A Soho Summer at 64 Old Compton Street
Soho cocktails, fresh pizza and a summer that feels like abroad
Summer changes the pace of Old Compton Street. The evenings run long, the tables fill earlier, and 64 sits right in the middle of one of Soho's liveliest stretches. On a warm night, with a cocktail in front of you and Italian food on the table, it has the loose, holiday feel of being somewhere abroad rather than ten minutes from Oxford Street. The kitchen runs all afternoon and into the evening, and the family who have cooked here for years know most of the faces coming through the door. This is our corner of a Soho summer, from the first aperitivo of the evening to the last cocktail after dark, and everything that goes with it is below.
Summer drinks at 64
Summer is cocktail season at 64. The bar mixes Italian classics and a short list of house pours to order, all curated for warm evenings and easy to drink with the doors open and the street loud outside. Start earlier with an aperitivo, the Italian habit of a drink and something small to pick at as the afternoon turns to evening, the bitter-and-bright sort that wakes the appetite before dinner. From there it is an easy move into the cocktails as the night gets going, or an Italian house wine by the glass if you would rather keep it refreshing and cold. It is the social, drinks-first half of a Soho summer night.
Pizza and plates to share
The pizza bases are stretched and topped fresh in-house every day, light and quick and made to share across a table on a warm summer night. The 'nduja pizza brings spicy Calabrian sausage together with creamy buffalo mozzarella, while the wild mushroom and truffle pizza is the richer pick. Before that, a board of antipasti, some focaccia and a few small plates to pick at suit the slower pace of a summer evening, with salads and lighter dishes for when the heat takes the edge off your appetite. If you would rather have pasta, it is made by hand, and the lobster linguine in brandy bisque is one people come back for. Finish with a pistachio tiramisu.
Long summer nights in Soho
Summer is when a Soho evening runs long, and 64 stays open late, especially at the weekend. Old Compton Street keeps its energy well after dark, and a final cocktail and a last plate to share with the street still busy outside is the part of the night that feels furthest from a normal week and closest to a holiday somewhere warm.
Booking a summer table
Summer weekends and weekdays fill quickly at 64, and warm Fridays and Saturdays go first, so it is worth getting a table in ahead of time. We are a good fit for a group as well, whether it is a birthday, an after-work get-together or friends passing through Soho for the night. You can book online in a couple of minutes on our book a table page.
Finding 64 Old Compton Street
You will find us at 64 Old Compton Street, in the heart of Soho and a short walk from the bars, shops and theatres of the West End. It is an easy place to start a summer evening or to keep one going.