London's longest-running restaurant grid. Chinatown noodles, Italian counters on Brewer Street, late-night cocktail rooms and Bao's original Lexington Street counter.
Ben Chapman's wood-fired Northern Thai counter in Soho London, opened 2016, sits in front of an open grill that turns out skewers and clay-pot noodles all day.
Signature: Clay pot baked glass noodles with brown crab, Cured pork skewers
Order: Clay pot baked glass noodles with brown crab, plus a skewer of aged Tamworth cured pork.
Tip: Counter seats are walk-in only after 17:30. Lunch tables behind the counter take bookings two weeks ahead.
Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung's original Bao counter on Lexington Street Soho in London, opened 2015, the bao that put Taiwanese food on every restaurant map in town.
Signature: Classic bao, Fried Horlicks ice cream
Order: Classic pork bao with peanut and fermented greens, plus the fried Horlicks ice cream to finish.
Tip: Walk-up only. Put your name down on the chalkboard outside; the queue moves in 20 to 40 minutes from open.
Jeremy Lee's Dean Street dining room in Soho London, opened 1926 and restored under chef Lee since 2012, runs a daily-changing seasonal British menu and a famous smoked eel sandwich.
Signature: Smoked eel sandwich, Steamed mutton pudding
Order: The smoked eel sandwich on rye, and whatever pudding is on the chalkboard at the door.
Tip: Lunch menu is a fraction of dinner prices and just as well-staffed; book a Soho-show theatre lunch a week ahead.
Tomos Parry's Soho London second restaurant on Beak Street, opened 2023 above a wood-fired open kitchen, runs Welsh-Spanish cooking and has held one Michelin star since 2024.
Order: Smoked sardine flatbread, the wood-roast lamb shoulder and whatever pudding is on the chalkboard.
Tip: Counter seats around the pass take walk-ins from 17:30. Bookings open six weeks ahead through Resy.
Gordon Ker's basement chophouse on Great Windmill Street in Soho London, opened 2015, runs charcoal-grilled chops in a 1850s-era basement room, the cheap-and-loud Sunday roast destination.
Signature: Lamb chops, Pre-theatre skinny chops
Order: The all-in chops board with beef, lamb and pork, plus the bone-marrow gravy.
Tip: Sunday roast is £20 and books two weeks ahead through Resy. Pre-theatre chops at 17:00 walks in for half-price.
The candlelit Lexington Street bistro in Soho London, opened 1985 by print-dealer Andrew Edmunds, still runs a daily-handwritten Modern European menu in a creaky-floored Georgian townhouse.
Signature: Whatever the daily seasonal plate is, Sticky toffee pudding
Order: Whatever seasonal main is on the handwritten menu, and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
Tip: Bookings take a six-week lead; bar seats at the front are released as walk-ins after 21:30 on weekdays.
John Devitt's hand-pulled udon counter on Frith Street in Soho London, opened 2010, runs the city's most serious Japanese noodle kitchen with a daily-changing seasonal special.
Signature: Hot udon with English breakfast, Mushroom udon
Order: Hot udon with the English breakfast (bacon, egg, mushroom) at brunch, or the kake bukkake at dinner.
Tip: Walk-up only. Doors open 12:00; arrive at 11:45 for first sittings without a wait. Closed Sundays.
The Layo Paskin brothers' Jerusalem-leaning counter and dining room on Rupert Street in Soho London, opened 2014, runs a kitchen-counter front and a calmer back room.
Signature: Kubaneh bread with tahini, Octopus mishmish
Order: Kubaneh bread (warm pull-apart with tahini and pepper jam) followed by the octopus mishmish main.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back take bookings two weeks ahead.
Neil Borthwick's upstairs dining room above the historic French House pub on Dean Street in Soho London, opened 2017 in the room Free French resistance used through the war.
Signature: Daily-changing chalkboard
Order: Whatever the seasonal main is on the chalkboard, with a glass from the focused wine list.
Tip: No mobile phones, no music. Tables book one week ahead. The downstairs pub still pours a proper half-pint of bitter.
Jacob Kenedy's regional Italian dining room on Archer Street in Soho London, opened 2008, plates dishes from Piemonte, Friuli, Calabria and beyond, with the date and region listed.
Signature: Suckling pig porchetta, Whatever regional special is on
Order: Suckling pig porchetta with crackling on a soft roll, and a Lambrusco from the carafe list.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
The 1944 Brewer Street deli's first sit-down restaurant on Greek Street in Soho London, opened 2018, runs hand-rolled pasta and Italian-deli classics in a green-tiled room.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Tiramisu
Order: Whatever fresh stuffed pasta is on the daily menu, and the tiramisu in the original Lina recipe.
Tip: Walk-up only at the deli original on Brewer Street; the Greek Street site takes bookings via Resy two weeks ahead.
