A well-deserved break, a cold cocktail and fresh pasta made in front of you.
You have been at it all week, possibly all month, with work or mundane routines, and this bank holiday in London is your chance to step away from it all. Summer is nearly here, the city feels lighter, and the last thing you want is another weekend that blurs into the next one. What you want is a cold Aperol Spritz, a plate of pasta made ten seconds ago and a seat somewhere that feels a thousand miles from your work desk.
27 Old Compton Street is a pasta bar built around the idea of a tavola calda - a hot table where fresh pasta is made to order and served straight from the open kitchen. This restaurant is one of Soho's best-kept spots.
The pasta
Upstairs, you can watch your food being made by the chefs as it happens - fresh pasta shaped, sauced and served straight from the kitchen. The bucatini cacio e pepe is a masterclass in simplicity, the conchiglie nduja has real heat to it, and the pumpkin ravioli is the one to go for if you are in the mood for something a bit more unique. Every dish is rooted in authentic Italian cooking - food that makes you feel like you have been transported somewhere along the Italian coast rather than sitting on Old Compton Street.
Two or three plates between two people, a glass of wine each, and you have a bank holiday meal that feels like a break from the everyday.
Italian cocktails
The cocktail list is short, entirely Italian-inspired and made for warm afternoons. The Amalfi (limoncello, Italicus, Cinzano and Montenegro) tastes like summer before it has officially arrived. The Vacanze Romane is floral and light, with elderflower and rose, and the Negroni is made the classic way if you want something with a bit more weight.
If you are not drinking, the non-alcoholic Spritz made with Lyre's Italian Spritz and peach and jasmine soda is a good stand-in that does not feel like an afterthought.
Outside seating and the wine cellar
With the warmer weather, the outside seating on Old Compton Street is one of the best spots in Soho to eat and watch the bank holiday weekend unfold. If you would like to sit outside make sure you pre-book as the seats fill up quickly during the brighter seasons. If you are booking for a small group, the wine cellar downstairs is a different atmosphere entirely - low ceilings, candlelight, wine bottles lining the walls. For a bank holiday dinner with close friends, it is one of the more memorable private dining spots in the area.
Hours this bank holiday
Sundays and bank holidays: 12.00 PM to 11.00 PM - later than most of the neighbourhood, so there is no rush on the last round.
Find us
27 Old Compton Street sits on one of London's most famous streets, five minutes from Leicester Square, Chinatown and the West End. If you are looking for things to do in London on bank holiday weekend, building your day around a good meal here is a solid place to start. And if you are still figuring out where to eat on bank holiday weekend, this is one of the best answers Soho has.
Browse our cocktails list, read about our story, or see what else is on our blog.
