"Must-Try Restaurants in Soho, London for Foodies"
Now I know what you’re thinking ‘isn’t this a travel blog?’ and whilst it is, my life is ruled by my stomach. So here are my top places to eat in Soho after a long day of walking, photographing and sight-seeing.
Soho is the heart of the eatery scene in London, with over 2000 places to eat, it can become overwhelming choosing where to go. Below are a few of my favourite places to go for a sit down meal. I’ve tried to cover a variety of cuisines with different dietary requirements (especially gluten free for Bailey!)
Club Mexicana - Kingly Court
Price: £
Vegan and GF options
Right in the heart of Kingly Court, this place is ideal for a quick lunch break while exploring. This bustling small area offers a wide variety of food, so if this vegan Mexican place isn’t right for you, there are a tonne of other places to try.
This small taco place has everything you can think of for a bite to eat. Tacos start at £4.50 which for London isn’t too bad, and they’re so worth it! When Bailey and I first came here, we didn’t even realise it was vegan! The BBQ Short Rib ‘Pork’ Taco was so good and hit all the right spots. However there’s loads to try out -
I’d recommend adding the below to your order:
2x BBQ Short Rib Tacos
2x Al Pastor Tacos
2x Buffalo Mushroom Tacos
Classic Nachos with Guacamole
All of the above is also Dairy & Gluten-Free.
Directions:
Hop off the tube at Oxford Circus and follow exit signs to Argyll Street, once out go left and head down towards Kingly Street - Liberty will be right in front of you (a great place for shopping!) Walk down Kingly Street until you get to Kingly Court, it’s situated to the right of Pizza Pilgrims.
Lina Stores - Greek Street
Price: ££
Gluten Free and Vegetarian Options
This cosy Italian restaurant is to die for, hear me out - fresh gluten free pasta. Now I’m not gluten-free, but Bailey is and this is a rare find.
All of their pasta is made fresh, and if you’re lucky enough to sit at the kitchen bar you can watch the chef prepare your food (GF food is made in a separate kitchen!).
Here’s what we recommend:
Tagliolini al Tartufo e Parmigiano (Truffle pasta): this was so good, and not too strong either, highly recommended as a vegetarian option.
Linguine con Granchio e Limone (Lemon and Crab pasta): this was Bailey’s dish and she commented it as refreshing and filling. She was thrilled about the gluten-free pasta too.
If you’re looking to go here we would recommend that you reserve a table a couple of weeks in advance especially if you’re looking to eat between 5pm - 8pm. If you plan to walk in, there may be upwards of an hour wait, but you can always grab a drink nearby.
Directions:
Depending on the direction you coming from you can take either of the below:
Via Tottenham Court Road Tube Station: Hop off the Tube, and head to Soho Gardens, turn left once here and head down Greek Street until you find the restaurant
Via Leicester Square Tube Station: Once off the Tube head up Charing Cross Road, past Shaftesbury Avenue until you get to Old Compton Street on the left, walk along here until you see Greek Street on your right and walk on up.
Ritas - Lexington Street
Price: £££
Gluten Free Options
Now we’re getting to the good stuff, Rita’s simply put is; beautiful. I would say that on top of having amazing food, it’s the full dining experience that really makes it. The food portions aren’t too big, yet the quality is next level and even my never ending pit of a stomach was satisfied by the end. The cuisine is ‘modern American’ which I have to admit, is a new cuisine for me.
Here’s what I was able to try:
Starter: Fine beans, peppers and walnuts with Creole gribiche and horseradish.
This was the perfect starter, it was light, fresh and healthy. The horseradish and peppers didn’t overwhelm the dish, and it left me with the right amount of satisfaction before the main course.
Main Course: Crispy Chicken a la diabla.
This chicken was juicy and tender, yet crispy. With a tomatillo base on the bottom this meant you could get the perfect bite, every mouthful. You were served a small ½ chicken and was the right amount of spice mixed in. I can’t even begin to explain how good this was - you just have to have it!
Dessert: Maple Beer cake with pecans and ice cream.
What a way to finish, this was a take on the traditional English sticky toffee pudding and by god, this was divine. The cake was soft and airy which perfectly complemented the softly whipped cream on top. The perfect end to a meal.
Directions:
If you’re coming from Oxford Circus, head down Regent Street (and possibly get sidetracked by shopping) before turning left up Beak Street. Walk along Beak Street until you turn left up Lexington Street. As you walk up Rita’s will be on your left.
Blanchette - D’Arbly Street
Price: ££
I said at the beginning of this post that these are my favourite places to eat in Soho, not the definitive best. However, this could be both. To put things perspective, I’ve eaten at Blanchette 4 times in the last 10 months, which must be some kind of feat in the food haven that is Soho. I just keep wanting to go back.
What makes this place even better is that it’s also a wine bar (which Bailey and I are big fans of) and it isn’t too expensive starting at £6 a glass. Which, again, for London in 2024 isn’t bad. They also have a variety of cocktails on offer ranging from an Old Fashioned, Negroni and more.
However, this isn’t a drinks post (that will come in the future) this is all about the food. Blanchette is a French Bistro, and is all about French-style tapas and sharing plates. I’ve had a lot on this menu, and in a variety of different hunger levels, below is a small list of favourites from a sharing menu that I had when attending with work:
Baked St Marcellin & Truffle Honey
Cheese beignets & onion confit
Roasted Chicken supreme with a celeriac puree and truffle jus
Passionfruit vacherin
If you’re coming here for a quick glass of wine or a snack I’d recommend getting the below to satiate the palette.
Mixed olives w/ bread and butter. It’s the standard that you can rate any restaurant at so a given to try
Cheese and honey pairing - there’s four on the menu. Bailey and I had the Petit brillat savarin but I’m sure all of them are just as good.
Lastly, this place gets busy so I highly recommend that you make a reservation at least a week in advance. If there is a large group of you, I’d also recommend hiring out the ‘Jungle Room’. This is where I had the sharing/taster menu and it’s downstairs in a private section. This isn’t a necessity however it makes the experience just that much better.
Directions:
Heading from Oxford Circus, follow signs to Argyll Street. Once out of the tube head down until you get to Great Marlborough Street - Liberty will be right in front of you. Go left and continue walking until you get to Berwick Street, head right and then right again to get onto D’Arbly Street. Blanchette will just be on your right. Additionally, there’s a great place opposite called Copita which does amazing cocktails too, I’d recommend going there after.
That’s it! I had a lot of fun writing this, and am looking forward to creating more food orientated posts in the future.
