Where To Eat In Soho, London
Oct 22nd, 2008 by admin
I’ve been meaning for ages to write a summary of where I like to eat in Soho, London. In fact, I planned this a year ago when I was writing restaurant reviews for urbanpath.com. As I work in Soho, I’m always on the look-out for places to go to for lunch or an early dinner.
So here are my suggestions, all within an approximate 5 minute walk from Soho Square, and not in any particular order. Most days I just have a sandwich at my desk for lunch, then a home-cooked meal for dinner, but once in a while I’ll eat out, usually with colleagues for lunch and friends for dinner.
- Yalla Yalla – busy small Lebanese eaterie that’s currently extremely busy – book for a table or suffer the long takeaway queue. Approx £12-15 per person eating in
- Fernandez & Wells – delicious fresh sandwiches, soups, stews, salads and pasteis de nata are all available here at this tiny eaterie, with tapas and wine in the evening. You can also go round the corner to their Beak Street branch for coffee, cake and sandwiches, and there is now a third outlet on St Annes Court
- Barrafina (Spanish tapas) – terrifically fresh tapas, particularly the seafood (all displayed on ice). Recommend the razor clams & lamb cutlets. Must go off-peak, otherwise be prepared for an agonising wait. Approx £25+ per person without alcohol
- Bocca di Lupo (Italian) – have a hearty one dish meal here or sample several smaller-sized dishes from the various Italian regions. Sit at the chef’s counter and watch the chefs at work. Approx £20+ per person without alcohol
- The Giaconda Dining Room (French) – reasonably priced and well executed dishes prepared by Sydney chef Paul Merrony and served in a tiny but convivial space. Approx £20+ per person without alcohol
- Princi (Italian bakery) – the London branch of the Milanese boutique bakery chain, opened in conjunction with Alan Yau, serving all manner of gastronomic delights – pizza, meatballs with olives, courgette fritters, cakes, pastries and of course bread. You can eat as much or as little as you like! Approx £10 per person (£3.50 for a slice of pizza)
- Rasa Sayang - a cheap and cheerful restaurant serving Straits cuisine, with plenty of one dish meals to choose from. Approx £10 per person
- Ba Shan – I would recommend it more for lunch than dinner, as it specialises in small eats, dumplings and bowls of noodles. Depending on what you order, approx £15 -20 per person
- Yauatcha (Chinese) – great for innovative dim sum, but I also like going for tea with gorgeous cakes in the afternoon. Sit upstairs where it’s relatively more quiet, unless you like to shout over your food. Approx £20 per person if you’re sensible with ordering (without alcohol)
Finally, here are two that aren’t technically in Soho, but are still within a 5 minute walk from Soho Square, on the north side of Oxford Street:
- Koba (Korean) – I particularly love lunch at Koba. My favourite is the dolsot bibimbap. For dinner, I like to have barbecued meat at the table (this is available at lunch too even on the set menu, but it can be quite smelly!). Approx £10-£15 per person for set lunch, more for dinner
- Yoisho (Japanese) – this used to be an early dinner option, as it was closed for lunch until a short while ago. The set lunch menu is limited, but the portions are a good size. Lunch is not as busy as the evenings. Approx £10 for set lunch, more for dinner
Of course, there are countless other restaurants in Soho for a great lunch or dinner, so this list will be regularly updated, but I intend to keep it short. Do let me know if you have any recommendations for me!
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Oh Helen, those noodles with what looks like hot chili paste with garlic and julienned cucumber is making my mouth water !!! I wish I was close enough to have dinner there tonight. April cannot come soon enough
Loving Annie – that’s dan dan mian at Baozi Inn. Very garlicky and the effect lasts until well into the next day, so you have been warned!
Helen Yuet Ling
Great list, Helen – I especially agree re: Barrafina and Arbutus! [Yauatcha is very tasty, but the service there has been pretty rude the past couple of times I visited.]
I disliked my meal at Bar Shu when I tried it a few months ago, but because it’s made your top 10 list, I’ll have to reconsider now. ; ) Hope you’re enjoying your time in China.
American in London – these aren’t my top ten really, they’re just a list of places I go to within a very short walk of my office. Time is always a crucial factor to consider, and I haven’t explored Soho as much as I should have. So don’t go back to Bar Shu just because of this!
