Oxford Circus is where the Victoria, Central and Bakerloo lines meet two of London’s busiest shopping streets. Every weekday thousands of office workers and shoppers come up from the station hungry. Lunch near Oxford Circus usually means a meal deal or a queue at a chain. A proper sit-down lunch is closer than most people expect. Kingly Court is three minutes away on foot and our kitchen starts cooking at midday seven days a week.
The Oxford Circus lunch
The streets around the station are built for volume. Chains serve hundreds of people an hour. Patties get pressed in advance and sandwiches sit in fridges from the morning. That works if all you need is fuel. It falls short when you want to sit down and eat something made for you.
The other option is a long wander into Soho on a short lunch break. That rarely ends well either. Most people need three things. A real table. A menu worth reading. A walk short enough to be back at their desk on time.
We list the walk from Oxford Circus at 3 minutes and it holds up. Leave the station onto Regent Street and turn onto Carnaby Street. Kingly Court is on your right and we’re on the ground floor.
The courtyard has entrances from Carnaby Street, Beak Street and Kingly Street.
That short walk is what makes lunch near Oxford Circus practical here. Regent Street and Liberty London are on the doorstep so shoppers can drop in between stops. First time in the courtyard? Our guide to the best restaurants in Kingly Court explains how it all fits together.
What to order for lunch
Every burger on our Burgers in Soho menu is halal. Every burger, every day. Patties are hand-formed and cooked to order in a toasted brioche bun. Sauces are made in-house and fries are cut in-house daily.
Our picks for lunch near Oxford Circus:
- Cheeseburger: smoked cheddar, house burger sauce, baby gem and pickles. The one most people start with.
- Temper Smash Burger: smoked raclette, green sauce, pickled onions and chillies. Our answer to the best smashburger in Soho.
- Hot Shot Burger: fermented chilli hot mayo. A slow burn that builds.
- Fried Chicken Burger: buttermilk-marinated chicken with ranch mayo.
- Vegan Mountain Burger: a mushroom-based patty with vegan cheese. It does not feel like a compromise.
- Fish and chips: hand-battered and fresh, never frozen.
Wings and tacos from the small plates list suit a lighter appetite. Everything else is on our Menus page.
Heading back to the office after? The bar pours three house mocktails and alcohol-free Madri alongside 40+ cocktails.
How long a visit takes
Everything is cooked to order so lunch here runs at restaurant pace. Our team recommends a few habits that keep a quick lunch near Oxford Circus on schedule:
- Tell your server you’re on a lunch break when you sit down.
- Order food and drinks together in one round.
- Stick to one burger and a side.
- Ask for the bill when your food arrives.
Regulars on a one-hour break tend to follow that pattern. Longer lunches suit the steaks. Our 28-day dry-aged British beef comes as a 250g rump or a 250g fillet cooked how you like it.
Walk-ins welcome at lunch
We recommend booking for dinner and weekends. A weekday lunch in Soho is different. You can simply walk in.
There are three places to sit:
- Downstairs bar: booth seating looking out into the Kingly Court courtyard
- Upstairs: extra dining next to the kitchen
- Courtyard terrace: covered and open all year
Solo diners, colleagues and first-timers all get the same table and the same menu. Bringing the whole team? Call us on 0203 747 9820 and we’ll hold space.
Find us near Oxford Circus
Paradiso, Kingly Court, Kingly Street, Carnaby, Soho, London W1B 5PW.
- Monday to Thursday: 12pm to 11pm
- Friday and Saturday: 12pm to midnight
- Sunday: 12pm to 9pm
Directions and a map are on our Find Us page. Next time lunch near Oxford Circus looks like another meal deal, take the three-minute walk instead.