RestaurantsLondonSohoW1D

Harden's says

Formerly Trade, a members-only club for those in the hospitality industry, this underground Soho spot has relaunched as a late-night restaurant and wine bar under the same team of master sommeliers, Gearoid Devaney and Xavier Rousset.

survey result

Summary

£54
   ££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Snug Soho bar, whose superior wine list belies its founding by two Master Sommeliers: Gearoid Devaney and Xavier Rousset. To help soak up the vino: well-rated small plates, cheese and charcuterie. Top Tip – head here in the wee hours: it’s open till 3am later in the week.

Summary

£53
   ££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“A hidden gem in Soho” for œnophiles – this “lovely, intimate basement” has a “great selection of wines for the enthusiast”, including “old, rare and super-interesting bottles”, “from top producers and at affordable prices”. Founded by master sommeliers Gearoid Daveney and Xavier Rousset as the premises for Trade, a private club for people working in hospitality, it remains at its best as an after-hours option. There’s a “simple menu” of charcuterie, well-made cheese toasties and the like. Top Tip – “a dangerous joint to know about as it’s open till 3am on weekends!” (1am midweek).

Summary

£37
    £
2
Average
3
Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“No better place to unwind with a great bottle of wine in central London”, say early fans of this new (since September 2020) heart-of-Soho hideaway: a cosy, underground haunt that was previously known as Trade (a members-only club for those in the hospitality industry) and which was relaunched by the same team as a ‘boutique late-night wine bar’ and restaurant that’s open to all. Master sommeliers Gearoid Devaney and Xavier Rousset stock a walk-in Coravin cellar with well-priced fine wines sold by the glass. The menu is simple stuff – charcuterie, cheese, steak, some tapas-y sharing plates – but really comes into its own in the wee hours as the place is open till 1am early in the week and 3am at weekends. “Small mark-ups on the ‘black book’ wine list with both classics and under the radar gems, plus great cocktails and decent food means it’s worth venturing into this basement hangout”.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at The Black Book?

23 Frith Street, London, W1D 4RR

Restaurant details

No dress code

Prices

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Veggies Pudding
£6.00 £11.00 £6.00 £7.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £35.00
Filter Coffee £3.50
Extras  
Bread £0.00
Service 12.50%
23 Frith Street, London, W1D 4RR
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
Tuesday5 pm‑1 am
Wednesday5 pm‑1 am
Thursday5 pm‑3 am
Friday5 pm‑3 am
Saturday5 pm‑3 am
SundayCLOSED

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