Mildreds Soho — Restaurant in London

Last minute reservation for my birthday with my mum, both of us gluten-free vegans. Also delayed by an hour, and I was able to change my booking just in time too.

Never tried Mildred's before but my favourite place in London is Mallow and I knew Mildred's owns that, so I trusted it was a solid choice and wouldn't let us down.

Our table was looked after by Sohail who was very helpful, considerate and professional, without being over the top. Service was fast and faultless.

My only minor criticism of this current menu is that although there are GF options, for the main plates you have to choose between a curry/spicy dish and a salad. Both were delicious but I'd have liked a non-spicy option. There were four out-of-this-world dessert options though.

The non-GF dishes included a mushroom pie and Tan Tan ramen. I understand it's hard to source GF noodles, but I would've chosen earthier umami flavours if I could.

But as always with Mildred's/Mallow, whatever you order will be cooked and seasoned to perfection, and will probably introduce you to a new favourite ingredient or dish for years to come.

And they change the menu seasonally too, so it's always rewarding to keep moving with their innovations.

For winter there has been a strong Sri Lankan influence adding a lot of warmth and comfort.

I had the Makhani Tofu. It came with roasted cauliflower, okra, sweet onion salad, chana rice and mint chutney. I also had the patatas bravas with the hot sauce on the side which I really appreciated. I was forewarned by Sohail that the curry was spicy but ordered it anyway. It packed a punch, a good amount of heat for me. I loved how the tofu retained crispiness despite being soaked in the rich creamy sauce and the rice was so fragrant and comforting. Amazing.

My mum had the artichoke caesar salad which she raved about! Said she'd never had a salad like it. Also some lemon pepper fries. This truly shows how much Mildred's/Mallow can elevate any dish into something memorable.

For dessert I had the white chocolate tiramisu and Mum had the creme brulee with morello cherry. Tiramisu was my favourite dessert before I stopped eating wheat but because of the sponge and dairy I've never been able to have it. So having such a dreamy Tiramisu was a treat, much better than a birthday cake! Just wish I'd tried a cocktail too!

Downstairs atmosphere was cosy: buzzing and relaxing at the same time.

Loved every minute of it and I'm looking forward to their Spring and Summer menus.

Like I said of Mallow, Mildred's illustrates a long-term in-depth knowledge of vegetarian/vegan cuisine that really sets them apart from any other restaurants in the UK I've experienced: whole foods flavours, textures and fusions.

The secret of fantastic plant-based food is to be creative and put a twist on tradition, instead of just attempting to replicate meat-heavy dishes, so that vegans and meat-eaters can enjoy something new and zany instead of comparing it to old school food. Mildred's/Mallow continue to be pioneers in that respect, showing that plants have so much untapped flavour.

Mildred's have been in business a long time, almost 40 years. The proof of why that is is literally in the pudding! They haven't just jumped on the plant-based bandwagon and it shows in their food, which makes it hard to want to go anywhere...

One of the worst Mildred’s experiences I’ve had, so if thinking about going to one of their restaurants, avoid the soho branch! Had a table booked for 6pm on Saturday eve, for 4. My partner and I got there on time and were sat with a slight delay in one of the upstairs dining rooms. While we were waiting for our friends to join we had to ask for water twice and spent a while trying to get anyone to order some drinks off. By the time our friends arrived the table water was empty so we again had to ask for more. Then after some more wait time, our friends ordered drink. Then after even more wait time we managed to order food. The drinks took nearly as long as the snacks. We ordered snacks to share and when they arrived they were just dumped on the table with no side plates, so we were sat there watching it get cold. Then a waitress came round with 3 side plates saying she’ll go get the 4th one. So then we continued to watch our food get cold. By then we ran out of table water again, which we had to ask for, again. Then as we were finishing our snacks (the cauliflower was a particular highlight, definitely recommend) the mains arrived. Our table was too full to put anything down so we needed to juggle plates in order to help the staff clear the table and put the new dishes down, while trying to ensure they don’t drop any of the food on us which came close multiple times. Again, out of water, which we needed to ask for. They also messed up one of our dishes, instead of arancini they brought some potato side. All in all the food was okay, with the mushroom pie being a particular slimy let down. Then we proceeded to sit in front of our dirty plates for close to 40 (!!!) minutes, with multiple staff members looking at our table, yet no one coming to clear. Then, someone, finally came to clear the table. Shortly after the (I assume) manager came round asking if we’d like dessert and that if we would we’d have 20mins till they need the table back. I completely understand turn times especially on busy evenings, but feel like had they not left us sat with dirty plates for so (!!!) long this wouldn’t have even been an issue.

So the food was okay, it was actually my first time in Mildred’s for dinner (usually in for brunch) and it was quite disappointing to see their dinner menu is the same as brunch but without the pancakes. But service was the real let down. No ownership, no vibes, staff running around avoiding eye contact so that it’s impossible to get another drink, more water etc. Quite a shame as it’s a 2nd in a row negative Mildred’s experience (last time was in Camden). I think their other branches are...

Photos attached for all this .

We had a reservation for our oarty of four, but had to wait outside anyway, about 10 minutes, they acted like they were doing us a favour, when we finally got a table. We then waited 20 minutes to order drinks and had to flag someone down having been ignored by several staff, several times when we said "excuse me, can we order?" .

It's a pretty small space, not wheelchair friendly at all. If you are a larger person you will also probably have trouble. Everything felt slightly smaller than you'd expect, which gave it more of a basic feel. The decor is mid, many other restaurants have a similar aesthetic, but elevated - pics taken here won't impress on your insta. Seats along the sides are comfortable enough because they are padded booth / bench style, but all the others are old fashioned hard wooden chairs. If you sit on a wooden chair along the inside when it's busy, expect to be bumped and jostled by those passing, the whole time. The loos are down a flight of stairs and then up 3 (yes 3) flights of narrow stairs.

The food was mainly fine, the menu is succinct, but they handled my friend's nut allergy well. We had passion fruit margaritas, they were over-salted on the rims, but nice otherwise. The wine list is incredibly limited and as over-priced as you'd expect for the location, we also shared a bottle of white that was good the price notwithstanding. I had the passion fruit cheesecake which none of us cared for after tasting it. It was surprisingly salty. It arrived in a pleasingly visual arrangement, an almost deconstructed format, but due to the taste, I wouldn't reccomend it. My friend's chocolate cake and ice-cream choice was better, but not noteworthy.

The atmosphere was lively and buzzy, so that was nice and Icertainlyenjoyed my friend'scompanywhich alwaysimproves any circumstance. There was a queue outside (it was a Thursday night), but given our experience, I think the hype is unwarranted and I would not go back. My friend had been before, right after the pandemic, it was half empty but she and her partner had enjoyed it more then, the atmosphere was more intimate and relaxed, the service on point. I felt very much like we were on a consumer conveyor belt and once it came time for the bill, they were suddenly friendly, attentive and then super-eager to turn round the table. Perhaps the popularity of this restaurant has worked against it, it don't know. As we stepped outside to leave, I simply...