Noble Rot Soho

The Verdict

If you are coming for the wine program, this is one of the most compelling rooms in London for that purpose. If you want a formal tasting menu or serious tableside service, look elsewhere. What you get here is seasonal Modern European cooking served in a dark, warm dining room on Greek Street, with a wine list that rewards attention and a price point that won't require advance planning to justify.

About Noble Rot Soho

The second site in the Noble Rot group, the original is in Lamb's Conduit Street, a third has since opened in Mayfair, this location opened in late 2020 on the site of The Gay Hussar, the long-running Hungarian restaurant that served as a gathering point for left-wing politicians for decades. The building's history gives the room its character: wood panelling, bare floorboards, walls lined with covers from Noble Rot wine magazine (the restaurant's founding publication). Two floors, low lighting, a pace that actively encourages lingering. On any given weekday lunch, tables from the early sitting are still nursing bottles well into the afternoon.

Under chef Alex Jackson, the kitchen runs a seasonal menu with rustic European flavours, the kind of food designed to work alongside wine rather than compete with it. Dishes are substantial: a stuffed rabbit leg with choucroute and mustard, whole-baked John Dory with morteau sausage and clams, guinea fowl chou-farci. The bread course alone, focaccia, sourdough, treacly soda bread, is reason enough to arrive hungry. Desserts are there if you want them, but finishing the meal without one is an entirely reasonable outcome.

The wine list is presented on an iPad and changes frequently. It skews toward natural and low-intervention producers, with an idiosyncratic selection available by the glass. Staff are knowledgeable about the list and willing to guide, more useful here than in most restaurants given the breadth of what's on offer. Star Wine List has placed it in the leading three UK wine lists every year since 2021, with the leading ranking in 2025. Opinionated About Dining placed it at #172 in their 2025 Casual Europe ranking, up from #277 in 2024.

If you have already been once and ordered safely, the second visit is the better one. Go further down the wine list by the glass. Try whichever seasonal protein dish sits outside your comfort zone. The menu rewards the kind of ordering you do when you are not overthinking it. For the same approach to wine-led Modern European cooking in London, 10 Greek Street is a few doors away and worth comparing, though Noble Rot's wine credentials are a step above. For something more refined and tasting-menu in structure, Aulis London or Casa Fofò serve different ambitions entirely.

Noble Rot Soho is closed on Sundays. Lunch and dinner run Tuesday through Saturday, with Monday lunch and dinner also available. Hours are 12–2:30pm and 5–9:30pm across all open days.

How It Compares

Explore More in London

Planning a wider trip? Browse our full London restaurants guide, our full London hotels guide, our full London bars guide, our full London wineries guide, and our full London experiences guide. For Modern European cooking at a comparable level in Europe, Oak Gent in Gent and La Rei Natura by Michelangelo Mammoliti in Serralunga d'Alba are worth noting if you are travelling further. UK alternatives with different formats include Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood.