Kingly Court: Three Entrances, and Most People Only Know One

There are three ways into Kingly Court. Almost everyone uses one of them and walks the long way round.

“There is an entrance next to Dr Martens on Carnaby Street, an entrance next to GRIND on Beak Street and another on Kingly Street next to Pizza Pilgrims.”

That is the courtyard’s own answer to how to get in, and it is the most useful thing on this page. Kingly Court sits in the middle of a block, invisible from every street around it, which is why people circle Carnaby Street looking for a sign.

Pick the entrance by where you are coming from: Carnaby Street from Oxford Circus, Beak Street from Soho, Kingly Street from Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street.

The courtyard is covered through the winter

The fact that decides whether this is a summer place or a year-round one.

“There is a mixture of indoor and al-fresco seating. For ground floor restaurants, visitors can eat inside or dine in the vibrant courtyard. The outside seating area is covered throughout winter.”

So unlike Seven Dials Market, whose terrace is uncovered and cleared at 10pm, Kingly Court’s outdoor tables keep working in December.

The covering goes up for winter and comes down again, so an October visit may land either side of it.

The toilets are not public

Worth knowing before you walk in off Carnaby Street assuming otherwise.

“Toilets are available for those dining at restaurants in Kingly Court. Speak to a team member to access.”

They are for customers and they are gated behind asking someone. In the middle of the West End’s busiest shopping streets that is a meaningful restriction, and it means Kingly Court is not the convenient stop people treat it as.

Dogs are fine outside, not inside

“The al fresco seating in Kingly Court is dog friendly. We ask owners to keep dogs on a leash and clean up after them.”

The courtyard yes, the indoor dining rooms not stated. Combined with the winter covering, that makes the courtyard one of the better covered dog-friendly spots in central London, alongside Dishoom Shoreditch’s verandah and Greenwich Market.

Padella has opened on Kingly Street

New, and it changes the calculation for anyone who has queued at the other two.

The site flags Padella as now open on Kingly Street, at the courtyard’s Kingly Street entrance.

Padella takes no reservations anywhere and runs a virtual queue, so a third central London site is a third queue to join rather than a booking to make. The advantage is simply that the queue is now split three ways instead of two.

Three floors, and a basement nobody finds

The courtyard runs across three floors plus the open-air courtyard, and the two most interesting rooms are below ground.

Cahoots runs two venues here: Cahoots Underground, a 1940s themed cocktail bar in a disused underground station, and Cahoots Ticket Hall, a 1940s black market pub.

Disrepute is a cocktail bar hidden in the basement with a 1960s feel.

Two Floors is described as “the bar with no sign”, a wood-lined room inspired by Japanese listening bars, with rare spirits, live DJs and a tiki basement.

So there are at least four bars here that are difficult to find on purpose, inside a courtyard that is itself difficult to find.

What is in the courtyard

The current line-up, which is unusually broad for one block:

Spanish: ALTA, a live-fire restaurant drawing on Navarra, and bar kroketa for croquetas and tapas.

Middle Eastern: Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, by the entrepreneur and refugee Imad Alarnab, with mezze and sharing plates, and Le Bab, reinventing kebabs out of Michelin-starred kitchens.

Asian: OKA for pan-Asian and robata, Shoryu for Hakata tonkotsu ramen, and Liu Xiaomian for Chongqing noodles.

Filipino: Donia, with a sharing menu and a view into the open kitchen.

Peruvian: Señor Ceviche, with a ceviche counter and a Saturday bottomless brunch.

Greek: The Life Goddess.

French: Goldies, a wood-grilled restaurant from the people behind Blanchette.

Italian: Pizza Pilgrims for Neapolitan pizza, and now Padella.

Burgers and cake: Paradiso, and Crumbs & Doilies for cakes baked to order.

Hours are per restaurant, not per courtyard

An honest flag: Kingly Court does not publish opening hours for itself. The courtyard is an access route between restaurants, and each one sets its own times.

So there is no single answer to “what time does Kingly Court close”. Check the restaurant you are going to, not the courtyard, and expect the basement bars to run later than the ground floor kitchens.

