Lets Discover · Soho
Best Restaurants, Bars and Things to Do in Soho, London
Soho is one of London's most celebrated neighbourhoods for food, drink and culture, packed into roughly half a square mile between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road. The area has one of the highest concentrations of independent restaurants in the city, ranging from Taiwanese street food to long-standing Italian trattorias and Michelin-starred dining rooms. Creators on Lets Discover have recommended dozens of venues across Soho, covering restaurants, cocktail bars, coffee shops and cultural landmarks.
What's on in Soho
Upcoming events at venues in the area
Thu 16 Apr
Padella Soho
Padella Soho
Ten years in, Padella picks Soho for their third. The beef shin ragu has its own mythology in this city. Counter seats and a short menu. Silk handkerchief carbonara is the signature. Queue early, or queue and rue.
Thu 23 Apr
Jolene Bridle Lane
JOLENE BRIDLE LANE SOHO
Jolene opens inside The Aries flagship on Bridle Lane. Seasonal pastries, changing sandwiches. Two floors and a proper kitchen. The bread alone is worth the detour. Flour in Soho. Worth the slow.
Sat 9 May
AFROPLAY - London's Biggest Arcade & Afrobeats Party
NQ64 Arcade Bar - Soho
AFROPLAY is an arcade and Afrobeats party at NQ64 Arcade Bar in Soho combining arcade gaming with DJs playing Afrobeats, Bashment, Hip-Hop, RnB and Trap. The event offers a lively, adult party atmosphere with dancing, games and food/drink service.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
NQ64 Arcade Nights Soho Every Saturday
NQ64 Arcade Bar - Soho
NQ64 Arcade Nights Soho is a retro arcade bar night in London featuring classic arcade and fighting games in a vibrant underground atmosphere. The event targets adults with student pricing and offers arcade gameplay and bar service at NQ64 Soho.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Piccadilly Theatre
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the West End production at the Piccadilly Theatre based on Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film. The show features reimagined pop songs and tells a story of love and bohemian Paris at the turn of the 20th century.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
Soho Comedy House
30 Dean St
Soho Comedy House is a live comedy club in Central London showcasing established UK TV comedians and emerging talent. The venue combines stand-up shows with free karaoke and a lively late-night bar atmosphere at 30 Dean Street.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
Mr Fogg's Treasure Hunt
Mr Fogg's Pawnbrokers
Mr Fogg's Treasure Hunt is an immersive outdoor cocktail treasure hunt in Soho combining riddles, street exploration and included cocktails. Teams follow clues inspired by Phileas J. Fogg for a playful, competitive group experience in central London.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
Les Misérables
Sondheim Theatre
Les Misérables is the long-running West End musical at the Sondheim Theatre adapted from Victor Hugo's novel. The production features the iconic score including I Dreamed a Dream, One Day More, and Bring Him Home.
Tickets available
Creator picks in Soho
Verified recommendations from Lets Discover creators
- 1Zahter
Recommended by thisissoho · Next stop: Newburgh Street 📍 Tucked just off Carnaby Street, you’ll find some of London’s best places to eat, drink and…
- 2HIMI
Recommended by thisissoho · Next stop: Newburgh Street 📍 Tucked just off Carnaby Street, you’ll find some of London’s best places to eat, drink and…
- 3Ugly Dumpling
Recommended by thisissoho · Next stop: Newburgh Street 📍 Tucked just off Carnaby Street, you’ll find some of London’s best places to eat, drink and…
- 4Pleasing Store
Recommended by thisissoho · PleasingLand is now open on Carnaby Street. Founded by Harry Styles, discover beauty to apparel and find in-store surpri…
- 5The White Horse
Recommended by thisissoho · Ganton, Berwick and Newburgh Street in Soho 📍London, are home to three of the best pubs in the city on a Thursday. Wher…
- 6The Blue Posts
Recommended by thisissoho · Ganton, Berwick and Newburgh Street in Soho 📍London, are home to three of the best pubs in the city on a Thursday. Wher…
- 7The Shaston Arms
Recommended by thisissoho · Ganton, Berwick and Newburgh Street in Soho 📍London, are home to three of the best pubs in the city on a Thursday. Wher…
- 8Kingly Court
Recommended by thisissoho · The ultimate London itinerary - save for your next trip 🛬 📍Start in Soho Shop on Carnaby Street for latest fashion + …
- 9The Photographers' Gallery
Recommended by thisissoho · The ultimate London itinerary - save for your next trip 🛬 📍Start in Soho Shop on Carnaby Street for latest fashion + …
- 10The Little Violet Door
Recommended by thisissoho · The ultimate London itinerary - save for your next trip 🛬 📍Start in Soho Shop on Carnaby Street for latest fashion + …
About Soho
Few parts of London offer as much per square foot as Soho. Walk down any street between Oxford Circus and Leicester Square and you will pass a dozen restaurants worth trying, a handful of bars worth returning to, and buildings with stories attached to almost every facade. It is the kind of neighbourhood where you can eat your way around the world without covering more than a mile on foot.
What makes Soho particularly valuable as a food destination is the mix. Independent restaurants that have been trading for decades sit alongside new openings that arrive with serious culinary ambition. There is no single dominant cuisine or price point. A weekday lunch might be a bowl of ramen in a tiny basement, a Friday dinner a long Italian meal in a room that has barely changed since the 1980s. The neighbourhood rewards regular visitors who have local knowledge, which is exactly why creator recommendations are the best way to navigate it.
The Lets Discover creators who cover Soho tend to eat here often and deeply. Their picks are not based on a single visit but on years of knowing which tables to book, which bars serve the best negroni and which coffee shops are worth the detour from the main drag. The recommendations below are drawn directly from their verified picks.
Soho's food scene is anchored by a handful of streets that each have their own character. Frith Street has long been associated with serious Italian cooking. Dean Street is reliably strong for neighbourhood restaurants with proper bar programmes. Old Compton Street remains the heart of the area's cafe culture. Wardour Street and its surrounding blocks are where new openings tend to cluster, which means the area's restaurant map is always shifting slightly. The creator picks below reflect where people who actually eat here regularly choose to go.
History and culture in Soho
Soho's history is as layered as its restaurant scene. The neighbourhood was shaped by successive waves of immigration, beginning with French Huguenot refugees in the late 17th century, followed by Italian, Greek and Chinese communities who each left a permanent mark on the area's character and its food. By the 20th century Soho had become the centre of London's jazz and music scene, home to clubs and venues that launched careers and defined generations of British popular culture. The area also played a central role in the history of London's LGBTQ+ community, with Old Compton Street remaining an important landmark. Carnaby Street, just to the west, became synonymous with the 1960s fashion explosion. Walking through Soho today you are moving through several centuries of London history at once, and the buildings, street names and long-standing institutions are all part of that story.
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