Best Restaurants in Soho: 18 Tables Worth Booking

Soho has more good restaurants per street than anywhere else in W1, which is exactly what makes it hard to choose. This is the opinionated short list: 18 tables we would actually book, grouped by the kind of night you are planning, each with its cuisine, a price band, the address and a note on whether you can book or have to queue.

Why Soho dining is its own thing

Cross Regent Street out of Mayfair and the whole tempo changes. Mayfair is hushed dining rooms and tasting menus; Soho is counters, queues, open kitchens and a turnover of tables that runs late into the night. The food is mid-to-high range rather than blow-out, and it leans on a few things Soho does better than anywhere: Spanish and small plates, modern Asian, hard-charging grills, and grand all-day rooms that cost less than they look.

It is also the theatre district. The West End stages sit a few minutes from every address below, so a Soho dinner is as often a pre-show meal as a destination in its own right. We have kept that in mind throughout, and there is a short decision framework at the end for date night versus a group versus a pre-theatre dash.

Two things to know before you read on. First, every name here is genuinely in Soho W1, not over the border in Chinatown or up in Fitzrovia, and all were trading at the time of writing. Second, this is the curated counterpart to our full restaurants in Soho directory, which lists hundreds of places with addresses and hours. If you want the whole field, start there. If you want 18 we would put our name to, stay here. For the wider postcode, the where to eat in W1 pillar covers Mayfair, Marylebone and Fitzrovia too.

The small-plates and counter crowd

Soho's signature format is the counter: you sit at the bar, watch the cooking and eat fast. These four are the best of it, and most are walk-in, so plan around the queue.

Barrafina

Spanish tapas. ££ to £££. 26-27 Dean Street, W1D. The benchmark for tapas in London, served from an open counter where you sit on a stool and order as you go. Better for one or two people than a big group, since seating is at the bar. Why book it: the cooking is precise, seasonal and consistently excellent, and the room has an energy you do not get at a table. Walk-in only, so arrive at opening or expect to queue at peak times.

Bao Soho

Taiwanese. ££. 53 Lexington Street, W1F. The original Bao, where the fluffy steamed buns and the classic braised pork made their name. Compact, quick and very good value for the quality. Why book it: it is one of the most satisfying cheap-and-cheerful meals in W1, and the queue moves faster than it looks. Walk-in only; put your name down and wait nearby.

Kiln

Thai. ££. 58 Brewer Street, W1F. Fiery northern Thai and Burmese-leaning dishes cooked over live fire and in clay pots, served along a single counter. Loud, fast and best for solo diners or couples on the stools. Why book it: the claypot glass noodles with brown crab meat alone are worth the trip, and the live-fire cooking gives the food a smoke you cannot fake. Walk-in only; the counter at the back takes a small number ahead.

Koya

Japanese udon. ££. 50 Frith Street, W1D. Hand-rolled udon in clean, restorative broths, plus a short list of small plates that change daily. A quiet, focused room that suits an unhurried solo lunch or an early pre-theatre bowl. Why book it: the udon has real bite and the daily specials reward repeat visits. Walk-in; go off-peak for a stool without waiting.

Grills, chops and steak

Soho does fire and meat as well as it does small plates. These three are the go-to for anyone who wants something cooked hard over coals.

Blacklock Soho

Chops and grill. ££ to £££. 24 Great Windmill Street, W1D. A modern chophouse in a former Soho basement, built around chops and steaks cooked over coals, with a famous "all in" set feast that works brilliantly shared. Why book it: it is one of the few Soho rooms that is both a proper night out and genuinely good for a group, and the Sunday roast is a fixture. Takes bookings for tables; reserve the larger ones ahead.

Flat Iron Soho

Steak. ££. 17 Beak Street, W1F. A single-minded steak room: one cut, cooked well, at a price that undercuts the usual steakhouse by a wide margin, with sides and a hunk of chocolate at the end. Why book it: it is the most reliable cheap steak in the West End and an easy yes when you cannot face a long menu. No bookings; put your name down and have a drink while you wait.

Temper Soho

Live-fire and barbecue. £££. 25 Broadwick Street, W1F. A subterranean room with the grills front and centre, turning out whole-animal barbecue, tacos and house-smoked meats. Why book it: the open-fire theatre and the depth of smoke make it a step up from the steak-and-sides crowd, and the bar seats round the fire are the best in the house. Takes bookings; ask for the counter.