One consequence worth planning around: if you arrive without a booking late in the evening, the ground floor may be closing while Cahoots and Disrepute are still going.

Where it is

Kingly Court, Soho, London W1, in the block bounded by Carnaby Street, Beak Street and Kingly Street.

Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus are the stations, both a few minutes away.

The estate is owned by Shaftesbury Capital. Note that carnaby.co.uk now redirects to thisissoho.co.uk, so an old bookmark will take you somewhere unexpected.

How to plan it

Coming from Oxford Circus: the Carnaby Street entrance, next to Dr Martens.

Coming from Soho: Beak Street, next to GRIND.

Coming from Piccadilly Circus or Regent Street: Kingly Street, next to Pizza Pilgrims.

Winter: the courtyard is covered, so outdoor tables still work.

Bringing a dog: the al fresco seating, on a lead.

Need the loo: you have to be dining, and you have to ask.

Checking hours: look up the restaurant, not the courtyard. Kingly Court publishes none of its own.

Late drink: the basements, Cahoots, Disrepute and Two Floors.

Kingly Court

Address

Kingly Court, Soho, London W1, in the block bounded by Carnaby Street, Beak Street and Kingly Street

Nearest

Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus

Hours

Set by each restaurant individually. Kingly Court publishes no opening hours of its own, so check the restaurant rather than the courtyard

Booking

Per restaurant. Several take online bookings, while Padella takes no reservations at all

Price

Free to enter. Restaurant prices vary

Standing

A three storey courtyard off Carnaby Street with an open-air centre, holding around eighteen restaurants and bars from Syrian to Filipino to Peruvian, plus four basement bars

How to get in

There are three entrances, next to Dr Martens on Carnaby Street, next to GRIND on Beak Street, and on Kingly Street next to Pizza Pilgrims, which is why people circle the block looking for it. The outside seating area is covered throughout winter, unlike most London courtyards. The al fresco seating is dog friendly on a lead. Toilets are only for those dining at a restaurant here and you have to ask a team member for access. Owned by Shaftesbury Capital, and carnaby.co.uk now redirects to thisissoho.co.uk.

Where to go next

Carnaby Street covers the shopping around it, and Soho covers the rest of the neighbourhood.

Padella explains the virtual queue, and Seven Dials Market is the Covent Garden version with an uncovered terrace.

Questions we get asked

Where is the entrance to Kingly Court?

There are three. One on Carnaby Street next to Dr Martens, one on Beak Street next to GRIND, and one on Kingly Street next to Pizza Pilgrims. The courtyard sits in the middle of the block and is not visible from any surrounding street, which is why it is easy to miss.

Is Kingly Court covered in winter?

The outside seating area is covered throughout winter, so the courtyard tables keep working in cold weather. Ground floor restaurants offer a choice of eating inside or in the courtyard, and the upper floors are indoors.

Is Kingly Court dog friendly?

The al fresco seating is, with dogs kept on a leash and owners asked to clean up after them. Since the courtyard is covered through the winter, it is one of the more usable covered dog-friendly spots in central London.

Does Kingly Court have public toilets?

No. Toilets are available only to those dining at a restaurant in Kingly Court, and you need to speak to a team member to access them. It is not a place to stop in off Carnaby Street for the facilities.

What time does Kingly Court close?

There is no single answer. Kingly Court publishes no opening hours of its own and each restaurant and bar sets its own times, so check the venue you are going to. The basement bars, including Cahoots, Disrepute and Two Floors, generally run later than the ground floor kitchens.

What restaurants are in Kingly Court?

Around eighteen across three floors, including ALTA and bar kroketa for Spanish, Imad's Syrian Kitchen and Le Bab for Middle Eastern, OKA, Shoryu and Liu Xiaomian for Asian, Donia for Filipino, Señor Ceviche for Peruvian, The Life Goddess for Greek, Goldies for French, Pizza Pilgrims and Padella for Italian, Paradiso for burgers and Crumbs & Doilies for cakes. The bars include Cahoots Underground, Cahoots Ticket Hall, Disrepute and Two Floors.