The smart, definitive guide to Soho, London
About Soho
With a past seeped in cultural history and home of London's media and sex industries, Soho is the closest thing London has to a red-light district. From its days as the center of London's influential post-war jazz scene to its status today as the gay capital of the UK, there's never a dull moment within its labyrinth of narrow streets.
It has been home to the likes of Eric Clapton, Brian Jones, the Sex Pistols and artist and personality Sebastian Horsely, and monuments of its seedy past have now become cultural icons including the infamous Windmill Theatre.
During daylight hours it's the perfect place to go record shopping, or enjoy a coffee and watch the metropolitan catwalk in full swing. As night falls the streets are lit by the neon glow of the clubs and bars, and the music thuds out into the sea of wandering hedonists. Whether its glamourous celeb hangouts, metal bars, LGBT bars or underground drinking dens, Soho covers pretty much all aspects of bar culture.
To the south of Shaftesbury Avenue is Chinatown, a non-stop colourful parade of all-night restaurants, supermarkets and shops. A visit is essential.
Soho Venues
Madame Jojo's
Best for: a stylish Soho clubbing experience, the best new DJ music, and a killer live music lineup.
Riflemaker Contemporary Art
Best for: unique style, impeccable taste and the highest echelons of London's ever dynamic cultural scene.
Soho Theatre
Best for: Up and coming plays and playwrights or internationally recognised comedian headliners.
Soho Revue Bar
Best for: The iconic Soho gay scene, plush décor, classy entertainment and soul music or drag queens depending on the night.
Karsten Schubert
Best for: Art shows of exceptionally high quality, rarely exhibiting anything by artists other than the most established in their fields.
How to Get to Soho
By Tube: Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square, Covent Garden.
By Bus: 8, 12, 63, 88, 94, 137, 139
24-hr Buses: 6, 23, 94, 139, C2, 189, 390, 25.
Night Buses: N3, N13, N7, N10,N15, N8 N18, N159, N207, N136, N137,N55, N73, N98, N207
For travel information to and from Soho, please see www.tfl.gov.uk
Popular events in Soho
Lion's Den Comedy Car Crash
Live Jazz
Attack Wednesday
Reviews from London Soho
Place - Bar Rumba
I got invited to Rumba by my friend for her bday and it was a great night!...
Place - Cafe De Paris
Decadent and dark, Cafe De Paris oozes old school glamour. With some of...
Place - Bar Rumba
I was in Bar Rumba on Friday celebrating my Birthday.
I have gone out ...
Place - Bar Rumba
Went to Rumba on the weekend. Had to wait a long time in the que but it...
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Place - Bar Rumba
Had a wicked hen night at rumba on saturday! great crowd! Polite people...