Restaurants near Leicester Square

[ciphergoth]

What's your favourite place to eat near Leicester Square? There are so many places to eat in Soho I'm overwhelmed by choice...

Comments

[ceb.livejournal.com]

http://www.chowki.com/

[hughe.livejournal.com]

i'm boring so i just eat in wagamamas or one of the Ed's dinnars... mmm malts

[some-fox.livejournal.com]

I recommend Tokyo Diner for magnificant Bento boxes and really close to Leic Square

[juliet]

Hong Kong Diner. http://www.london-eating.co.uk/4013.htm

Does excellent salt & pepper tofu! And I gather the meat stuff is good as well. My default choice for Leicester Sq.

[kake]

You know what I'm going to ask now, don't you? :)

[juliet]

Actually, I expected it to be there already & when I couldn't find it put a note in my diary to add it today :-) (no time yesterday)

[swiftangel.livejournal.com]

Belgo in Covent Garden is a good one... fantastic beer. :)

[kake]

Ooh, yes, forgot about Belgo. Mmm mussels.

[rasilon-x.livejournal.com]

If it's still there, then Italian Graffiti, on Wardour Street, if that's near enough.

[purplerabbits.livejournal.com]

It used to be Pollo - but I have no idea if it's still there. I also loved the Chinese next to Murder One...

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Pollo got taken over by La Porchetta, sadly. The decor's had a mildly horrible makeover and the food is about 50% more expensive.

[purplerabbits.livejournal.com]

Bah! I suppose I can't expect things to say the same when I go to London so infrequently, but bah!

[aster13.livejournal.com]

I used to like Tokyo Diner but i think it's gone downhill.

I prefer Taro now.

[kake]

I like Chuen Cheng Ku, Tokyo Diner, and Zipangu.

I've heard good things about the hand-made noodles at Jen Cafe; see e.g. Tamarind and Thyme blog post.

[bileandvitriol.livejournal.com]

The Gay Hussar, on Greek Street off Soho Square.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Impeccable lefty credentials, too.

[ladycat.livejournal.com]

Salvador and Amanda
Gorgeous tapas in an underground heaven
http://www.salvadorandamanda.com/main.html

Imli
Indian tapas
http://www.imli.co.uk

Piccolo Diavolo
Divine Italian with good wine, fish and pasta
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-862.php

Balans
Wonderfully stranded in 80's cuisine with adorable charming waiters
http://www.balans.co.uk

Any use?

[battlekitty.livejournal.com]

Just for something different... Crispy Duck (Whitcombe St). It doesn't look like much, but their Crispy Duck is the best that I've had. They're open until stupidly late apparently, too. Tokyo Diner is also good.

Oh, and there's a good Malaysian restaurant down the alley down the side of Crispy Duck, but I don't know what it's called.

[barking-watcher.livejournal.com]

I know it's in Soho but Hummus Brothers is my favourite, with First Out a close 2nd

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

Inn Noodle is number one, second is Paul. Also really like Wahaca but it's Mexican and the lines are huge. And Galileo is a solid pre-theater choice.

[lovelybug.livejournal.com]

*seconds Galileo*

[kake]

Apparently Inn Noodle have soup dumplings (xiao long bao), which I've been trying to find in London for a while now.

Xiao long bau haujile.

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

I order them every time I go they. They are the bee's knees. Tip: order them as soon as you sit down, otherwise they'll be ready after you've eaten everything else and are about ready to leave.

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

XIAO LONG BAO :) :)

Inn Noodle makes THE LIST. Omg omg omg shanghaiese grub umpgh. What street is it on? Does it have the name clear on it? The internet says somewhere called 'chinese experience' on shaftesbury ave does xiao long bao too but I dunno, I clearly do NOT EAT ENOUGH. (Well not at lunchtime anyway and in the evening it's not really dim sum time is it... )

People have already said Wonkeys, I third or fourth it or whatever, it's just decent grub innit.

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

It's right on Oxford Street near the Tottenham Court Road tube station, on the south side of the road (with it's back toward Soho Square). The exterior has been hidden by scaffolding for months but you'll recognize it by the people making noodles in the front window. 25-27 Oxford Street, W1D 2D.

I also really like their DanDan noodles soup.

Now I'm hungry. Noodles for lunch?

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Interesting, very very interesting - I must have walked past about nine grillion times but avoided it on the basis of "dodgy Oxford Street shop stay away" (which is silly seeing as Brasil by Kilo pwns - in fact PAUL that is a recommendation, Brasil by Kilo, although apparently it's a buffet these days but what the heck it will still be tasty). So is it a sit down place or takeaway? Do you order at the counter or are there waiters etc etc? I won't be able to get there til next week I guess so let me live vicariously... :) xiaolongbao *wah*.

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

It's a sit down joint but you might be able to do takeaway also. They will come to your table and do the whole ordering thing.

Aaahhh *drool* fried onion pancake dipped in dan dan broth *drool*

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Bah. W/evs. My tin of French Onion Soup sitting in my desk drawer is just as appealing. I will just pretend there are dumplings involved... and that it tastes different... ohgod. *breaks down in tears and grabs world by scruff of neck and demands why there is all this lovely food that i can't justify the expense*

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

I will take you out if you want to go next week, the food's too cheap for me to bear you suffering so.

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

It's cheap, you say. Cheap, tasty, xiao long bao? You are sort of making my day here. I reckon I can afford to take myself next week (I am on 1xsrs budget kick but it keeps being spoilt by me deciding to 'save money' by staying in and baking for people, then buying ingredients, then GOING TO THE PUB TO GIVE PEOPLE CAKES and spending money on beer anyway idiot baka baka baka) in that case :) In fact I might have to peer longingly through the window on my way home tonight and check out the rest of the meny!

Re: Xiao long bau haujile.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

And of course, the menYOU. MenU. Menu.

[adjectivemarcus.livejournal.com]

For sheer proximity to L Square, I'd say Wagamama.

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Livebait's sister restaurant, Fish on Rupert Street appears to have closed*, so my best recommendation is Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill on Swallow Street.

Be warned, there are no independent restaurant review on the web: all of them appear to be rented space for chains like Chez Gerard.



* the original Livebait's still going, 21 Wellington Street, far side of Covent Garden. Well worth the walk from Leicester Square.

[nisaba.livejournal.com]

If you fancy Chinese, Joy King Lau. Best crispy duck ever (everything else I've had is pretty damned good too. And I'm not generally a big fan of chinese).

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

My favourite traditional chinese restaurant is London Hong Kong. I also like HK Diner for eating with veggies.

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

For good, quick and cheap, there's always the Wong Kei on Wardour Street.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

I was wondering if someone would mention Wong Kei. Second the motion.