Bar in London, United Kingdom
Lina Stores Soho - Italian Restaurant
100Pearl PointsOld-school Italian, easy to book.
About Lina Stores Soho - Italian Restaurant
Lina Stores on Greek Street is easy to book and serious about Italian food and drinks — a rare combination in Soho. The Italian spirits list goes well beyond the standard aperitivo shortlist, making it worth choosing for both dinner and a considered pre- or post-meal drink. Best for tables of two or three; lunch is the quieter option if noise matters to you.
Should You Book Lina Stores Soho?
Getting a table at Lina Stores on Greek Street is easy enough that you should not let booking anxiety stop you — but that accessibility should not be mistaken for a lack of ambition. This is one of Soho's most purposeful Italian restaurants, and if you are looking for a venue that takes both its food and its drinks program seriously without requiring a month of advance planning, it belongs near the best of your London list.
What to Expect
Lina Stores has been a presence in the neighbourhood since 1944, originally as a deli on Brewer Street before expanding into full restaurant format. That history matters here: the kitchen operates with the confidence of a venue that knows exactly what it is. The menu leans into Northern Italian pasta traditions, and the atmosphere carries the kind of low-key authority that comes from decades of doing one thing well rather than chasing trends.
For the explorer who reads menus carefully and compares aperitivo lists across cities, the drinks program at Lina Stores is worth attention. Italian restaurant bars in London frequently treat wine and cocktails as an afterthought, defaulting to generic house pours and a short Aperol-heavy list. Lina Stores pushes further than that. The Italian spirits and vermouth selection reflects genuine category knowledge — the kind of list that suggests someone in the building actually cares whether you drink a proper Negroni or a mediocre one. For context on what a serious London bar program looks like, you can compare against 69 Colebrooke Row or Amaro, which both set a high bar for Italian spirits depth in the city.
The Greek Street site sits in the heart of Soho, which means the room gets busy on weekday evenings and fills fast on weekends. Lunch is the more relaxed window if you prefer conversation over noise. The space itself is compact, so groups larger than four will feel the squeeze, this is better suited to tables of two or three.
For anyone building a Soho evening around Italian food and a considered drinks list, Lina Stores is a reliable anchor. It is not trying to be the loudest room in the neighbourhood, which in Soho is its own kind of credential.
How to Book
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Walk-ins are possible but a reservation for evening service is advisable, particularly Thursday through Saturday. Lunch slots are generally available with shorter notice.
Practical Details
| Detail | Lina Stores Soho | Bar Termini | Quo Vadis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 51 Greek St, Soho W1D | Old Compton St, Soho | Dean St, Soho |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Easy | Moderate |
| Leading for | Italian dinner + aperitivo | Espresso & cocktails | British members' club dining |
| Group suitability | 2–3 ideal | 2–4 | Up to 8+ |
| Drinks focus | Italian spirits, wine | Negroni-led cocktails | British wine & spirits |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lina Stores Soho have happy hour deals?
No happy hour deals are documented for Lina Stores on Greek Street. For pre-dinner drinks deals in the same neighbourhood, Bar Termini on Old Compton Street is a stronger option, with a concise aperitivo-focused list and a more defined bar identity.
What's the crowd like at Lina Stores Soho?
Expect a Soho mix: after-work groups, date-night pairs, and neighbourhood regulars drawn by the venue's deli heritage dating back to 1944 on Brewer Street. It leans relaxed rather than scene-y, which makes it workable for a straightforward Italian dinner without the posturing of some nearby spots.
Does Lina Stores Soho have outdoor seating?
Outdoor seating is not confirmed in available venue data for the Greek Street site. Given the W1D address on a busy Soho street, any external seating would be pavement-side if it exists at all — worth calling ahead to confirm before booking with that in mind.
Is Lina Stores Soho good for groups?
It works for small groups of two to four, but larger parties should check capacity before booking — the format suits paired dining more naturally. For a group that wants a private-room option or a more flexible layout, Quo Vadis on Dean Street is a short walk away and better equipped for bigger bookings.
Location
51 Greek St, London W1D 4EH, United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom
Compare Lina Stores Soho - Italian Restaurant
| Venue | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Lina Stores Soho - Italian Restaurant | Easy |
| Bar Termini | Unknown |
| Callooh Callay | Unknown |
| Happiness Forgets | Unknown |
| Nightjar | Unknown |
| Quo Vadis | Unknown |
How Lina Stores Soho - Italian Restaurant stacks up against the competition.
Also Consider
- Bar Termini, Notable alternative
- Callooh Callay, Notable alternative
- Happiness Forgets, Notable alternative
- Nightjar, Notable alternative
- Quo Vadis, Notable alternative
How It Compares
If your priority is pure cocktail depth, Bar Termini on Old Compton Street is the more focused choice, it is essentially a Negroni specialist with a serious espresso program, and it does that narrow brief better than anywhere else in Soho. Nightjar and Happiness Forgets both outrank Lina Stores on cocktail ambition if a dedicated bar experience is the whole point of your evening. But if you want Italian food alongside an Italian-led drinks list in a single booking, neither of those competes with Lina Stores.
Quo Vadis on Dean Street is the closest neighbourhood comparison for a full dinner-plus-drinks evening in Soho, but it skews British rather than Italian and is harder to book. Lina Stores is the better call for anyone specifically seeking Italian aperitivo culture, the vermouth and amaro selection gives the drinks program a coherence that generic restaurant bars in this price tier rarely achieve. Callooh Callay is worth considering if you want a more playful cocktail bar environment, but it operates in a different register entirely, more bar than restaurant.
For value and ease of access, Lina Stores sits in a practical middle ground: no waiting list, no dress code anxiety, and a drinks list that rewards people who know what Punt e Mes is. If you are exploring London's Italian spirits scene more broadly, cross-reference with Amaro and 69 Colebrooke Row for a sense of how the best London bars handle this category.
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