Not a members club and thoroughly open to the public as long as you can secure a tough-to-come-by reservation, Dean Street Townhouse is home to an elegant dining room that embraces the feel of an age-old clubhouse along a first-floor space on Dean Street in prime Soho. A Victorian stoop leads to a dark atrium and hostess podium that quickly inquires as to your purpose before scouring a seat map and quick look at what's available. During warm summer days, a front terrace wedged in the front yard offers outdoor dining amongst the buzzing pedestrian action of Soho that at times is far too crowded to be enjoyable. Inside, a more sedate, aristocratic scene with rustic hardwood floors and walls with white wainscoting and proper red leather booths and banquettes. A mahogany bar diligently fills endless drink orders with the proper ice cubes, shaved or hand cut, in a scene of celebrities and showy businessmen.
The Food
Dining at Dean Street Townhouse is a quick lesson in classic British cuisine from the morning eggs and buttered soldiers to the evening pork tenderloin with Bramley apple or quintessential fish and chips with mushy peas. Unique to Dean Street Townhouse is its attached 39-room inn offer a mix of small and large rooms with classic details like clawfoot tubs and amenities by Cowshed Spa to make a foodie weekend out of a single night in Soho.
Last Word
While technically not new, Dean Street Townhouse is new in London terms having opened in early 2010 by the owners of Soho House.
