Cocktails, pizza, pasta and Soho's best street on your doorstep
Spending a bank holiday in London and not sure where to start? Old Compton Street on a bank holiday weekend is a different place. The sun brings everyone out, the pavements fill up, and the whole street has an energy that makes you want to sit down somewhere relaxing and not check your phone for a while.
64 Old Compton Street is right in the middle of it all. Walk in, sit down, order a cocktail and something from the pasta or pizza menu - and suddenly the bank holiday weekend feels like it has started.
What to eat
The menu covers pizza, pasta and a few authentic Italian classics. The white pizza with wild mushroom and truffle is one of the best things on the menu - no tomato base, just mushrooms, truffle and melted mozzarella on a proper charred base. The spaghetti carbonara is made the Italian way with egg, pecorino and guanciale, and the pappardelle with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil is rich and earthy.
Start with the wild mushroom, truffle and smoked mozzarella arancini - they are crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle and gone before you have finished your first drink. The fried squid and zucchini with aioli is another good way to start if you are sharing.
Cocktails on Compton Street
This is the part of the meal where the bank holiday really starts to feel like one. The Blood Orange Martini (Malfy Rosa gin, bergamot liqueur and lemon) is sharp and bright, and it suits the warmer weather perfectly. The Cucumber Coupe with Hendricks, elderflower and prosecco is another good option if you want something lighter. Or keep it simple with an Aperol Spritz and ease into the afternoon.
The cocktail list is short enough to read in a minute and good enough to order two rounds from.
The space
The dining room has an airy atmosphere to it - somewhere that suits a bank holiday lunch just as well as an early evening dinner before heading somewhere else in the neighbourhood. The staff make you feel welcome from the moment you walk in, and there is no rush to order or decide. Whether you are coming with a group, a date or on your own, it is the kind of place that works for any occasion.
Getting here
64 Old Compton Street is a short walk from Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road. If you are looking for things to do in London on bank holiday weekend, start with a meal on Soho's most iconic street. And if you are wondering where to eat on the bank holiday weekend, there is a table here with your name on it.
