If the Square Mile of the City is where London goes to work, then the square mile of Soho is where Londoners come out to play. The West End area, now bounded by Oxford and Regent Streets, Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road, was developed from farmland into a park by Henry VIII in 1536. The now mainly Georgian and Victorian streets have been colonised by every creed and class of Londoner ever since, from the aristocracy who moved into Soho Square in the 1680s to the Greeks and gays, writers and gangsters of the 20th century.
The name itself comes from a hunting cry, though these days Soho is fertile ground for entertainment, whether cinema, theatre (see our guide to pre-theatre restaurants here) or the handful of sex clubs that are a reminder of Soho’s seedy past. Most of all, Soho is London’s preeminent dining destination.