Modern Asian and dim sum

Two Soho rooms that take Cantonese and pan-Asian cooking up a notch, both built for tables rather than stools.

Yauatcha Soho

Cantonese and dim sum. £££. 15-17 Broadwick Street, W1F. The bright, jewel-box dim sum teahouse, good from a daytime steamer basket through to a full dinner, with a patisserie counter that is a destination on its own. Why book it: it does precise, modern dim sum in a room that feels like an occasion, and it handles groups well. Takes bookings; reserve for weekends.

Hoppers Soho

Sri Lankan and South Indian. ££. 49 Frith Street, W1D. Egg hoppers, dosas and fiery Sri Lankan and Tamil dishes in a buzzy, low-lit room from the JKS group. Why book it: the egg hopper with a runny yolk and the bone marrow varuval are the kind of dishes you keep coming back for, and the whole thing is great value. Takes a limited number of bookings; otherwise walk in.

Italian, British and the Soho classics

Soho's older soul lives in a handful of rooms that have outlasted every food trend. These are the tables for a long, talky dinner.

Bocca di Lupo

Regional Italian. £££. 12 Archer Street, W1D. Jacob Kenedy's regional Italian, where dishes come in small or large portions so you can graze across several regions in one sitting. Why book it: it is one of the most reliably brilliant kitchens in Soho, the counter seats overlooking the pass are a treat, and the gelato shop across the street is a built-in pudding. Takes bookings; the counter is worth requesting.

Andrew Edmunds

British and European, wine-led. £££. 46 Lexington Street, W1F. A candlelit Georgian townhouse that has been a Soho fixture since the 1980s, with a daily-changing menu and a famously deep, fairly priced wine list. Why book it: it is the most romantic room in Soho and the antidote to anywhere loud, low-lit, intimate and entirely its own thing. Bookings essential; the ground floor is the room you want.

Noble Rot Soho

British and French, wine-led. £££. 2 Greek Street, W1D. The Soho outpost of the wine-magazine restaurant, set in the old Gay Hussar premises, pairing serious bottles with gutsy seasonal cooking. Why book it: the wine list is among the best-value serious lists in central London and the food more than holds up beside it. Takes bookings; go for the upstairs room.

Mele e Pere

Italian. ££. 46 Brewer Street, W1F. An independent trattoria and vermouth bar with a street-level bar and a larger room below, doing honest pasta and Italian classics without fuss. Why book it: it is a dependable, good-value sit-down in the middle of Soho, with a house vermouth menu worth a pre-dinner drink. Takes bookings.

The grand all-day rooms

When you want a proper sit-down table that takes a booking and seats a crowd, these three carry the night.

Brasserie Zedel

French brasserie. ££. 20 Sherwood Street, W1F. A vast, gilded Art Deco brasserie off Piccadilly Circus serving classic French dishes at prices well below what the room suggests, with a set menu that is one of the best deals in the West End. Why book it: nothing else in Soho gives you this much grandeur for the money, it seats large groups, and it is the safest pre-theatre choice in the area. Takes bookings; reserve for the pre-theatre rush.

The Palomar

Modern Levantine. £££. 34 Rupert Street, W1D. Jerusalem-inspired cooking from a long zinc counter, with a few tables behind, holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good reason. Why book it: the polenta Jerusalem-style and the kubaneh bread are signatures worth ordering every time, and the counter is one of the most fun seats in Soho. Counter seats are first come, first served and best for couples; the tables take bookings.

The Ivy Soho Brasserie

All-day modern European. £££. 26-28 Broadwick Street, W1F. A smart, reliable all-day room for those times when you want a crowd-pleasing menu, a cocktail and a table you can actually book. Why book it: it is the dependable option when the group cannot agree, open from breakfast through late dinner, and easy to get into. Takes bookings; good for groups and pre-theatre.

One for a serious occasion

Evelyn's Table

Tasting menu, seafood-led. ££££. 28 Rupert Street, W1D. A tiny counter hidden beneath The Blue Posts pub, seating a handful of diners a night for a chef's tasting menu cooked right in front of you. This is the one fine-dining moment on the list, and it earns its place because it is unmistakably a Soho room rather than a Mayfair one: small, intense and close to the cooking. Why book it: the seats are limited and the experience is genuinely special. Bookings essential and well ahead; if a formal Mayfair-style tasting room is more your thing, see our Mayfair coverage instead.