Tap Coffee's Rathbone Place espresso bar in Fitzrovia London, opened 2011, runs a serious filter and espresso menu using Has Bean and other small-batch UK roasters.
Signature drink: Flat white
Tip: The standing counter at the front is the fastest morning queue. Closes at 17:00 weekdays and 16:00 weekends.
Stephen Tozer and Manu Canales's modern kebab counter on the top floor of Kingly Court in Soho London, opened 2015, runs ethically sourced lamb shawarma, doner and falafel flatbreads.
Tip: The Kingly Court site has a sun terrace. The Coal Drops Yard sibling in King's Cross runs the same kitchen.
Worth the queue: Lamb shawarma flatbread
Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston's two-floor cocktail bar on Old Compton Street in Soho London, opened 2016, runs an upstairs Irish-coffee bar and a basement late-night cocktail room.
Signature drink: Irish coffee at the upstairs bar
Food: Snacks upstairs, late kitchen downstairs
Tip: Upstairs takes walk-ins from 17:30. The basement runs to 02:00 with a deeper whiskey list. The Borough sibling has the same kitchen.
Tony Conigliaro and Marco Arrigo's Italian-cafe-and-cocktail-bar on Old Compton Street in Soho London, opened 2015, runs an aperitivo menu and the city's most photographed Negroni.
Signature drink: Caffe corretto and Negroni
Food: Italian snacks
Tip: Walk-up at the counter and bar tables. Tiny room of 20 seats; the espresso bar runs all day, cocktails from 16:00.
Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung's Taiwanese bao counter on Lexington Street in Soho London, opened 2015, runs the classic pork bao that defined the British bao moment.
Try: Taiwanese steamed bao
Tip: Walk-up only at the counter; queue 30-60 minutes on weekend nights. £6 per bao; pair with peanut-milk shaved ice for dessert.
Bao Soho counter on Lexington Street in central London, opened 2015, runs the classic Taiwanese bao at £6 each, the city's best-value Asian counter eats.
Try: Taiwanese steamed bao
Tip: Three bao plus a side runs £20-25; budget visit is two bao for £12. Walk-up only with the chalkboard waiting list outside.
Blacklock's pre-theatre chops menu in their Soho London basement, opened 2015, runs the all-chops platter at half price between 17:00 and 18:30 most weeknights for £10 a head.
Try: Skinny chops at half price
Tip: Walk-up only for pre-theatre. Last orders 18:30 sharp; the chops platter at the early sitting is the same kitchen as 19:30 service.
Jonathan Arana-Morton and Allan Howe's American-style brunch counter on D'Arblay Street in Soho London, opened 2005, runs pancakes, eggs and a famous Mavericks burrito.
Order: Pancake stack with bacon and maple
Tip: Walk-in only. Weekday at 09:00 walks in; weekends queue 45-60 minutes. The Spitalfields and Hoxton siblings have shorter queues.
Ross Shonhan's Soho ramen bar on Peter Street in central London, opened 2012, runs late-night tonkotsu ramen, fried chicken bao and a Japanese-American menu until 23:00.
Try: Tonkotsu ramen
Tip: Walk-up only after 21:30. Counter seats face the open kitchen. The Soho original closes at 23:00; the Bond Street sibling runs to 00:00 on weekends.
Alan Yau's Cantonese gastropub on Berwick Street in Soho London, opened 2015 in the former Endurance pub, runs Cantonese dim sum and a late kitchen serving until midnight.
Try: Late Cantonese dim sum
Tip: The upstairs dining room takes bookings; the downstairs pub-and-bar walks in any night. Closed half an hour 16:00-16:30 daily.
Joy King Lau on Leicester Street in Chinatown London, trading since 1985 as a four-floor Cantonese family restaurant, runs roast meats, congee and dim sum from 11:00 until late.
Try: Cantonese roast meats and dim sum
Tip: Walk-in any night for the takeaway counter at the front. The roast goose with rice is the marquee plate at £18.
Four Seasons on Gerrard Street in Chinatown London, trading since 1996, runs the city's most-cited Cantonese roast duck, served whole or half with plum sauce.
Try: Cantonese roast duck
Tip: Walk-in any night. Take-away roast duck is half the dining-room price. The Queensway Bayswater sibling runs the same kitchen.
Cay Tre Vietnamese kitchen on Dean Street in Soho London, opened 2009 by Hieu Trung Bui, runs late pho, bun cha and banh mi until 22:30 every night.
Try: Vietnamese pho and bun cha
Tip: Walk-in or book a fortnight ahead. The pre-theatre menu at £20 for two courses runs until 18:30.
Bao Soho counter on Lexington Street in central London, opened 2015 by Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung, runs late Taiwanese steamed buns and grilled skewers until 23:00.
Try: Taiwanese bao and grilled meat skewers
Tip: Walk-up only. After 21:30 is the easy slot; weekday last orders at 22:30. The Borough sibling runs to midnight on weekends.