F7 - Soho - What to See and Where to Eat and Drink (1.6 km)
- philip carey
- Jul 10, 2023
- 16 min read
Updated: Dec 22, 2024
Start at Tottenham Court Road Station
Finish at Piccadilly Circus Station
THE EXPERIENCE
Soho, where every street has stories and menus to savour.
This route is a foodie's paradise, with many restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, and eateries offering cuisines from around the world. It is a vibrant and busy area with a rich history that dates back to the late 1600s. Soho will provide you with a fantastic variety of dining, nightlife, and shopping options, especially along Greek Street, Dean Street, Frith Street, Brewer Street, Beak Street, Broadwick Street, Wardour Street, and Old Compton Streets.
It is great for bright lights, atmosphere, history, iconic sights, entertainment venues, crowds, transport links, shopping, theatres, and many places to eat, drink and be merry.
BEST TIME
Morning - Most of this route will be reasonably quiet except for the areas around Piccadilly Circus. The best time to explore the route is early morning when the lighting is at its best and few people are around. It is also a great way to discover places for breakfast.
Day -This route gets busier during the day, from lunchtime onwards. However, there are plenty of places to stop for a light snack or a long lunch.
Evenings—This route is busiest in the evening. Most streets have plenty of places to stop for a drink or an evening meal.
ROUTE OVERVIEW
This 1.6 km route starts at Tottenham Court Road Station and goes straight to the heart of Soho via Greek Street, Dean Street, Frith Street, and Old Compton Street, exploring all they have to offer. It then heads west along Brewers Street, with its array of eating and drinking establishments, before ending up amongst the bright neon lights of Piccadilly Circus.
See the route at speed (2:03)
Use this to see what the route looks like as if you were doing it at speed and to make you more familiar with what you will see along the way.
GOOGLE AND STRAVA MAPS
Use 'My Google Maps' to explore Soho's venues. If you are using a mobile device, the map can help you find the start point for the route, navigate to places of interest, and show your position on the map.
What to see and places to eat, drink and be merry.
What to See List
1 Oxford Street
2 Tottenham Court Road and St Giles Square
3 Denmark Street and St Giles
4 Soho Square
5 Greek Street, Moor Street and the Palace Theatre
6 Frith Street and Dean Street
7 Old Compton Street and Wardour Street
8 Brewer Street
9 Glasshouse Street, Regent Street and Café Royal
10 Piccadilly Circus and Shaftesbury Avenue
Soho Route - Pubs
There are several bars and pubs along the route, with more close by, especially in Leicester Square, the Stand and south of Trafalgar Square.
Here is a listing of nearby pubs and bars
Pubs Close to Charing Cross Road side
The Montagu Pyke was a cinema now a JD Wetherspoon – 105-107 Charing Cross Road.
The Coach and Horses 2- Old Compton St - Shepherd Neame
The Cambridge 93 Charing Cross Road
Spice of Life – Music in the basement – 6 Moor St McMullen
The Three Greyhounds 25 Greek Street
The Royal George – 133 Charing Cross Road
The Flying Horse (was the Tottenham) – 6 Oxford Street
The Coach and Horses Soho – 29 Greek Street Fullers
The Royal George 133 Charing Cross Road
The Dog and Duck 18 Bateman Street
The Crown and two Chairmen – 31-32 Dean Street
The Toucan – Guinness – Irish Pub - 19 Carlisle Street
Nellie Dean 89 Dean St
The French House – 49 Dean Street – serves pints in half-pint glasses
Golden Lion. 51 Dean Street
The Ship 116 Wardour Street Fullers – music
The George 1 D’arblay Street (upper Wardour Street)
Pubs Close to Old Compton Street
Admiral Duncan 54 Old Compton Street
Comptons 51-53 Old Compton Street
Duke of Wellington 77 Wardour Street
Pups West of Wardour Street towards Regent Street
Blue post – 22 Berwick Street
Brewdog Soho 21 Poland Street
White Horse 45 Rupert Street - No-frills corner pub – Sams Smiths
Star and Garter 62 Poland Street – Traditional pub
John Snow – 39 Broadwick Street - Yorkshire Ales
Duke of Argyll – 37 Brewer Street –Old-school pub
Soho 37 Great Windmill Street – little Victorian pub
St James Tavern 45 Great Windmill Street
The Queen's Head Piccadilly – 15 Denman Street
The Glasshouse Stores – 55 Brewer Street compact classic pub -
Son and 13 Canton Soho – 21 Great Pulteney Street – (near Beak Street) Fullers
Old Coffee House 49 Beak Street – traditional family-run pub
The Crown – 64 Brewer Street
The White Horse 16 Newburgh St nr Carnaby Street
The Argyll Arms – 18 Argyll St nr Oxford Street
O’Neill’S Carnaby St 37-38 Great Marlborough Street
The Clachan – 34 Kingly Street
The Shakespeare’s Head – 29 Great Marlborough Street on Carnaby Street
Ganton Arms – 18-20 Ganton Street – modern British pub
The Shaston Arms 4-6 Ganton Street near Carnaby Street
The Red Lion – 14 Kingly Street Traditional pub
Leicester Arms – 44 Glasshouse Street
Glassblower 40-42 Glassbower Street
Bars and Cocktails
Leicester Square
Icon Balcony Bar – 5-6 Leicester Square - Part of Empire Casino
LSQ Rooftop Cocktail Bar and Kitchen
Heliot Cocktail Bar Part of the Hippodrome Leicester Square
Zoo Bar and Club – 13-17 Bear St – Disco bar
The Beau (Brummel) bar and restaurant – 3 Norris St -St James’s Market
Nearby
Opium Cocktail Bar – 15 Gerrard Street
Soho Route Bars
There are plenty of bars along this route and nearby, as shown on the list below.