China has been great! It’s our last day here and my jeans are stretched to full capacity. I found the food was much better in Beijing than HK though. And far far cheaper. More Postcards later! London’s going to feel even more expensive to eat out in…
Helen Yuet Ling
Gosh – I wish I could afford these places for lunch! I worked on Wardour Street for a while and now I’m only the other side of Oxford Street.
Jerk City / Mr Jerk, Wardour St – the best Jerk Chicken I’ve had so far. Mr Jerk is more roomy, but Jerk City is the original and has loads more character.
Cote also on Wardour Street – recently opened and quite a nice lunch spot. Good steaks.
Patara, Greek Street – lovely Thai food, a bit more expensive
Viet, Greek Street – Cheap but tasty vietnamese food.
For Fitzrovia I really like El Burrito on Charlotte Place for a good burrito. I’d like to try Lantana soon, opposite El Burrito.
Lizzie – I can’t afford to eat at these except occasionally! Most of my lunches are packed lunches from home or a very sad sandwich from Eat. On the rare occasions that I do eat out, these are some of the places I like. Thanks for your recommendations, will add to the must try list! Now that I’m returning to London, everything’s going to seem way too expensive…
Helen Yuet Ling
My list reads something like yours except that I still haven’t made it to Roka or Barrafina! I also like Haozhan, Cafe de HK, Japan Centre (does that count?), Ran (for Korean pancake cravings) and Woodlands (for thosai cravings).
Tommy – I’ve also been to & like Haozhan and Ran, didn’t like Japan Centre so much last time but I’ve been eating there since the late 80s! Woodlands I haven’t been to for many years. Barrafina and Roka you kind of need to not worry about your wallet, otherwise it’s no fun. Anyway, now I’m back after my mammoth eating trip in China, I’ll be too poor to eat out for ages! Everything is so expensive in London, especially compared to Beijing…
Helen Yuet Ling
Hi Helen,
I just want to say a big thank you for this list! I’m usually lost whenever I venture into Soho – choices, choices, too many choices. Princi was great but it took a lot of will power to stop ordering everything! Barrafina is next on the list.
I did try Baozi Inn a few months ago and was sorely disappointed, especially since the reviews on the place have been quite good. Perhaps in time I’ll go back again – hopefully a better 2nd visit.
Justine – you’re welcome! I have to constantly update it of course. It’s quite an old list really. You’ll love Barrafina. I want to go back to take some fresh photos with my new camera. Let me know what you think of the tapas!
Helen Yuet Ling
Hi Helen,
just discovered your blog and love it! My office just moved from Soho Square to Covent Garden which seems like a total lunch wasteland now in comparison but some of the places I like are:
Cheap and Cheerful takeaway
Make Mine – if I have to eat a sandwich I prefer this place to Eat or Pret
Vital Ingredient – tossed salads
Mexicali – I actually think the food is not bad (and I grew up eating this stuff in California)
Papaya – only because it’s dirt cheap and I like the massamun curry
Sit-down
Bodean’s – closest thing to American BBQ I’ve found in London
Patara – definitely a cut above for Thai
Busaba – cheaper than Patara but busy busy
Plus a bunch of places that you’ve mentioned already like Imperial China, Leong’s Legend, Barrafina etc.
Ken
Ken – great list, much appreciated. I’ll be going through these in 2009. Shame you moved away from Soho Square. I’m still there fortunately!
I’m very much looking forward to going to Bodean’s by the way! Thank you again…
Helen Yuet Ling
Nice list! Is Lantana Soho though, or Fitzrovia?
I’ve yet to try Lantana and Giaconda Dining Rooms. Top of my list for when I go back.
Niamh – thank you! It changes regularly, depending on where I end up eating in any week. I say Lantana is in Fitzrovia, as it’s north of Oxford Street!
Let me know what you think of Lantana and Giaconda. I think you’d like them…
Helen Yuet Ling
i didn’t like baozi inn, read time-out rave review and went as a result.
i only had spicy noodles and a fluffy steamed bun for lunch but noodles were watery and bun tasteless.
Anne – there have been mixed reviews of Baozi Inn, to be honest. I’m going back for a revisit shortly, to see what the food’s like. Try Ba Shan, it’s meant to be much better!
Helen Yuet Ling