Soho

15/2/26 - updated with the opening date

Following up on their rooftop original and the very successful National Theatre follow-up, Forza Wine are gearing up for their next big launch.

This time they're opening in Soho, taking over the Daroco site (which, to be honest, we hadn't realised had closed a few months back). That's a big old space and, importantly, has a pretty extensive terrace, something which has proved to be pretty useful at Forza Wine's other openings. There's also a large area for a bar underneath what was Daroco, so we'll have to see what they'll

Love them or loathe them, Wetherspoons pubs are among the most successful in the country. That said, there are surprisingly few in the centre of town, but that's about to change as they're getting ready to open an enormous 300+ seat pub on Shaftesbury Avenue. 

According to hospitality industry site Propel, Wetherspoons is taking over the Coyote Ugly site, which itself only lasted a year and a half (although apparently a West End musical is being planned/threatened). Looking at the plans online, it's an enormous space (nearly 4000sq ft) and like other Wetherspoons, it plans to

We'll be honest with you, we hadn't even realised that La Bodega Negra had shut down. But it definitely has because there's a new restaurant just about to take over its cavernous site on Old Compton Street.

Maki & Ramen is a mid-tier restaurant group that was first launched in Scotland by Hong Kong-born chef Teddy Lee, and the name is pretty self-explanatory. Sushi and ramen are at the heart of the menu, and they say they're trying to hit that middle point "between high-end dining and grab-and-go".

It serves up an absolutely massive menu with no fewer than 17 ramen

Asma Khan's hugely successful Darjeeling Express has moved around quite a bit in the past. It originally started as a supperclub in Soho, then opened in Kingly Court. It moved to Covent Garden for about a year and a half and then back to Kingly Court for its longest stint yet. But now, after three years, Darjeeling Express is on the move again. 

The new Darjeeling Express will open at 36-40 Rupert Street, taking over the space that was once Hovarda (and for a short while David Thompson's Long Chim). It's a much bigger space than the current Darjeeling Express (it will fit in

Chef Michael Kwan has worked everywhere from The Fat Duck to Laduree and Hakkasan and, most recently, was the Executive Pastry Chef at The Dorchester. Now the Hong Kong-born chef is gearing up to open his much-anticipated new bakery in the heart of Soho.

ONSU sees the chef turning out a variety of breads and patisserie inspired by Asian flavours. On the sweet side, you've got the salted egg yolk mille feuille, popcorn and miso caramel Paris Brest and an oolong and milk chocolate tart. For the savoury, there's seaweed croissants, black truffle toast and a wagyu beef curry bun,

The team behind The Tamil Prince (and The Tamil Crown) are getting ready to open the latest of their curry house spin-offs, Tamila, and this one is their most central yet. The new Tamila is opening in Soho, which they're touting as being their flagship space. It's taking over a prominent corner site on Poland Street that was most recently the Obica Mozzarella bar. 

As with the other Tamilas (in Clapham and King's Cross), this is pitched as a modern version of a curry house with a focus on South Indian cuisine, influenced by executive chef Prince Durairaj’s heritage. So, the

Khao Bird sees the Thai barbecue restaurant graduate from a Borough Market residency to a permanent Soho restaurant. We went down to see what they're cooking up in their new digs. 

London's in-store dining has had quite a boost over the past few weeks. First, we had the all-star opening of the new Kith store on Regent Street with its restaurant and soft serve bar. Now we have the new Dr. Martens flagship store in Soho which, for the first time, boasts a brand new offering, the Doctor's Orders cafe.

The cafe, which you'll find inside the massive two-storey building in the heart of Soho, was a brand new concept devised for what they're calling a

They're big in the Netherlands and Belgium, where they hoover up the tourist crowds looking for particularly extra punnets of chips, and now Frites Atelier have come to London, landing in Soho (taking over from Balans no. 34). People do seem to enjoy queuing for food in Soho, so expect this to be the big new viral hit in the run-up to Christmas. They have had Eating With Tod in already, after all...

It was originally started by Michelin-starred chef Sergio Herman almost 10 years ago, but (so far) they've expanded only slowly and this is their fourth main opening, following

Three years after closing The Laughing Heart in Hackney, Charlie Mellor is back with his latest venture. 

Osteria Vibrato is the latest to join the recent trend of new Italian restaurants opening in town, this one with a menu created by Gaia Enria, founder of recently closed Burro e Salvia. Hoping to set themselves apart from the crowd, they're saying the menu

A health food restaurant that's opened across Europe is making its UK debut in Soho this month as Hg Soho (known as Honest Greens on the continent).

It's taking over a space in Soho that's directly opposite Kod (and used to be Good Housekeeping). The restaurant first opened in Barcelona in 2017 and has spread to more European cities since then. They bill the

We can't quite believe it's been 10 years since Padella first roared onto the London restaurant scene. The idea of well-priced, freshly made pasta dishes in a modern setting blew our tiny London minds at the time and set the scene for a perma-queue that pretty much remains at its OG Borough Market restaurant to this day.

Now the duo behind it, Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda (and also co-owners of Islington's Trullo),

In what can only be described as a bold move, the latest Flat Iron steak restaurant is opening in Soho, right next door to its founder's new place, The Devonshire. Flat Iron Piccadilly will throw open the doors to its latest restaurant next year, putting it right beside one of London's most famous pub restaurants, which is as well known for its steak as the pub below is for its Guinness.

Charlie

We can file this one away as an experience that seems absolutely tailor-made for us. We like chips. We like martinis. So, obviously, a pop-up that combines the two immediately had our attention. 

Both of these elements are coming together in a special pop-up from Grey Goose vodka, who are opening a two-day pop-up in the heart of Soho called The Grey Goose Chip Shop. Unlike lots of these

24/10/25 - updated with the opening date

For the past year, Northern Thai restaurant Khao Bird (which originally started life as pop-ups in Brighton) has had a very successful residency above The Globe Tavern in London Bridge. However, now it's time for them to put down permanent roots, and they've chosen Soho for that, in a space that was apparently once Soho's