London Takeaways

53 Lexington Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 0NQ

Bao Soho at 53 Lexington Street in Soho W1 is the original branch of the Taiwanese bao specialist that transformed the way London eats soft, pillowy steamed buns. Founded by husband-and-wife team Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung in 2015, Bao grew from a street food stall to become one of London's most influential restaurant groups. The original Soho branch consistently attracts queues. The Taiwanese bao — soft milk bread steamed bun filled with braised pork, peanut powder and coriander — has become a defining London food. Hardens has praised Bao consistently. The restaurant also serves Taiwanese fried chicken, hotpot, and the "40 day soy milk" aged pork chop.

Available for dine-in at 53 Lexington Street, Soho W1. Walk-in only, queues expected at peak times.

27 Romilly Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 0LA

Berenjak at 27 Romilly Street in Soho W1 is a Persian grillhouse that Time Out named the best Middle Eastern restaurant in London and includes in its top 50 restaurants in the city. The name means aubergine in Farsi, and the restaurant is inspired by the kebab shops (kabaabi) of Tehran's backstreets. Chef Kian Samyani created an Iranian hole-in-the-wall with counter seating and charcoal-smoked kebabs: koobideh (minced lamb and beef skewers pressed with herbs and spice), joojeh (saffron-marinated chicken), barg (flat beef fillet kebab) and chelo (saffron basmati rice with butter and crust). Hot flatbreads come straight from the clay oven. The restaurant is part of the JKS Restaurants group (Gymkhana, Trishna, Kiln). Hardens praises it as "one of the most exciting Persian restaurants in London."

Available for dine-in at 27 Romilly Street, Soho W1. Walk-in and reservations. Own website: berenjak.com.

22 Kingly Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 8ZB

Dishoom at 22 Kingly Street in Soho W1 is the Carnaby Street branch of London's most celebrated modern Indian restaurant group. Hardens consistently praises Dishoom for its "outstanding Indian food and brilliant service". The concept celebrates the Irani cafes of Mumbai — the elegant, slightly faded Parsi teahouses that fed Bombay's working population from the 1920s to the 1970s before gradually closing. Dishoom's house black daal — slow-cooked overnight for 24 hours — is one of London's most replicated dishes. The bacon naan roll at breakfast is one of the most sought-after meals in the capital. The group now has restaurants across London (Covent Garden, King's Cross, Shoreditch, Kensington, Carnaby, Canary Wharf). All sites open from 8am for breakfast. Queues are a constant feature at all Dishoom restaurants.

Available for dine-in at 22 Kingly Street, Soho W1F. Walk-in and reservations. Open from 8am daily. Own website: dishoom.com.

17 Beak Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 9SD

Flat Iron at 17 Beak Street in Soho W1 is the original branch of the no-reservations steak group that has become one of London's most consistently popular restaurants. The concept is simple and brilliant: a single cut — the flat iron, cut from the shoulder clod of the cow, a deeply flavoured secondary cut — served medium-rare with a side of beef dripping salted popcorn, creamed spinach and a small salad, for a fixed low price. Hardens praises the group for "brilliant value steaks." The Infatuation calls Flat Iron "one of the best affordable restaurants in London." Yelp consistently rates it among Soho's top restaurants. The walk-in-only format and low price point make it accessible to everyone. The queues at Beak Street are part of the Soho street theatre.

Available for walk-in dine-in at 17 Beak Street, Soho W1F. No reservations. Own website: flatironsteak.co.uk.

58 Brewer Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 9TL

Kiln at 58 Brewer Street in Soho W1 is one of London's most celebrated Thai restaurants — a walk-in-only, no-reservations Thai grill where bar seating overlooks an open kitchen of wood-burning kilns, charcoal grills and clay pots. The Infatuation calls it "not just the best Thai restaurant in London, it's one of the best restaurants in London, full stop." Time Out lists it in the top 50 London restaurants. The menu changes constantly and is sourced with remarkable precision: fish comes daily from Cornish fishing boats, vegetables from heritage growers. The cooking draws from the border cuisines of Northern Thailand where Thailand meets Myanmar, Laos and Yunnan — jungle curries, clay pot baked glass noodles, raw beef laab, smoked kipper with spiced chilli. Hardens has praised it consistently since opening in 2016 for owner Ben Chapman (of Smoking Goat). The restaurant is owned by JKS Restaurants, the group behind Gymkhana and Trishna.

Available for walk-in dine-in at 58 Brewer Street, Soho W1F. No reservations. Open Monday to Saturday noon to 11pm, Sunday noon to 9pm. Own website: kilnsoho.com.

