How Fast-casual Dining in Soho Has Shifted Toward All Day Eating

Soho remains one of London’s most densely packed food neighborhoods, shaped by offices, theatres, and constant foot traffic. Throughout the day, coffee shops and casual restaurants fill and empty in short cycles. Coffee stops dominate the morning hours, while lunchtime crowds tend to arrive early, often before noon, to avoid queues.

By late afternoon, tables turn again as people settle into early dinners that blur the line between workday meals and evening plans.

Table of Contents

Eating Moments are Becoming More Flexible

Across central London, traditional meal times have loosened. Breakfast stretches later. Lunch happens earlier. Dinner starts sooner. In areas like Soho, this shift is visible in how restaurants operate. Rather than switching identities between morning and evening, many casual places now stay active throughout the day.

Coffee machines remain on beyond the morning rush. Salads and bowl-based meals appear alongside toast and pastries. Seating is informal, suited both to quick stops and longer breaks. This format reflects how people move through the neighborhood, often fitting meals around meetings, rehearsals or errands rather than planning an occasion around eating.

Vegetarian Options as Part of Everyday Menus

Soho has never been defined by a single dining style, but vegetarian options are now common across many menus rather than confined to dedicated vegetarian restaurants. Groups ordering together often mix plates built around grains, greens and vegetables with other choices, without drawing attention to dietary labels.

This shift reflects a broader preference for food that feels adaptable. Meals that are light enough for lunch but substantial enough to replace dinner if plans change have become easier to find. In fast casual settings, this has moved salads and vegetable-led dishes from side options to central menu items.

How this Shows up in Soho Today

Within Soho’s mix of cafés and casual dining spots, a growing number of places now operate on an all-day basis, accommodating coffee in the morning, lunch at midday and informal dinners later on. Some of these venues are positioned as vegetarian-friendly restaurants, while others simply integrate plant-led dishes into broader menus.

Hg Soho, which opened a Soho location as Hg Soho in late 2025, is one example of this approach in practice. The restaurant sits within the wider neighborhood pattern, where coffee, lighter meals, and balanced plates coexist under one roof, reflecting how people now eat across the day in central London.