London has been a busy hub for big hotel openings of late, from The OWO to Peninsula London. And now there's also a new luxury hotel opening right in the middle of Soho - Broadwick Soho. You may well have noticed it while you were wandering past wondering why there are elephants on that building (they'll be there over Christmas).
It's an independent hotel of just 57 rooms (although nine of those are suites and there's a penthouse too). The designer in charge is Martin Brudnizki, the man behind everything from Annabel's to The Dorchester's Vesper Bar. You'll also find amazing paintings throughout from artists like Francis Bacon, Bridget Riley, Andy Warhol and William Turnbull.
Hot Dinners was given the chance to get a sneak peek inside Broadwick Soho before it opened - so here's what you can expect from the space.
At the top is their rooftop bar, Flute
This is the hotel's rooftop spot, named after a flute maker who used to work on Broadwick Street, and is arguably their USP as it gives Soho a brand new rooftop bar with views across the surrounding streets thanks to a south and east-facing wraparound terrace. There are very few rooftop bars in Soho, so will be a big draw for the hotel (and might also be a great place to take in the fireworks on New Year's Eve).
It's being described as a "dining bar" with food designed for sharing alongside the cocktails. So you'll find oscietra caviar and potatoes, tuna tostadas, beef tartare, prawn spring rolls with ponzu mayo and more. Cocktails are all their own take on classics, with even a blue Hawaiian making the list. In charge of the cocktails up here is Greg Almeida, who has been at Scarfe's Bar and Tayēr+Elementary, so that bodes well for the drinks.
Inside the very glitsy Flute. You can see the terrace on the right.
The terrace wasn't fully set up when we popped in, but the view is quite unlike anything else in Soho.
Down in the basement is Dear Jackie
Down in the hotel's lower ground floor is Dear Jackie, which is all about "Italian opulence" and is their main restaurant. In charge of the food is Head Chef Harry Faddy, previously Head Chef at Aquavit London. That'll only be open for dinner with dishes including:
- Seared hand-dived scallop, champagne, trout roe, finger lime
- Pappardelle, braised rabbit, guanciale, taggiasche olives
- Roast turbot, mandarin, spiky artichokes
- Lemon brûlée tart, mascarpone ice cream
As for the name, that's a nod to hotel owner Noel Hayden's mother, and he says "I am paying tribute to the legendary and flamboyant Jackies of our past, present and future."
Dear Jackie is on the lower ground floor and is a scarlet-hued space. There are lots of alcoves and private booths dotted around the room.
Look out for the plates on the wall down here, they're all hand-painted.
Pinsa Romana and a ground-floor terrace at Bar Jackie
Back up on the ground floor is Bar Jackie, which is an Italian bar and more of a casual affair (for walk-ins only). It also has a pretty big terrace space outside, so you can expect that to be put to use in the warmer months. It's an all-day affair kicking off with a breakfast menu that, of course, features a full English as well as truffled scrambled eggs and more. Later in teh day you'll be able to order small aperitivo dishes like mussels and ‘nduja bruschetta as well as a small list of Pinsa Romana.
Although it's their more casual restaurant, Bar Jackie looks just as beautiful as Dear Jackie downstairs.
The secret space - The Nook
There's one more space on the ground floor, hidden away at the back, called The Nook. That's only for residents and is also very much a no-photos space, so we can't show you what that looks like. But having had a peek, we can tell you that just as much work has gone into making this an extremely cool Soho hideaway (and there's an open fire there too).
The incredibly quiet hotel rooms
We managed to also get a little look at one of the Broadwick Soho's bedrooms. It's worth noting that the soundproofing in the rooms is extremely impressive, so even though you can look down into the streets of Soho, you shouldn't have to try and block any of the Soho noise out when trying to sleep.
One of the blissfully quiet rooms at Broadwick Soho
In all, the whole place looks extremely impressive and personally, we're very keen to get back up to that rooftop bar and gaze out over Soho with a martini in hand.
More about Broadwick Soho
Where is it? 20 Broadwick Street, London W1F 8HT
When does it open? 15 November 2023
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @broadwicksoho.
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