Aurora Cafe

Definitely not a café but a very nice small restaurant in the middle of Soho.
Good atmosphere and (kind of electronic chill out dance) music, the restaurant is small but did not feel cramped. We were attended by very kind, patient, easy going and friendly staff.
The food was great, I had a very tasty nicely seared, almost raw tuna starter with noodles. As a main I had the steak which was tender, juicy and tasty. The finale banoffee pie and a sweet white dessert wine.
Surely recommended place!

One of the best little restaurants in soho to take a date. The food is terrific Mediterranean changes monthly. The staff is super. The garden is a slice of heaven when the weather is good no garden like it in soho. I can’t say enough it’s a must go to

Popped in randomly with a friend of mine and we were amazed by the small romantic garden. The food tasted delicious and the wine made everything even bette. Couldn’t expect to have more of a perfect night. I will go back !

Food — delicious! Service — okay … And here’s why:
Both my partner and I ordered the vegetarian main course following an amazingly delicious broccoli soup and smoked trout salad. Her main course arrived at the right temperature. Mine, must have been scooped out of the pot and nuked for only 10sec when 45sec was needed. I asked to have mine heated (it was less than room temp) and then waited 15min for this (my wife was by then done). The second wait staff said he heard that my meal wasn’t hot enough for me and was sorry for delay… Anyways, when the plate finally did arrive, the wait gal brought it in with heat protection for her fingers. It arrived so hot that I couldn’t touch it for at least 5−7min. Perhaps the cook got «0» happy on the microwave? So, here I am complaining that it was too cold then too hot. Humorous kitchen staff or picky customer. I’m laughing, sort of…
I would have given 2.5 stars but that’s not allowed. There are many good places in the area. If there wasn’t we would go back.

TOP 5 ROMANTIC RESTAURANTS
Okay so it’s another Soho based restaurant but I had to include Aurora as it’s an absolute favourite of mine.
Suitably dimmed lighting, modern European menu, fantastically friendly and helpful staff and unpretentious décor give this small hideaway restaurant a charm of its own.
And depending on the weather they have a small but wonderful walled and heated courtyard that transports you to a Mediterranean village in just a few steps.
It’s the perfect place to gaze longingly into each other eyes without fear of unwanted intrusions from fellow diners or over zealous staff.

This is a solid 4 stars place for me. The word Café may be a bit of a misnomer since it’s definitely more restaurant than café. What does resemble a café however is the fact that it’s quite small and informal but cosy. In the summer there is a cute little garden at the back for al fresco dining — surprising due to the location right in those tiny streets in the middle of Soho.
Invited to a group booking of 8 people, this was my second visit to Aurora.
My starter of salmon gravadlax was excellent.
Main course of roast partridge was also just as good and well thought out.
Service was good although our waiter appeared to have had one drink too many resulting in a little confusion on who ordered what but didn’t detract from my overall rating. A nice low key contrast to more showy places in Soho.

I once lived next door to this restaurant and invariably found myself taking everyone possible, all visitors, friends and family, for dinner. I would never have described it as Italian, or a café. It’s a small smart restaurant, with a cosy feel, like a Soho townhouse living room. There is a small courtyard with seating for the occasional warm evening and a cellar for if upstairs gets busy.
What they always do very well is fish. The menu changes regularly and the food is fresh, smart, inventive and interesting. The wine list again chages frequently and is worthy.
It could be that being opposite Andrew Edmunds means it has a lot to live up to, but I think it is fair competition and gived AE run for its money.
Lexington street and the surrounding area is a very beautiful part of London and this place is a great place to end up in once you have finished exploring.

I’ve been to Aurora twice now. The first time was with friends from the States last year and now again last night. On my first visit, there were four of us and we were shoved in some small odd space next to the ladies WC.
However, last night I was right by the window, which was a bit better. They accommodated a VERY last minute reservation on a Friday, which in Soho, is surprising.
The food is good. I had a smoked chicken with raisins, lettuce, and nuts starter, and a medium rare steak with garlic butter. The cut could have been slightly better, but not so much that I didn’t eat it. Most places just serve steak with some fries but they did a really nice grilled mushroom, artichokes and roasties, tomato and small salad. You didn’t feel like MEAT OVERLOAD. Overall, hearty and pleasant. I was so full after the main that we shared a brownie+ice cream dessert, which was all warm and was nicely melting the ice cream.
This is a favourite of my husband’s so I know we will return.

