London Takeaways

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

Barrafina at 26-27 Dean Street in Soho W1 is the Michelin-starred branch of the Hart brothers' celebrated tapas group. Sam and Eddie Hart opened the original Barrafina on Frith Street in 2007, inspired by the great Barcelona tapas bars. The Dean Street branch, which opened in 2014, earned its own Michelin star. The Infatuation calls it "a brilliant walk-in tapas restaurant that makes some of the best Spanish food in London, in very swish, upscale surroundings." The format is a high marble counter: diners watch chefs prepare oozing tortillas, milk-fed lamb sweetbreads, gambas rojas in garlic, pan con tomate, and a daily-changing specials board. The wine list covers cava, sherry and Spanish wines. All three London Barrafinas (Frith Street, Dean Street, Drury Lane) require queuing or advance booking. Time Out lists it in Soho's top 50.

Available for walk-in dine-in at 26-27 Dean Street, Soho W1D. Walk-in and reservations. Own website: barrafina.co.uk.

24 Great Windmill Street Soho, London, West London, W1D 7LG

Blacklock at 24 Great Windmill Street in Soho W1 is a modern chophouse in a basement that was formerly a brothel and later a notorious lap-dancing club. The Good Food Guide describes it as channelling the spirit of London's old chophouses with a trendy spin: dark panelling, parquet floors and bare wooden tables set the scene for charcoal-grilled meats sourced exclusively from butcher Philip Warren in Cornwall, "which guarantees naturally reared, grass-fed quality — whether we're talking about lamb T-bones, pork ribs or bone-in sirloins." The £27 All In sharing deal brings a stack of different meats on herb-flecked chargrilled flatbreads. OpenTable has 6,738 reviews. The most-mentioned Sunday roast on TripAdvisor in London. Cocktails at Blacklock are made to give back: a portion of proceeds from every drink goes to charity. Ex-Hawksmoor chef Gordon Ker founded it.

Available for dine-in at 24 Great Windmill Street, Soho W1D. Book well ahead. Own website: theblacklock.com.

12 Archer Street Soho, London, West London, W1D 7BB

Bocca di Lupo at 12 Archer Street in Soho W1 is a celebrated Italian restaurant specialising in the regional cooking of Italy, opened by chef Jacob Kenedy in 2008. The name means mouth of the wolf in Italian — a traditional good-luck expression. Hardens describes it as "one of the best Italian restaurants in London" for its authentic approach to Italy's varied regional cuisines. The menu changes constantly to reflect seasonal ingredients from specific Italian regions: slow-braised pig's cheek from Umbria, handmade bigoli with duck ragu from Veneto, raw fish crudo from Liguria, Sicilian arancini. Each dish is available in antipasto or larger portions. The gelateria Gelupo across the street is run by the same team and serves some of London's finest gelato. Hardens' annual guide has praised Bocca di Lupo consistently for 15 years.

Available for dine-in at 12 Archer Street, Soho W1D. Phone 020 7734 2223. Own website: boccadilupo.com.

69-71 Dean Street Soho, London, West London, W1D 4QH

Dean Street Townhouse at 69-71 Dean Street in Soho W1 is both a boutique hotel and a celebrated all-day British brasserie that has been a Soho institution since opening in 2009. The restaurant serves British classics: devilled kidneys on toast for breakfast, potted shrimps, smoked salmon, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, steamed puddings with custard — a menu that reads like an anthology of the British table at its most reassuring. Hardens has praised it consistently as a "reliable Soho brasserie with excellent British cooking." The dining room, with its brown leather banquettes and warm lighting, has a slightly retro glamour that suits its Dean Street location — the street where Francis Bacon drank, Karl Marx lived and Gian Carlo Menotti premiered his opera The Consul. The hotel rooms are among Soho's most characterful.

Available for dine-in at 69-71 Dean Street, Soho W1D. Phone 020 7434 1775. Open daily from 7am to midnight. Own website: deanstreettownhouse.com.

28 Rupert Street Soho, London, West London, W1D 6DJ

Evelyn's Table at 28 Rupert Street in Soho W1 is a 12-seat chef's counter restaurant in the cellar of the Blue Posts pub. Hardens describes it as "one of the most exciting small restaurants in London." Chef Luke Selby won the Roux Scholarship in 2017 and worked at Noma, The Fat Duck and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. The tasting menu changes regularly and explores seasonal British produce through techniques of great sophistication. Time Out has included it among London's most interesting restaurants. The hidden underground setting — reached by descending through the pub — adds to the sense of occasion. Bookings open online 30 days in advance and are sought after. Despite its tiny size, Evelyn's Table has developed one of the most dedicated followings of any London restaurant.

Available for tasting menu dine-in at 28 Rupert Street, Soho W1D. Book 30 days in advance. Own website: evelynstable.com.

12 Denman Street Soho, London, West London, W1D 7HH

Kricket at 12 Denman Street in Soho W1 is an acclaimed modern Indian restaurant that started as a shipping container pop-up in Brixton before opening its Soho site in 2015. Hardens praises it as "interesting and unusual Indian food — not heavy curries at all, but a less familiar range of dishes, with very well-judged spicing and a huge range of delicate flavours." Time Out lists it in the Soho top 50. The menu covers dishes from across the Indian subcontinent interpreted through the lens of seasonal British ingredients: Keralan fried chicken, samphire pakoras, Mangalorean smoked pork belly, bhel puri with pomelo and coconut chutney. The restaurant is now a group with Kricket at 12 Denman Street and further locations at White City and South Kensington. In 2025 a new Shoreditch branch opened.

Available for dine-in at 12 Denman Street, Soho W1D. Own website: kricket.co.uk.

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

Quo Vadis at 26-29 Dean Street in Soho W1 is one of London's great dining institutions, open on this site since 1926. The building has housed Karl Marx (who lived here in the 1850s while writing Das Kapital in the British Museum Reading Room), an artist's club, and since the 1920s a celebrated restaurant. Chef Jeremy Lee has presided over the kitchen since 2012, and under his tenure it has become one of the most beloved restaurants in London. Hardens describes Lee as "inimitable" — famous for his elegant seasonal British cooking, flowing martinis and the extraordinary good cheer he generates. Dishes like smoked eel sandwich and whole roasted fish are Quo Vadis signatures. The building's first-floor club has stained glass windows designed by Damien Hirst. Time Out lists it among Soho's finest restaurants. The Nudge calls it "a century-old grande dame."

Available for dine-in at 26-29 Dean Street, Soho W1D. Phone 020 7437 9585. Own website: quovadissoho.co.uk.

5-6 Shaftesbury Avenue Soho, London, West London, W1D 7EG

Singapulah at 5-6 Shaftesbury Avenue in Soho W1 is London's most talked-about Singaporean restaurant, opened in 2024 by restaurateur Ellen Chew. Hot Dinners named it one of the major London openings of 2024. The restaurant covers four floors of a Soho building and functions as both a restaurant and a Singaporean deli. The menu harnesses the multicultural melting pot of Singapore — a country where Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian cooking traditions converge: Hokkien mee (the real Singapore noodles — stir-fried yellow and rice noodles with prawns, squid and pork in a prawn broth), Singapore Loaded Rojak (fruit and vegetable salad with prawn paste dressing), Ang Kar prawn noodle soup, kaya ice cream toast made with pandan coconut ice cream and buttered toast soldiers. A Tiffin set lunch at £15.95 runs on weekdays. The Singapore Tourism Board was a partner in the venture.

Available for dine-in at 5-6 Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho W1D. Major 2024 opening. Book ahead.

34 Rupert Street Soho, London, West London, W1D 6DN

The Palomar at 34 Rupert Street in Soho W1 is one of London's most acclaimed Middle Eastern restaurants, opened in 2014 by the team behind Jerusalem's Machneyuda restaurant. Hardens has praised it as "a stunning Israeli restaurant" with food that draws from the modern Israeli kitchen: a cuisine assembled from the Levant, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Persia. The zinc bar counter — where chefs cook in full view and interaction with diners is constant — is the heart of the experience. Signature dishes include the Jerusalem polenta (soft polenta with wild mushrooms and truffle oil), kubaneh bread pulled apart at the table, octopus with lemon and capers, and the raw beef kibbeh. Hardens' 2025 review confirms it as "one of the most vibrant and exciting eating experiences in London."

Available for dine-in at 34 Rupert Street, Soho W1D. Phone 020 7439 8777. Walk-in bar and reservations. Own website: thepalomar.co.uk.