Chotto Matte Soho

Chotto Matte brought Nikkei cooking, the Japanese-Peruvian cuisine that traces back to the kitchens of Lima, to Frith Street in 2013, and the Soho flagship is still the one that set the template for the group. Behind a discreet entrance, the room opens into a multi-level world of bold street-art murals, an LED-dotted wall, chevron floors and an open robata grill and sushi counter that put the cooking on full display. A 2022 redesign refreshed the look without losing the graffiti-led energy the place is known for.

This is a genuinely music-led restaurant. Underground DJs play through the bar and lounge from Thursday to Saturday, and the basement room, Claude's, is built around a resident DJ booth and a serious in-house sound system. Floor-to-ceiling bi-fold windows on the ground floor fold back to a terrace on Frith Street in summer, so the bar spills onto one of Soho's busiest corners. The whole place has hosted weddings, product launches and private parties, which tells you how comfortably it shifts from dinner into a later night.

For private events the venue works across several floors. Claude's downstairs is the most DJ-ready space, with its own booth, private bar and adjustable lighting. The ground-floor Bar & Lounge and the semi-private Lava Lounge handle drinks receptions, the first floor seats larger dinners around the live cooking, and the entire building can be taken exclusively for a standing reception. Available for private hire and whole-venue takeover.