Bars East Soho Area
Simmons Bar 17 Manette Street (near TCR station)
Bar Termini 7 Old Compton Street ( near Charing Cross Road) specialise in Negroni’s
Swift Soho – 12 Old Compton Street (upstairs and downstairs bar) and whisky
Bars Greek Street
21 Soho – Comedy coffee cocktails – 21 Soho Square
Wun’s Tea Rooms and Bar – Asian dishes and cocktails 23 Greek Street
Soho Zebrano 18 Greek Street – (Clubby)
Be at One – 17 Greek Street
Martinez ( members cocktail club) 49 Greek Street
Simmons Bar Soho 2 Bateman Street
Thirst – late-night cocktail 53 Greek Street
The little Scarlet Door. 12-13 Greek Street
Beasy – 58 Greek Street
Simmons Bar Greek St – 7 Greek Street
Milroy’s of Soho – Whiskies 3 Greek Street
Louche Soho 5 Greek Street – Music and Cocktails
Bars near Frith Street
Negroni’s – 15 Frith Street - Specialist in Negroni’s
Circa Soho. – 62 Frith Street – Soho Gay bar
Garlic and Shots 14 Frith Street
Ronnie Scott’s 47 Frith Street Jazz Club
Bar Soho 23-25 Old Compton Street
She Soho LGBT Women. 23a Old Compton Street
G-A-Y 30 Old Compton Street
Zima Karaoke and Bar – Russian -45 Frith Street
Bars near Dean Street
Soho Theatre Bar – Soho Theatre – Dean Street
The Piano Bar Soho Hotel – 16 Carlisle Street (live Jazz music)
The London Gin Club 22 Great Chapel Street
Bars near Wardour Street
Soho Residence 83-85 Wardour Street
Amici 187b Wardour Street
Simmons Bar Oxford Street – 203 Wardour Street
The Den 100 Wardour Street
Village Soho 81 Wardour Street
Rupert Street bar – 50 Rupert St
Freedom Bar – 60-66 Wardour St
Yard Bar – 57 Rupert St
Bars West of Wardour Street towards Regent Street
Nq64 – Arcade Bar 53 Berwick Street
Barrio Soho 6 Poland Street Latino flavour
Violets – 19 Berwick Street
Archer Street. 3-4 Archer Street team are all talented professional performers from West End shows, song & dance
Lucky Voice – 52 Poland Street. – Karaoke
The Thin White Duke – 22b Great Windmill Street – Coffee and cocktails
Be at One Piccadilly Circus – 20 Great Windmill Street
Jack Solomons Club – 41 Great Windmill Street – site of an old boxing gym - speakeasy
Abajo 47b Great Marlborough Street - bar with live music
Bar Americain part of Zedel - 20 Sherwood Street- art deco American bar
Green Bar – Hotel Café Royal 15 Glasshouse Street
Simmons Bar Piccadilly – 4 Golden Square
Nightjar Kingly Court – 49-51 Carnaby Street - Jamaican Rum and Jazz
Antidote Wine Bar & Shop 12a Newburgh Street – Near Carnaby Street
Aqua Spirit – 5th Floor 240 Regent St (30 Argyll Street)
Flare C]Carnaby – 14-16 Ganton Street near Carnaby Street
Ain’t nothing like the Blues bar – 20 Kingly Street near Carnaby Street – Blues band and bar
Bar Crispin – 19 Kingly Street - all-day natural wine bar and restaurant
Cahoots Ticket Hall and Control Room – 5 Kingly Street
Be at One – Regent Street- 10 Beak Street
Soho Route - Places to Eat
There are plenty of places to eat directly on the route and nearby. Use the food links below to find your perfect spot.
