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There wasn’t much cause for celebration in 2020, when Covid was rife and Londoners could no longer properly enjoy the culinary delights of the capital. That was, until restrictions finally loosened in the summer, and many boozers and restaurants threw their doors open again.
In Soho, dining and drinking spilled out onto the streets as part of the ‘Soho Summer Street Festival’, set up to encourage guests back into the square mile for alfresco dining. With many streets closed to traffic, the scheme, which ran again in the summer of 2021, breathed life into an area which had been deadly quiet throughout the lockdown.
Now, according to intel from the Times, ‘Alfresco Soho’ could return. The newspaper has apparently had access to a letter penned by two of Sadiq Khan’s deputies, Howard Dawber and Justine Simons, urging London’s boroughs to ‘do what you can to support popular and exciting ideas like alfresco dining and late-night openings’ as evenings get warmer throughout the spring and summer months.
The letter also encourages boroughs to act soon, before the Mayor’s pilot scheme allowing him to override licensing decisions made by individual authorities comes into effect.
Since the Soho scheme’s success during 2020 and 2021, campaigners have been calling on Westminster City Council to bring back pavement dining. When it was announced in November that Oxford Street is being eyed for pedestrianisation, local group Soho Business Alliance (SBA) urged City Hall to include Soho in the plans. The group’s focus is on improving safety and easing congestion, but it also highlighted the lack of outdoor dining space on offer.
Times were tough for the city’s hospitality industry during lockdowns, and many credit schemes like the Soho Summer Street Festival for keeping establishments afloat. Given that National Insurance contributions and minimum wage both went up this month, it could be prime time for profit-boosting schemes set up by local boroughs. In particular, Soho spots may be subject to a new business rates relief system which could lead to subsidising lower rates for businesses in less popular areas. Another season of sunny outdoor dining in Soho could be a saving grace for struggling bars and restaurants.
Coral Anderson, managing director of Swift Bars, whose Soho site was one of the establishments which took part in the original 2020 scheme, says: ‘A well-managed return of Soho’s Alfresco summer could bring clear benefits to the entire West End community. It would offer a much-needed boost in revenue and footfall for hospitality businesses, many of which are currently facing declining consumer confidence, rising business rates, and increased National Insurance contributions.
‘Residents of Soho would also stand to gain, with notable reductions in traffic and pollution contributing to an improved quality of life in the area. If properly implemented, it could help make Soho a more welcoming and enjoyable destination for both locals and visitors alike.’
Anna Watkins, managing director of tapas bar Barrafina on Dean Street, said: ‘We’ve seen footfall and visitor numbers decline in Soho, which along with rising costs has really hit us bars and restaurants hard. We would welcome the return of alfresco dining, all the more so with this sunnier weather, to bring some much-needed cheer, much needed guests and to celebrate what makes Soho such a wonderful, vibrant place, one of the beating hearts of London.’
There are no official plans in place yet – but any opportunity to scran small plates in the street is music to our ears.
Whether you're indoors or outdoors, here are the best restos in Soho.
And our fave Soho bars, too.
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