho Institution
Right next door is Barrafina’s sibling and Soho’s grande dame, a century old institution. Despite its historic credentials, Quo Vadis remains at the forefront of London’s dining scene thanks to inimitable head chef Jeremy Lee, who turns out elegant seasonal dishes, keeps the martinis flowing, and holds the entire restaurant in general good cheer. There are regular collaborative supper clubs with other London big-hitters (including an annual Burns Night party with F.K.A.B.A.M), and some lovely private dining rooms for celebratory shindigs.
Details: 26 – 29 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 3LL | Book a table at Quo Vadis
Paradise | Cutting-edge Sri Lankan
Promising to take your date to Paradise: punchy. But this smart, stripped-back Soho restaurant always hits the mark, with warming, deeply aromatic Sri Lankan dishes served in cool, concrete surroundings. After a brief hiatus they’ve reopened with a new approach: six-course tasting menus centring on ‘land+sea’ or ‘veg+plant’, with wine pairings and cocktails that are pretty heavenly too.
Details: 61 Rupert Street, Soho, W1D 7PW | Book a table at Paradise (they also keep back places for walk-ins)
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Barrafina Dean Street | Exceptional Catalonian Tapas
Barrafina on Dean Street: London’s beloved home for top-quality tapas plates, like shining gambas rojas and Txistorra sausage tortilla – all of which you can watch being prepared before your eyes from your perch at the marble-striped dining counter.
Details: 26-27 Dean Street, Soho,W1D 3LL | Walk-in only
The Palomar | Cult Counter Dining
The Palomar kick-started London’s hunger for counter dining back in 2014, and remains not just one of the best restaurants in Soho, but the entire city. Enjoy Levantine dishes like grilled octopus steak with chickpea masabacha in a skylit, wood panelled room, or in the thick of the action at that counter.
Details: 34 Rupert Street, Soho, W1D 6DN | Book The Palomar
Noble Rot Soho | For Wine Worship
A lovely, low-lit corner of Soho acting as the second outpost of Bloomsbury’s exceptional wine bar and restaurant, Noble Rot. The Soho eatery is overseen by Stephen Harris (The Sportsman) and Alex Jackson (Sardine), and its accompanied by a wine list of epic proportions, hand-picked by Noble Rot’s founders (and wine writers, and wine importers) Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew.
Details: 2 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 4NB | Book a table at Noble Rot
Neil Borthwick at The French House | French Finesse in a Pub
If you haven’t yet checked out the classic Soho institution The French House, trust us… it’s a-maison.
Especially now that critically lauded chef Neil Borthwick has taken the reins in the kitchen, serving up an elegant Anglo-Gallic menu that involves oysters, roast pork chops, and pillowy choux pastry for dessert…
Details: 49 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 5BG | Email [email protected]
Aulis | Michelin Starred chef’s table
You could easily pass by Aulis without noticing it. It’s an innocuous little black fronting down a Soho alleyway, with a small sign. But if you do stop to peek inside, you’ll see an elegantly curved chef’s table with jus a dozen people gathered around it, being handed the most delicious-looking little dishes. And, if you can believe it, they don’t just look good, they taste absolutely sensational – and you can spot the Michelin Star on the wall to prove it.
Details: 16a St Anne’s Ct, Soho, W1F 0BF | Book Aulis
Ducksoup | Natural Wine & Small Plates
A natural wine bar and small plates restaurant whose menu varies with the seasons – meaning you can visit four times a month and never have the same thing twice. The soundtrack’s provided by an old record player: browse their growing vinyl collection, and set your own mood.
Details: 41 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 4PY | Book Ducksoup
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Kricket Soho | Anglo-Indian Small Plates
What began in a Brixton shipping container quickly blossomed into perhaps London’s most-beloved mini empire of restaurants – Kricket’s instantly-winning take on modern Indian dining can now be found in Shoreditch, Canary Wharf, and White City. But Soho marked the team’s first bricks and mortar site, and it’s still one of Soho’s out-and-out gems. Come for the samphire pakoras, stay for the Keralan fried chicken, and raise an expertly made Indian-inspired cocktail (either at Kricket’s countertop bar, or at their brilliant speakeasy SOMA, which is next door)
Details: 12 Denman Street, Soho,W1D 7HJ | Book a table at Kricket
Where to next? Hit one of the best bars in Soho for a nightcap…