Open Table London prides itself on bringing together people and the restaurants they love in the moments that matter, offering dining options, experiences, and offers.
The Fork—This is a Tripadvisor company that relies as much on its communities of users as its communities of restaurateurs. You can search by price, cuisine, rating, and special offers.
Hardens – This is probably the UK's most comprehensive independent restaurant guide, with reviews written by its members. It ranks each place by its food, services and ambience and has extensive search capabilities.
Design My Night This site is designed to help you discover and unlock secret, new and unique city experiences, from events to bars and restaurants, but it is also a site to help plan and book online. It has categories for restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, and 'what's on'.
Afternoon tea This is an Afternoon Tea guide to help you find the 'perfect venue for afternoon tea' in London and the UK. It provides descriptions, offers, booking facilities and an extensive search option.
Breakfast Venues near Soho
26 Grains – Neals Yard – and Covent Garden
Balthazar – Russell Street
Balans 34 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TS
Dean Street Townhouse Where: 69-71 Dean Street, W1D 3SE opens 8:00 Sat/Sun
The Ivy Where: 26-28 Broadwick Street, W1F 8JBKoya Where: 50 Frith Street, W1D 4SQ Japanese - small
Scarlett Green Where: 4 Noel Street, W1F 8GB - AustralianThe Breakfast Club Where: 33 D’Arblay Street, W1F 8EU
Café Boheme Where: 13 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JQ French Bill’s Where: 36-44 Brewer Street, W1F 9TB
My Place Where: 21 Berwick Street, W1F 0PZFlat White Where: 17 Berwick Street, W1F 0PT
Refuel – 4 Richmond Mews – Soho Hotel
L’eto Caffe – 155 Wardour Street
GAIL's Bakery Soho 128 Wardour Street
B Bagel 54 Wardour Street – take away bagels
Cote Brasserie – 124-126 Wardour Street
Bar Bruno 101 Wardour Street - Italian
Maison Bertaux – 28 Greek Street
Veggie Pret – 35 Broadwick Street
Browns – 82-84 St Martins Lane
Soho Route - Things to Do
This area has a few entertainment venues along its route, and plenty are nearby, especially to its south. See the listings below.
Soho Theatres
Dominion Theatre 268-269 Tottenham Court Road
@sohoplace – 4 Soho Street
Soho Theatre 21 Dean Street
Phoenix Theatre – Charing Cross Road
Prince Edward Theatre Old Compton Street
Palace Theatre 113 Shaftesbury Avenue
Nearby Theatres
Leicester Square Theatre 6 Leicester Place
Sondheim Theatre 51 Shaftesbury Avenue
The Gielgud Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue
The Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue
Lyric Theatre 29 Shaftesbury Avenue
Piccadilly Theatre 16 Denman Street
Criterion Theatre 218 -223 Piccadilly
The Price of Wales Theatre Coventry Street
The Harold Pinter Theatre – Panton Street
Other Things To Do Around Soho
The Photographers’ Gallery Turner house 16-18 Ramillies Street
The Crystal Maze Live Experience – 22-32 Shaftesbury Avenue
The London Palladium 8 Argyll Street
The Comedy Store 5 Great Newport Street
BODY WORLDS London 1 Piccadilly Circus
Berwick Street Market – Berwick Street is a traditional market with stalls selling foods and fashions alongside independent shops and pubs open 8:00 -18:00 except Sunday.
Casinos south of Soho
Empire Casino 5-6 Leicester Square
The Hippodrome Casino Cranbourn Street
Grosvenor Casino – The Rialto – 3-4 Coventry Street
Cinema near Soho
Cineworld Leicester Square – 5-6 Leicester Square
Vue Cinema London 3 Cranbourn Street Leicester Square
ODEON Luxe – 24-26 Leicester Square
ODEON Luxe West End – 38a Leicester Square
The Prince Charles Cinema – 7 Leicester Place
Picturehouse Central – Corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Windmill Street
Curzon Soho 99 Shaftesbury Avenue
Soho Churches
St Anne’s Church 55 Dean Street - 17th century Soho Parish Church
St Patrick's Catholic Church 21a Soho Square
French protestant Church of London 8-9 Soho Square
Our lady of the Assumption & St Gregory The presbytery, 10 Warwick Street
Church of Notre Dame de France RC 5 Leicester Place
Chinese Church in London – 166a Shaftesbury Ave
St Martin-in-the-Fields. Trafalgar Square
PHOTO GALLERY
This gallery provides a descriptive and visual reference to many sights along this route.. Double-click to see the image in full size.
HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS
Soho History
Early Development and Name :
Soho's name originated from a hunting cry. Before becoming a fashionable district, the area was open farmland and hunting grounds. In the late 16th century, it was enclosed for hunting purposes by Henry VIII. The name "Soho" was used as a rallying cry by the Duke of Monmouth’s men during the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685, and it stuck as the name for the district. Other have suggested that the Soho's name derives from an English 16th-century hunting cry “so-hoe” used either to encourage or to call off harrier dogs when fetching game, namely hares.
17th Century Urbanization:
The area began to develop in the 1660s after the Great Fire of London. It attracted wealthy aristocrats and the landed gentry, leading to the construction of grand squares and townhouses. Soho Square, laid out in 1681, became one of London’s most fashionable residential areas.
18th Century Immigrant Influx:
During the 18th century, Soho became a hub for immigrants, particularly Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in France. They brought with them skills in silk weaving, contributing to Soho’s burgeoning textile industry. The area also attracted other communities, including Italians, Greeks, and Jews, each adding to Soho's multicultural tapestry.
19th Century Industrial and Entertainment Growth:
By the 19th century, Soho had transformed into a mix of industrial workshops, music halls, and small theatres. The area became famous for its entertainment venues, including the Prince of Wales Theatre and the Alhambra Theatre, which attracted Londoners seeking leisure and amusement.
Bohemian and Artistic Hub:
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Soho emerged as a centre for artists, writers, and intellectuals. It was known for its bohemian atmosphere, with famous residents, including Karl Marx, who lived on Dean Street, and artists like William Blake. The area became synonymous with creativity and countercultural movements.
Around Greek Street and Soho Square
Tottenham Court Road Station and Nearby Theatres
Today, the station dates from 1900 and is served by the Central Line, the Elizabeth Line, and the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line. Until 1933, the next station eastbound on the Central line was the British Museum—it’s now Holborn. The station has had a £500M upgrade for the Elizabeth line, which also caused the nearby London Astoria to be closed and demolished. It was replaced in late 2022 by the Soho Palace Theatre.
There are two other theatres near here. The Dominion Theatre to the north opened in 1929 on the former Horseshoe Brewery site – famous for the beer flood of 1814. The theatre retains its Art Deco architecture and 1930s interior with period light fitting and plasterwork. It became a cinema in the 1930s and reverted back into a theatre in the ‘80s. Previous shows include Grease, We Will Rock You, and The Bodyguard. It’s currently showing Dirty Dancing. The Phoenix Theatre to the south was built in 1930 as a music hall on a former factory's site. The main area for food and drink is towards Soho to the southwest and Charlotte Street to the northwest.
Soho Square Charities and churches
The square has the French Protestant Church of London on the north and St Patrick’s Catholic Church on the east.
The House of St Barnabas on the south side has been a charity since 1862 to help those experiencing homelessness. One of the charity's original functions was to keep families together when a family's husband entered a workhouse. It was one of the few institutions in London where men, women, and children from all walks of life could apply for aid without losing self-respect.
The eat, drink and be merry places are generally south of Soho Square and its north and east.
Greek Street
Greek Street is named after a Greek church that once had its main entrance facing the street in the late 1600s. At the time, this area of Soho had a wide range of immigrants, including French, Italian, Jewish, and Greek.
The street and the surrounding areas have one of the highest concentrations of places to eat, drink and be merry in Soho, with some iconic venues such as The Coach and Horses, Milroy’s and L'Escargot Restaurant. It was also the home of many famous clubs and bars, such as the Gay Hussars, the Pillar of Hercules, and the Entertainment Club.
Palace Theatre
This theatre was commissioned by the impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte and opened as the Royal English Opera House in January 1891. It became the Palace Theatre in 1911 and was known for its orchestra and the dancing Palace Girls. In the 1970s, it ran 3,358 performances of Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as an 18-year run of Les Misérables. Since 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a two-part play, has been staged here.
With Chinatown, Soho and St Giles nearby, there are plenty of places to eat, drink and be merry.
