philip careyNight 'Out' in Soho - Eat, Drink and be Merry Venue Information
Updated: Jan 8
Soho
Soho features a variety of dining, nightlife, and shopping options, with Greek, Dean, Frith, Beak, Wardour and Old Compton streets being its epicentre of activity - day and night.
This short 'Concierge styled' overview video is designed to give you a flavour of the area, whilst the rest of this blog is focused on providing you with guidance and a 'tasting menu'.
Eat, drink and be Merry Maps of Soho
Eat, Drink and be Merry Theme Suggestions
Food Links
Nothing brings people together like good food, so where do you go in this part of London that will cater to your taste and pocket and provide the ambience you want?
The art of finding and recommending the perfect place to eat can be tricky as there is so much variety in London, and tastes and budgets vaFindingand get around this, I have provided the most common links to help you find, select and book eating venues – just add the location into the search.
Open Table London – They pride themselves in bringing together people and the restaurants they love in the moments that matter, giving you 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 on 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.
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Drinking Locations
Special Google Maps
Soho Google Maps link with a selection of pubs, bars and entertainment venues.
This link has adverts.
Pubs
Soho 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 Street - 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 – 19 Carlisle Street
Nellie Dean 89 Dean Street
The French House – 49 Dean Street – serves beers in half pints
Golden Lion. 51 Dean Street
The Ship 116 Wardour Street - Fullers – music
The George 1 D'arblay Street (upper Wardour St)
Admiral Duncan 54 Old Compton Street - Gay pub
Compton's 51-53 Old Compton Street Gay Pub
Duke of Wellington 77 Wardour St Gay Pub
West Wardour St – Regent Street
Blue post – 22 Berwick Street
Brewdog Soho 21 Poland Street
White Horse 45 Rupert Street - No-frills corner pub – Sams Smiths No website
Star and Garter 62 Poland Street – Traditional pub – no website
John Snow – 39 Broadwick Street - Yorkshire Ales – no website – cholera epidemic
Duke of Argyll – 37 Brewer Street – no website Old school pub
The Lyric Soho 37 Great Windmill Street – little Victorian pub
St James Tavern 45 Great Windmill Street
The Queen's Head Piccadilly – 15 Denman SSohot
The Glasshouse Stores – 55 Brewer Street- compact classic pub - No website
Son and 13 Canton Soho – 21 Great Pulteney Street – (nr Beak Street ) - Fullers
Old Coffee House 49 Beak Street – traditional family-run pub – no website
The Crown – 64 Brewer Street
The White Horse 16 Newburgh Street near Carnaby Street
The Argyll Arms – 18 Argyll Street near Owebsitereet
O'Neill'S neat Carnaby Street 37-38 Great Marlborough Street
The Clachan – 34 Kingly Street
The Shakespeare's Head – 29 Great Marlborough Street & 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 Streett Traditional pub no website
Leicester Arms – 44 Glasshouse Street
Glassblower 40-42 Glassbower Street
BARS
East Soho Area
Simmons Bar 17 Manette Street (near TCR station)
Bar Termini 7 Old Compton Street ( near Charing cross rd) specialise in Negroni's
Swift Soho – 12 Old Compton Street (upstairs and downstairs bar) and whisky
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
Belate-nightreek Street
Simmons bar Greek St – 7 Greek Street
Milroy’s of Soho – Whiskies 3 Greek Street
Louche Soho 5 Greek Street – Music and Cocktails
Frith Street
Negroni’s – 15 Frith St - Specialist in negroni
Circa Soho. – 62 Frith Street – Soho Gay bar
Garlic and Shots 14 Frith Street
Ronnie Scott'sMilroy's 47 Frith St Jazz club
Bar Soho 23-25 old Compton st
She Soho LGBT Women. 23a Old Compton St
G-A-Y 30 Old Compton St
Zima Karaoke and Bar – Russian -45 Frith St
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
Wardour St
Soho Residence 83-85 Wardour Street
Amici 187b Wardour Street
Simmons Bar Oxford Street – 203 Wardour Street
The Den 100 Wardour Street
Village Soho (Gay bar) 81 Wardour Street
Rupert Street bar – 50 Rupert Street - gay bar
Freedom Bar – 60-66 Wardour Street - gay bar
Yard Bar – 57 Rupert Street
West of Wardour st – Regent st
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]arnaby – 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 – Carnaby
Be at One – Regent Street 10 Beak Street
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Things to do
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
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
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
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
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London Eat Drink and Be Merry Themes
The British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal once said:
"To me, food is as much about the occasion, the location and the company as it is about the taste."
And since Photoruns is about exploring new things, you could also be adventurous and try new ways to discover menu items that are outside your comfort zone but will grow your palate.
So here are a few Photorun 'occasion' ideas that may help your 'eat, drink and be merry' London quest. Please let me know which one you like or if you have better ones.
Breakfast Lotto
When you do a photorun, seek out some breakfast locations and number them. Then select one at random and try it out. You can even do this with items on the breakfast menu and let chance dictate your selection - or some of them.
Foodie Vows
This is based on the victorian rhyme that symbolises luck for a bride on her wedding day, but in this version, it is to do with food and drink. You can do this for a whole meal or at a location or venue.
Something Old – have the food and drink that you know you will like.
Something New – try something that is new to you and that you want to try
Something Borrower – taste or drink something you have been recommended to try
Something Blue - Select something spontaneously - out of the blue. It's best to have a trigger for spontaneity, like a specific colour.
Tipple Tours
There are so many pubs and bars in London that you can easily create your tour based upon your favourite tipple, for example, a Negroni, Whisky or Guinness tour. The aim is to select a drink type, investigate the venues, and have your favourite tipple in each. An alternative is to try out the different variations in just one venue!
Around the World in 8 Hours.
Phileas Fogg is the protagonist in the 1872 Jules Verne novel "Around the World in Eighty Days", where he visited eleven nations to complete his adventure. The aim is to map an 'around the world' route and have something to eat or drink that comes (or is connected to) each of your destinations - in the proper order. Top marks if you match Phileas Fogg's eleven places.
Letters from London
The objective is to choose a letter, word or name and visit venues with the letter(s) in the correct order. Alternatively, you can select based on your menu and drink choices.
Horses for courses
As the name suggests, this is about discovering the best place for each course for your perfect meal - which could be three courses or more if you include the drinks before, during and after.
Groundhog Food Tours
This is a take on the film Groundhog Day, but this time it is about having your favourite menu item each day at different venues, so you can compare and contrast the same dish and then rank them.