45 Lexington Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 9AN

Mildreds at 45 Lexington Street in Soho W1 is London's most beloved long-running vegetarian restaurant, open since 1988 on this site near its original location. Hardens has praised it for decades as the benchmark for London vegetarian cooking. The all-day menu includes vegan kofte, curries, burgers, mezze plates and weekly specials, with a lively, always-busy atmosphere and no-reservations policy at lunch. The restaurant helped define how London eats vegetable-forward food long before it became fashionable — Mildreds was doing it before it was called plant-based. There are now branches in Camden, Dalston and King's Cross, but the Soho original remains the spiritual home. The Infatuation has featured it as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in London.

Available for walk-in dine-in at 45 Lexington Street, Soho W1F. Open from 11am daily. Own website: mildreds.co.uk.

10 Beak Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 9ND

Mountain at 10 Beak Street in Soho W1 is chef Tomos Parry's follow-up to his celebrated Shoreditch restaurant Brat, which has held a Michelin star since 2019. Mountain opened in late 2023 and is a two-floor fire-cooking restaurant on one of Soho's most characterful streets. The Nudge calls it "a distinctly happening two-floor set-up on Beak Street." The cooking centres on the open fire: pink bream scorched on a plancha, Anglesey lobster caldereta steaming in ceramic pots, turbot with wild herbs, fire-roasted vegetables. Parry is Welsh and many of the ingredients — from Anglesey lobster to Welsh lamb — reflect his roots. Hardens has praised it for its "assured fire cooking and interesting wine list." Beak Street sits between Carnaby Street and Regent Street at the heart of Soho.

Available for dine-in at 10 Beak Street, Soho W1F. Book ahead. Own website: mountainsoho.com.

30-31 Rupert Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 8RP

Speedboat Bar at 30-31 Rupert Street in Soho W1 is a Thai restaurant and bar by Luke Farrell and JKS Restaurants (the same team behind Kiln and Plaza Khao Gaeng) that recreates the atmosphere of Bangkok's Chinatown in Soho's own Chinatown. The walls are decorated with autographed portraits of Thailand's canal speedboat racers. The menu channels the raucous street food and neon-lit bars of Bangkok's Yaowarat Road: charred lo rice noodles with prawns, crispy pork belly with long pepper, drunken noodles, stir-fries and signature cocktails including the snakeblood negroni. The bar opens until 1am on weekends. The Nudge calls it one of the best restaurants in Soho. Time Out added it to its Soho top 50. The combination of strong cocktails, bold food and midnight closing makes it one of Soho's most atmospheric late-night destinations.

Available for dine-in and drinks at 30-31 Rupert Street, Soho W1F. Open late — until 1am Friday and Saturday.

25 Broadwick Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 0DF

Temper at 25 Broadwick Street in Soho W1 is a fire-cooking restaurant and bar known for its whole animal barbecue and natural wine list. Chef Neil Rankin opened Temper Soho in 2016 as a basement restaurant centred on a vast fire pit from which whole animals — beef, lamb, goat, pig — are carved throughout service. The Guardian and Time Out praised the opening. Rankin's philosophy is anti-industrial: whole animals sourced from named farms, nothing wasted, the fat rendered for tortillas cooked on the fire. The tacos — made with fat-cooked corn tortillas and piled with charred barbecue meats, salsa and guacamole — became one of Soho's signature dishes. Hardens lists Temper and praises its "whole animal cooking and natural wine." The basement space on Broadwick Street has a lively, atmospheric feel with the fire at its heart.

Available for dine-in at 25 Broadwick Street, Soho W1F. Book ahead. Own website: temperrestaurant.com.

15-17 Broadwick Street Soho, London, West London, W1F 0DL

Yauatcha at 15-17 Broadwick Street in Soho W1 is Alan Yau's Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant and tea house, opened in 2004. Alan Yau had already transformed London dining with Wagamama (1992) and Hakkasan (2001) — both also Michelin-starred. Yauatcha gave Soho its finest dim sum: crystal prawn har gau, scallop cheung fun, venison puff, and the extraordinary selection of handmade dumplings. The basement dining room at Yauatcha has a distinctive blue-lit fish tank and midnight-blue interior. The ground floor operates as a patisserie and tea room during the day, selling exquisite French-style macarons and teas from across Asia. Hardens has praised Yauatcha continuously since opening as offering "the best dim sum in London." The Michelin star has been held since 2005.

Available for dine-in at 15-17 Broadwick Street, Soho W1F. Phone 020 7494 8888. Own website: yauatcha.com.