The Prince Edward Theatre
The Prince Edward Theatre is on the eastern side of Old Compton Street, close to the Palace Theatre. It opened in 1930 and was named after Prince Edward (at the time Prince of Wales, briefly Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor). It became a dance and cabaret hall in 1935 and then a ‘Cinerama’ in the ‘50s before returning as a theatre in 1978 with the world première of the musical Evita. Old Compton Street is named after Henry Compton, who funded Soho’s parish church – St Anne’s – in 1686. Today, it’s one of London’s main LGBT+ hubs
Soho Square
Soho Square was originally called King Square after Charles II, and a statue of Charles II has been here since 1661—one year after the restoration of the monarchy. When it was built, Soho Square was one of the most fashionable places in London. However, in the 19th century, the area became run down. This mock Tudor “market cross” building in the centre of the square was installed here in 1926 to hide the above-ground electricity substation.
The square has the French Protestant Church of London on the north side, St Patrick’s Catholic Church on the east side, the charity House of St Barnabas on the south-eastern side, and the 20th Century Fox Film Company on its southwestern side.
Although Soho Square has only a limited number of eating, drinking and being merry places, there is plenty to the north, south and west of the square.
Other Soho Places and Facts
Frith Street by Ronnie Scott’s
Frith Street was named after Richard Frith, a wealthy builder who created this street in the early 1680s. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it became popular with artistic and literary people, including John Constable, who lived here in 1810-11, and the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who lodged at no. 20 with his father and sister in 1764–65.
Ronnie Scott’s is one of the oldest jazz clubs in the world. It was founded by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King in 1959 in Gerrard Street in today’s Chinatown and moved to this location on Frith in 1965. In its time, it has featured most of the legendary and famous names in modern jazz and jazz fusion, including Jimi Hendrix's last public performance in 1970.
Soho has a rich musical heritage. The Marquee Club, which opened in 1958, hosted early performances by bands like The Rolling Stones and The Who. The area remains a hub for nightlife, with numerous bars, clubs, and live music venues.
Bateman Street Junction
Bateman Street was named after one of the owners of Monmouth House, which ran from Dean Street to Greek Street up to Soho Square. Sir Christopher Wren designed the house for the Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II, in 1677. However, the Duke led a failed rebellion against James II and lost his head. Many of his supporters were tried during the Bloody Assizes, led by Judge Jeffreys; 320 people were condemned to death, and around 800 were sentenced to be transported to the West Indies for a life of hard labour. His house was later sold to the Bateman family – hence the street's name.
Like most of Soho, there are plenty of places to eat, drink and be merry, and Bateman Street has two great old Soho pubs – The Crown and Two Chairmen on the corner of Dean Street and The Dog and Duck on the corner of Frith Street.
Dean Street
The lower end of Dean Street has the famous French House. The pub was opened in 1891 by a German and then taken over by a Belgian when World War One was declared and named the York Minster. During World War II, it became the unofficial headquarters of the Free French forces, headed up by Charles de Gaulle, from whence it got its name, the French House. It has some special rules like no mobile phones, and beer is only served in half pints, except on April 1st.
Old Compton Street
Old Compton Street was initially named Compton Street after Henry Compton, who funded Soho’s parish Church - St Anne’s – in 1686 and built both this street and Dean Street. The area became the home of Huguenots – French Protestant refugees who were given asylum in England by Charles II in 1681. Since the 1970s, the road has attracted London’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Old Compton Street is famous for its gay bars, clubs, and shops. Venues like G-A-Y and The Admiral Duncan are well-known fixtures in the area.
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue was built in the 1880s as a slum clearance measure to provide a north-south traffic artery through the crowded districts of St Giles and Soho. It has Chinatown on the east, Soho to the west, Piccadilly to the south and St Giles to the north. The avenue is considered the heart of London’s West End theatre district, with the Lyric, Apollo, Gielgud, Sondheim, Palace and Shaftesbury Theatre along its length.
Brewer Street
Brewer Street was built in the 1680s, and many houses were constructed for the growing populations of trade and craft people who worked in the nearby factories. In the mid-1660s, Thomas Ayres built the Ayres Brewery, which continued to make beer into the 19th century. Soho was a busy industrial area with glassblowing and gunpowder factories, and it had a large workforce that lived nearby in densely populated houses. The brewery and the working population meant that pubs and places to eat, drink and be merry were numerous and profitable.
Today, the area is still filled with plenty of exciting places to eat, with restaurants, bars and pubs catering for tastes from around the world.
Red Light District: For much of the 20th century, Soho was notorious as London's red-light district. It was known for its adult entertainment venues, including strip clubs and sex shops. This reputation has diminished over the years as the area has undergone significant gentrification.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE AREA
Click on the picture below to go on a 360 virtual tour of the shopping areas and look around.
Use the route to explore this location by looking around in 360, taking in the sights and sounds, listening to an audio recording about the area and going on a virtual tour.
This gallery provides more information on each of the areas shown in the virtual tour, using their 360 images.
Browse the gallery to find out what you can see along the way.
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