Hoppers

Should You Book Hoppers?

If you've been once, you already know the answer is yes. The question on a return visit is whether the kitchen and service still hold up against the original impression, or whether the three-branch expansion has diluted what made the Frith Street original worth queuing for. The short answer: the Soho location still earns its Michelin Bib Gourmand; collected in both 2024 and 2025; and the value at ££ per head remains hard to argue with in central London. Come back and order differently this time.

What Hoppers Actually Is

Hoppers is a Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant from the Sethi family, who also run Trishna and Gymkhana. The name comes from the signature dish: bowl-shaped pancakes made from fermented rice and coconut milk, leading eaten with a creamy kari spooned into the well. The format sits somewhere between a casual street-food canteen and a considered neighbourhood restaurant. The room, modelled loosely on the toddy shops of Sri Lanka's coconut plantations, has a terracotta-tiled floor, rattan ceiling, Sri Lankan poster art. It feels deliberate without feeling themed, a difficult balance that most restaurants in this category get wrong.

The menu is concise. A glossary at the bottom helps first-timers decode the terminology, but if this is your second visit, skip straight to the 'short eats' and build around one of the rice and coconut hoppers. The kitchen's style runs spicy, fragrant, layered, dry-fried proteins with curry leaves and chillies, wet karis with depth from roasted spice bases, kothu dishes built around chopped roti stir-fried with whatever protein is on the day's menu. Goraka, a sun-dried and smoked fruit native to Sri Lanka, shows up in the black pork kari and gives it a sour, smoky finish that separates it from anything you'd get at a generic South Asian restaurant. That dish, served with dhal, sambols, raita, a hopper, is the one to order if you didn't manage it last time.

Service: Does It Earn the Price?

This is where Hoppers earns genuine credit. The service model is informal but attentive, staff know the menu cold, will steer first-timers toward a set menu without making it feel like an upsell, handle a packed, buzzy room without losing pace. For a restaurant at this price tier in Soho, that's not a given. You won't get the tableside theatre of a Michelin two-star, but you also won't feel rushed or ignored. The ratio of knowledge to warmth is well-calibrated. If you're arriving as a returning guest with questions about specific dishes or what's changed on the menu seasonally, the floor team tends to be genuinely helpful rather than scripted.

The drinks list is short: eight wines, a focused cocktail menu leaning on Ceylon Arrack (a Sri Lankan coconut-based spirit), and own-brand beers. An affordable carafe of Rhône rosé handles the food well if you want wine without overthinking it. The cocktails are the more interesting choice if you haven't tried them.

What's Changed Since the Original Opening

Hoppers launched in 2015 and has since expanded to three London sites. The Frith Street original remains the reference point. The kitchen's approach to Sri Lankan flavours has stayed consistent in its fundamentals, the hopper itself, the spice architecture, the reliance on sambols and dhal as accompaniments, while seasonal variations (pheasant chilli fry replacing the signature beef rib fry, for instance) show the kitchen still evolving rather than running on autopilot. That seasonal flexibility is worth factoring into your decision to return: the menu you ate in a previous visit won't be identical to the one you find now.

Who Should Book

Hoppers works for solo diners who want to eat well at the counter without committing to a long format, for pairs who want a fast, flavour-forward lunch in Soho, for small groups wanting to share across the full menu. It is not the right call for a formal celebration dinner or anyone who wants a quiet room, the space is compact and the atmosphere is consistently lively. For a special occasion at the Sethi family level, Gymkhana is the better address. For Sri Lankan cooking at this price in London, Hoppers is the clear first choice.

Practical Details

Reservations: Bookings available; walk-ins possible but the room is small, so booking ahead is advisable especially for dinner. Hours: Monday dinner only (5:30–10pm); Tuesday to Thursday lunch and dinner (12–3pm, 5:30–10pm); Friday lunch and dinner (12–3pm, 5–10:45pm); Saturday all-day (12–10:45pm); Sunday all-day (12–9pm). Price: ££ per head, genuinely good value for Soho at Bib Gourmand standard. Address: 49 Frith St, London W1D 4SG. Dress: Casual; no dress code enforced. Good for: Solo dining, pairs, small groups, quick lunches, Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine.

Pearl Rating Context

Combined with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025), it sits in a reliable tier: not chasing formal fine dining credentials, but delivering quality and value at a level that most restaurants at this price point in central London don't match.

For more London dining options across all price tiers, see our full London restaurants guide. If you're planning a broader trip, our London hotels guide, London bars guide, and London experiences guide cover the rest. For comparison with other UK destinations, see venues like The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton for a sense of where UK dining goes at the leading end.