Berenjak Soho
Come as four. The counter faces a charcoal grill with one cook on bread at one end and another on a rotating spit, and the ordering only makes sense at that size.
Why go
Kian Samyani cooked at Gymkhana and Brigadiers before he opened this in October 2018, backed by JKS, and within a year it had a Michelin Bib Gourmand, announced by the group itself under the headline "Berenjak Soho wins a Michelin Bib Gourmand" (JKS Restaurants). The model is a Tehran hole in the wall, rebuilt from scratch: Time Out's line is that "it's taken a lot of money to make Berenjak look this shabby-chic" (Time Out). What matters is what the money bought, which is a tandoor and a charcoal grill working in the open with the bread made in front of you.
Rianne Shlebak ate across every Persian restaurant in London for The Infatuation's category guide and came back here: 8.7, and "Berenjak is simply the best" (The Infatuation). The counterweight is in the Harden's survey, which reports the group hitting "growing pains" as it expands, "with a slight slip in ratings and a couple of mixed reports" (Harden's).
Sites: three in London. This row is the original, 27 Romilly Street, W1D 5AL. The others are Berenjak Borough, 1 Bedale Street SE1 9AL, and the 2025 Mayfair room at 80 Duke Street, W1K 6JG. The brand also runs three sites in the Gulf and one at Soho House Brooklyn. Nothing written here is evidence about any of them.
Order this / avoid
- Order: a lot of dips first, and the black truffle olivieh among them. Then koobideh, which The Infatuation rates as "the most tender koobideh out there. It's buttery, it's light, and we could eat two of these minced lamb shoulder skewers by ourselves (don't share)" ref. Barreh kabab tond for the lamb rump. Zereshk over the plain saffron rice, because the barberries cut the butter.
- Avoid: the chicken if the lamb is on, coming as a pair, and expecting to walk in.
What locals & experts say
- Rianne Shlebak, The Infatuation, 8.7, 5 March 2026, having just eaten the whole category: "after eating our way through London's Persian restaurants, we can confirm: Berenjak is simply the best." On the room, which is the practical part: "The counter's fun, but come as four. Two people can't order responsibly here." ref
- Tania Ballantine, Time Out, four stars, 18 December 2023: "Berenjak is one of those joints Soho can't have too many of... with very good food, eager-to-please staff, and a bill that won't kill." She names the kit: "a chap making bread for the tandoor at one end, and another at a rotating spit." ref
- Harden's survey reporters, with the dissent that decides the rung: "while most reports say everything is delicious, some growing pains were in evidence this year, with a slight slip in ratings and a couple of mixed reports." One diner is blunter about the branch trade-off: "The London Bridge branch is better than Soho for ambience and space." ref
- Four chefs have praised Berenjak and none of them said which one. Nieves Barragán Mohacho, Shaun Searley and Hasan Semay all name the brand with no address, and Xavier Bramble's pick is for the Borough room. Under branch discipline none of those supports this door, so none is counted here. It is worth knowing they exist.
Jeff's take (his words)
Jeff saved this row with no note. His export Note is empty, so nothing here is attributed to him, and the line on the master list came from an enrichment pass.
Good to know
- Where: 27 Romilly Street, W1D 5AL, between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.
- Booking: essential, and genuinely hard. The Infatuation files it among the toughest reservations in London and the advice is to refresh the page.
- Party size: four. The back room is built around tables of four and the ordering assumes it.
- Price: around GBP 90 for two with drinks and service when Time Out costed it in December 2023. Wine from GBP 32, service 12.5 per cent.
- Hours: the venue's own site could not be reached by either fetch route on 1 August 2026, so the only current listing is Harden's, which has it opening at 5.30pm on Monday. Check before travelling.
- Hygiene: FSA rating 5, FHRSID 560389, inspected 14 February 2025, Westminster. ref
- Michelin: Bib Gourmand, awarded to this site in 2019 per the operator's own announcement. The current edition was not checked in this pass.
Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)
should-visit — Kian Samyani opened this room in October 2018 after Gymkhana and Brigadiers, and it took a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a year, announced by JKS under the headline 'Berenjak Soho wins a Michelin Bib Gourmand'. The cooking is charcoal and a tandoor worked in front of you: one cook on bread at one end of the pass, another on a rotating spit, sourdough flatbread coming off to eat with the dips. Rianne Shlebak scored it 8.7 for The Infatuation after eating through every Persian restaurant in London for a guide and concluded 'Berenjak is simply the best'. Tania Ballantine gave it four stars and about GBP 90 for two. What holds it at a detour rather than a trip is the shape of the rest of the evidence. Harden's most recent survey reports the group hitting growing pains as it spreads to Borough, Mayfair, the Gulf and Brooklyn, with 'a slight slip in ratings and a couple of mixed reports'. And every chef in London's vote graph who has praised Berenjak named the brand rather than a door, so the strongest evidence class we hold cannot be spent on this address. Come as four. The room does not work for two.