Full review at

Aurora was lovely inside great for groups of friends. They put us in a separate room with a nice big wooden table, interesting paintings, candles in wine bottles, books piled on side tables, lamps. I loved the atmosphere.
We ordered bread and olives, and the mozzarella, pepper and rocket starters to share which were light and delicious. We ordered one, no two, oh go on then three, bottles of the viognier at £21.50 each which was easy to drink but with a greater depth than the usual female staple Pinot G, and went really well with the food.
Next, mains of aubergine tamale, swordfish, monkfish and steak. I had the monkfish which was delicious served on a bed of beans and chorizo, the monkfish was thick and meaty. Everyone else loved their mains and the veggie option looked great.
The lemon tart, chocolate pud and cheese plate were all lovely well worth having.
All in all, we spent about 4 hours in there and the total cost for mucho wine and food was £40 each — pretty good considering the time spent and calories consumed. I certainly ordered well as the monkfish was absolutely gorgeous, but some of the other plates looked good rather than amazing. HOWEVER, the service and relaxed atmosphere made it a fantastic place to bring friends if conversation is as important as the food (and shouldn’t it be??).

Totally agree with the last review — delicious food, very generous portions and very fairly priced. The menu is not Thai but has in the past had some fusion pacific dishes, generally the food is modern European and always has a great selection of fish, meat, chicken and vegetarian, as well as amazing deserts.

Juuust verging on four stars but not quite there. This place deserves points for walking in on a bustling Thursday night in Soho and immediately getting a table in their cute back garden. The walls are covered with ivy and there are some cozy intimate little tables, but it would have been nice to see the sky instead of a mildly ugly tent covering overhead. But anyway, the courtyard is a really nice touch because eating outside is always pretty excellent in my view.
Food? Totally decent but not impressive. Grilled halloumi appetizer was tasty, salmon salad was good, sirloin steak was good, gammon steak was a bit salty. Most disappointing? The bread basket with olives that cost £3.50 was filled with semi-​stale bits of bread, some of which could have come out of a sliced white supermarket loaf bag in the trashiest Piggly-​Wiggly in Central Texas. If you’re going to charge for bread, at least make it worth my while.
Verdict: Satisfactory, fairly enjoyable, a good choice for a romantic setting if there are empty tables and you don’t want to wait 90 minutes at another restaurant in Soho. Or you don’t care if the food’s not spectacular. Wine was good though, the people were nice, and I’m kind of a sucker for ivy.

Unbelievable — some of the most delicious Thai and asian foods ive had in London, absolutely amazing and so beautifully presented. Friendly staff and a great level of service and a charming atmosphere and clientele

I took my boyfriend to Aurora Soho for a surprise birthday treat and it was just that! After reading Jay Rayner’s brilliant review in the Observer, I thought this would be a perfect place to spend a romantic evening celebrating a special birthday, and I wasn’t disappointed.
From the moment I called to make a reservation to leaving at the end of the night, the staff were superb — friendly, hospitable and couldn’t do enough for us.
Aurora is a small, warm and very welcoming restaurant serving delicious, locally sourced, fresh food.
The interior of Aurora is painted in a lovely bohemian blood red (as Jay describes it!) with candles and lillies adding atmosphere and a beautiful scent! The chairs and tables are all authentically old school; wooden seats with leather pads and arranged in intimate groups and alcoves which makes for a great intimate atmosphere.
We ate upstairs, however I believe there’s also a downstairs eating area and in the summer people rave about the beautiful courtyard garden as a perfect place to lunch and enjoy when we have some sunshine!
The food is a mix of traditional british fare, with a twist. Aurora offer a great mix of meat, vegetarian and fish mains which are all reasonably priced for this jewel of a find in Soho. We ordered the Steak and Swordfish which came with a selection of seasonal veg — both were cooked to our liking and tasted wonderful. The deserts are to die for — we shared a beautiful homemade cheesecake (which is just right after a sizable main!).
Our booking did have a 2 hour table limit, but there was enough time to savor the food and atmosphere without feeling rushed or hassled to leave.
A great little find for any foodie looking for quality in Central London!

This little Italian is in the best bit of Soho and makes for a really nice restaurant for any occasion. It is however, especially good for the occasion whereby the three forces of nicotine addiction, hunger and summer collide. Aurora has a lovely little courtyard at the back that in the decent weather is such a nice place to eat and drink and have a good old meal.
The food, the food — it’s good. It’s not amazing but it’s nice, you’ll have a good selection to choose from and you’re likely to find it suits the wine well. When I was in the waiter made a real effort to chill our prosecco as it hadn’t been in the fridge and the effort was really appreciated. I’d go back anytime.

I love Aurora. I think it’s my favourite restaurant.
The food is great, and the atmosphere wonderfully relaxed.

The crisp brown façade suggests a French feel to this place, but the menu is a mix of European dishes. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the staff are very approachable. There are two floors — both as cosy and relaxed as each other and i have always felt well looked after when i have eaten here.
The walls are covered in paintings which are for sale, and there is a little courtyard garden to really escape the traffic and rushing bodies of London.
Their menu changes monthly using in season ingredients. A lot of their ingredients are organic. Starters are around £5 and mains are £10-£15 depending on what you choose. The selection is good and usually includes different fresh fish dishes, poultry mains and an in season vegetable dish.
A lot of my friends say this is their favourite place to eat in London and i would’nt disagree. It really is rather good.