How to choose: date night, group or pre-theatre

Three questions usually decide where to sit in Soho.

• Date night. Want intimate and quiet? Andrew Edmunds, then Noble Rot or Bocca di Lupo. Want a fun counter where you watch the cooking? The Palomar or Barrafina. For a real occasion, Evelyn's Table.
• A group of four or more. Choose rooms built for tables: Brasserie Zedel and The Ivy Soho Brasserie for sheer capacity, Blacklock for a shared feast, Yauatcha for dim sum. Skip the stool-only counters such as Barrafina, Bao, Kiln and Koya for big numbers.
• Pre-theatre. Soho is the theatre district, so timing is everything. Brasserie Zedel runs a set pre-theatre menu and seats crowds; Bocca di Lupo and The Ivy Soho Brasserie are reliable sit-downs you can finish in time; and the fast counters at Kiln, Bao and Koya get you fed and out before curtain-up.

If you are deciding on the day, head for the walk-in spots and arrive at opening or off-peak. If you can plan ahead, book the table-service rooms, or browse the full restaurants in Soho directory for somewhere with availability nearby. For a wider sense of how the West End's food scene fits together, Visit London keeps an official food and drink guide for the city.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best restaurants in Soho?

The Soho names most worth booking span tapas at Barrafina, Thai at Kiln, Taiwanese buns at Bao, chops at Blacklock, single-cut steak at Flat Iron, Levantine cooking at The Palomar, dim sum at Yauatcha and regional Italian at Bocca di Lupo. For an affordable grand night out, Brasserie Zedel is hard to beat. The right pick depends on your occasion, budget and how far ahead you can book.

Which Soho restaurants are walk-in only?

Several of Soho's best counters take no bookings for small parties. Barrafina, Bao Soho, Koya and Kiln are walk-in, so arrive at opening or off-peak, or expect to queue at busy times. Blacklock takes some bookings but keeps walk-in space too. If you want a guaranteed table, choose a room that reserves, such as Brasserie Zedel, Yauatcha, Bocca di Lupo or The Ivy Soho Brasserie.

Where should I eat in Soho before the theatre?

Soho sits on the doorstep of Shaftesbury Avenue and the West End theatres, so pre-theatre is its home turf. Brasserie Zedel near Piccadilly Circus runs a set pre-theatre menu and seats large numbers, which makes it the safest group choice. Bocca di Lupo and The Ivy Soho Brasserie are reliable for a sit-down dinner you can finish in time, and the fast counters at Kiln, Bao and Koya suit an early, quick meal before curtain-up.

What is the difference between Soho and Mayfair for dining?

Soho is dense, varied and energetic, strong on small plates, modern Asian, grills and buzzy all-day rooms in the mid-to-high price range. Mayfair, just across Regent Street, leans towards fine dining, grand hotel restaurants and tasting menus at the top end. Choose Soho for a lively, spontaneous night out and Mayfair for a hushed special occasion.

Are Soho restaurants expensive?

Soho spans a wide range. You can eat very well for a modest sum at Bao, Koya, Kiln and Brasserie Zedel, where the surroundings outclass the bill. Mid-range counters such as Barrafina, The Palomar and Blacklock sit a step up, and a handful of tasting-menu rooms like Evelyn's Table reach fine-dining prices. We list a price band for every pick rather than a fixed figure, since menus change.

What is the best restaurant in Soho for a group?

For four or more, choose rooms built for tables rather than counters. Brasserie Zedel seats large parties and takes bookings, Blacklock does a set feast that works well shared, Yauatcha and Bocca di Lupo handle groups comfortably, and The Ivy Soho Brasserie is an easy all-day option. Avoid the stool-only counters such as Barrafina and Bao for big numbers.

Start with the full list

This is the curated layer: 18 tables we would book ourselves. When you want to compare every option with addresses, cuisines and opening hours, the restaurants in Soho directory lists the lot, and the where to eat in W1 guide widens the search across Mayfair, Marylebone and Fitzrovia. You can always head back to the W1 London homepage for the rest of the postcode: districts, shopping and the business directory.