Govinda's

Govinda's has been serving pure vegetarian food on Soho Street since 1979, run by the Hare Krishna temple next door and beloved for its cheap, generous, karma-free cooking. It is one of Soho's genuine institutions, a calm, canteen-style room a step from the Oxford Street crowds where a proper meat-free meal costs very little.

As a long-standing vegetarian restaurant in Soho, its heart is the thali: a changing plate of curries, dal, rice and bread that gives you a bit of everything. The kitchen rounds that out with soups, Indian sweets like shrikhand and gulab jamun, and a few crowd-pleasing internationals such as pizza slices, veggie burgers and lasagne, all vegetarian and much of it vegan.

What to expect from this vegetarian restaurant in Soho

Expect honest, home-style cooking at canteen prices: build-a-plate thalis and daily curries, soups and breads, plus sweet treats and a handful of Western options for the undecided. It is counter-service and unfussy, popular with students, workers and anyone after a filling, affordable and entirely meat-free lunch in the middle of town.

The temple kitchen and the setting

Founded by the Krishna movement and still attached to the temple, Govinda's carries a gentle, welcoming atmosphere you rarely find in central London. It sits just off Soho Square, near vegetarian stalwart Mildreds, with more of the area's tables in our Soho restaurants listings.

How a visit works

Govinda's opens Monday to Saturday from noon to 9pm and Sunday from noon to 4.30pm, as a walk-in, counter-service restaurant on Soho Street. Menus and details are on its official site, and it is reviewed in the Good Food Guide.