Gauthier Soho

Gauthier Soho occupies a Georgian townhouse on Romilly Street, run by chef Alexis Gauthier, who converted the restaurant's entire menu to fully plant-based cooking, an unusual move for a chef trained in classical French technique and previously known for foie gras and other traditional French dishes. The tasting menu applies that classical training to vegan ingredients, producing dishes such as a truffle risotto finished with a cashew-based aged-Comté adaptation and a glazed heritage beetroot paired with fermented blackberry, alongside a dark chocolate dessert with hazelnut praline and sea salt that closes most tasting menus. The townhouse setting spreads across several small, intimate rooms rather than one large dining room, giving each table a degree of privacy and a quieter, more romantic atmosphere than a typical restaurant of its scale, reinforced by candlelight and traditional French decor that has been retained even as the menu itself moved entirely away from classical animal-based cooking. The wine list includes a strong selection of biodynamic and vegan-certified wines, chosen deliberately to match the plant-based menu's philosophy rather than as an afterthought. The restaurant continues to draw diners well beyond the vegan and vegetarian community, largely on the strength of Gauthier's technical execution rather than any dietary label alone. Reservations are essential given the restaurant's small size and its reputation as one of the most acclaimed plant-based fine-dining destinations in Europe, drawing diners specifically seeking vegan tasting menus at a genuinely fine-dining level rather than a casual vegan restaurant. Its Soho townhouse location keeps it close to the neighbourhood's other dining destinations while offering a considerably quieter, more formal experience than most of what surrounds it on nearby streets.