Quo Vadis Restaurant Review Soho London

With this glorious weather we`ve been lately, as I`m sure you`ll agree it`s too nice to dine inside so my quest to find luxurious alfresco fine dining restaurants started with a smart establishment Quo Vadis. Conveniently located right inside the hustle and bustle of London`s Soho district Quo Vadis has a lovely outside terrace where you can sit and watch the world go by!

Restaurant exterior and terrace

Private dining room

We found out Quo Vadis was set up in 1926 by an Italian, Pepino Leoni and when he started out he had just 7 tables in the restaurant on the ground floor! The next 15 years bought him a huge amount of success and gradually he bought 27, 28 and 29 Dean Street. Today, this historic building still has lots of character and one stunning featured installed more recently by Marco Pierre White are the stained glass windows at the front, which are beautiful. Also previously, above the restaurant was Karl Marx’s home, however, these rooms’ now form Quo Vadis Club, a private members club for affluent media types.

Quo Vadis Club (private members only)

Right, enough history, lets move onto the food. As it was a stiflingly hot evening we chose to sit on the terrace where we overheard the world cup football game from nearby bars – the atmosphere outside was great! I liked the fact the menu wasn`t laden with choice – makes it easier from my point of view to choose what to have to eat. My friend started with the English asparagus and whilst they looked tasty on the plate the price of £9.80 wasn`t justified. However, my crab mayonnaise starter made up for it in value for money and taste, it was served in its shell and looked very presentable. For our main course we both opted for the fish and chips (maybe it was something to do with being outside picturing ourselves on a pebbly beach by the seaside!). The fish was succulently chunky and meaty encased in a lovely crispy batter served with chunky chips to match. The dish was more than adequate in size and we were nicely stuffed after devouring both courses. Whilst I didn`t think I could fit anymore in I decided to try the cheeseboard, some may say it was a craving more than anything, as I usually finish on a sweet dessert but why not break the habit. It wasn`t huge (just as well!) but just enough so I could sample each cheese on there – needless to say our bellies afterwards were very content.

We loved Quo Vadis for its location, as it`s just a few moments walk from many of the West End`s shows. The restaurant even offers a superb value pre and post theatre menu for £17.50 for 2 courses or £19.50 for 3 courses. For information visit www.quovadissoho.co.uk.