Shopping In Soho In London…Music And Shopping Really? The Complete Guide

What To Expect In Soho London

Fun-loving and never quiet, Soho attracts people from all different places to its rich cultural area. Its history, events, restaurants, and atmosphere make it a great area for tourists.

Soho is a great place to find live entertainment in theatres such as Prince Edwards theatre, interesting food like in The Breakfast Club Soho, and pulsing nightlife. Browse the boutique shops, relax in Soho Square, or treat yourself to a West End show with a meal and a delicious cocktail. You can find pubs from casual to secret bars. Soho offers everything for everyone.

History Of The Soho Area In London

Soho is an area located in the Greater London County. It was developed from farmland by Henry VIII in 1536 when it became a regal park. A spookier version of this history is that it was an old hunting cry. Another theory is that Soho is abbreviated for South (of) Holborn. Well, those nautical guides are not aligned properly cause this belief is just purely ridiculous. Soho is actually located to the West of Holborn.   

So where was the infamous name coined from? Glad you asked.  

Home to the Berwick Street Market, Soho is one of the capital’s oldest markets, which originated in street trading in the late 1770s but was not officially recognized as a market until 1892.

Soho London Is Best Known For….

Is it the indie music avenues? The sexy tourists? Yes, you read that correctly! The coach and horses? Or being squashed up at a sweaty gig? This area is just quite fascinating with a lot of rich historical background and to think it was just mere farmland.

The Main Shopping Street In Soho London

We can confidently say that Soho is quite an astonishing site in London. It has been associated with the music legends like David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, these great stars all honed their crafts in Soho’s clubs and venues before making it big. Rock ‘n’ roll for the win! It is also home to a top fashion/shopping street. A farmland turned shopping street, stranger things have happened, we guess. The main shopping street in this area is Carnaby street, the former epicenter of London’s hippie and mod movement in the 1960s, filled with late-night speakeasies, jazz, and fashion boutiques. It is definitely one place you’d love to see. It is also home to some of our rugged British labels with the popular Dr. Martens, Diesel, Puma, and Barbour. We would recommend for you visit this shopping street at least once.  

So get that credit card, get that plane ticket and go. Life is short like that!

Some Popular Luxury Shopping Stores in Soho Are….

Photographer’s Gallery

Located at Ramillies street just off Oxford circus, it is definitely worth a visit. The Gallery sits on the corner of the block and is visible once you are on the correct street. If you can’t find it, well it’s no brainer what has happened. Still, thinking? … Yeah exactly.

Absolute Vintage  

The boutique-style store has a solid selection of bags, and shoes, all lined up by the dozen on packed shelves, both men’s and women’s styled are arranged in meticulous order by color and by type. We find this store just perfect for our OCD, phew!  

It is located at 79 Berwick street, London WIF 8TL

Jack Spade  

This store started out with just one product “dipped coal” bag back  

In 1996 and has steadily grown into a small chain of US stores and is even available now in the Soho area. Sounds like a Drake’s “started from the bottom” moment right?

Places to Eat When Shopping

Buy and then pull down those belts. You won’t have a complete shopping experience if you don’t find some of these Soho restaurants. From rustic French fare to Mediterranean small plates and tasty tapas…come on!! How could you not want to have a taste of these yummy treats? Well for fine wine and dine, start with …

• Quo Vadis 

This Soho restaurant is full of character, founded in 1926. If you’ve been looking to try the famous signature smoked eel-sarnies and the rather humble British dishes, such as fish and chips, and see what the fuss is all about, then we recommend this restaurant for you.

• Wun’s Tea Room and Bar  

If you prefer something a little stronger than tea or you just want regular tea, this restaurant is here to help you either relax or lose your keys. They also serve revolutionary sugar-ston Iberico char siu, quite a mouthful, we know!

• Lina Stores 

A restaurant that also owns a deli, so you know it must be good. Who needs Michelin stars anyway when you got a deli? If you’re looking to feast hard on the pasta: al dente hand-rolled pici pasta noodles, then stop by here. Other restaurants include;

• Chin chin Desert club

• The Mantl and more.

Subway Stations That Take You To Soho In London

If you’re traveling by subway, the closest London underground stations are:

• Oxford Circus
• Tottenham Court Road
• Piccadilly Circus  

These are just a few minutes’ walk from Soho.

What A Shopping Spree In Soho Would Look Like

A shopping spree in Soho? That for sure would be chaotic, like twenty mad hulls charging at a matador, if the 20 mad bulls were customers and the matador, Soho.   

On Saturdays in this area, the market becomes a small paradise for second-hand hunters. However, Mondays to Fridays are good market days, but you will still find a great selection of lovely things throughout the weekend.

Closest Hotels in Soho, London To Stay In

What’s better than kicking back and relaxing at a fancy hotel just meters away from one of the top shopping areas in London? We’ll answer that for you…nothing! These hotels close to the Soho area are just what you need to be closed to your shopping spree location.

• The Resident Soho  

This is an oasis of calm in the center of London’s Vibrant Shopping area. Just a Stone’s throw from some of the best shopping bars, boutiques, and restaurants. 

• The Soho Hotel  

It has 96 individually designed bedrooms, so don’t worry, we assure you there’s definitely enough space for you. Located between Dean and Wardour streets, you’re sure to enjoy some of London’s best entertainment here. Hell, you might just casually bump into Stormzy.

• Thistle Piccadilly Hotel

No jokes can be made about this one folk. It is simply gorgeous! It is the perfect place to stay if you want to explore all that London has to offer. We guess the only question is where to head first.

There are more hotels close to this airport like; Bloomsbury, St Martin’s Lane London, Page 8 and Haslitt’s

Closest Airports To Soho In London

The nearest airport you can find to Soho area square is the London City (LCY) airport which is 7.9 miles away.  

We’ll give you a list of other airports like

• London Luton(LTN) at 27.4 miles away from the airport

• London Stansted(STN,) at 31 miles away from the airport

• London Gatwick(LGW) at 25 miles away

• London Heathrow (LHR) at 14.2 miles away

7 Fun Facts About Soho In London 

Wherever you stay when visiting Central London, there are a few areas of locality like the Soho area we just find captivating. We find through our exploration that this area holds amazing facts, such as

• The Groovy Carnaby Street was the birthplace of mod fashion.

• Jimi Hendrix recorded his first album here

• Home to iconic composer Wolfgang Amadeus 

• A Soho express bar boom was caused by a never ending need for caffeine

• The first TV was displayed on the Frith Street in Soho.

• Marlboro cigarettes came from here

• Manette Street in Soho was named after “A Tale of Two Cities”, the Famous Charles’ Dickens novel.