Lorelei Restaurant

It was a great place to eat in busy Soho but, sadly, it has now closed down.

I have to admit that I am not so sure about this place. The couple that own it, also wait on the tables (and as I later found out, are also the Chefs). The lady is lovely, in her own way. The gentleman we didn’t really get the chance to engage with.
I love retro, and I love quirky. This place approached the side of ‘when did they last wash down the counters’ retro, and the quirks such as dirty toilets outside in a yard are a quirk too far for me, I think.
The food tho, I have to hand it to them, is simple but tasty and the couple obviously really love the food they make and the customers that come in.
OH, (can’t believe that I forgot to mention this), you can take your own alcohol making for a perfectly brilliantly cheap dinner — just don’t expect ice or wine glasses. They also do not accept cards.

I love the retro vibe! And the cheap prices, although as I am quite greedy I would prefer a bigger pizza. Good toppings and I liked the slightly thick dough. BYOB really makes it cheap (I would say bring your own soft drinks too as theirs are quite expensive). Quick and friendly service too.

King Triton called… he wants royalties on his daughter’s rogue appearance. Creepy Little Mermaid mural aside, this fantastic Soho Italian dive truly saved the night with 5 personal size pizzas for £25.
Sure they were heavy on the anchovies, sure the entire experience was like a DeLorean ride back to 1964, but the pizzas were hot and fresh, service was homey and considerate, and the price was right. A perfect pit stop for a drunken night on the go in Soho.

Gloriously retro Italian pizzeria in the heart of Soho. This place is full of Formica tables and there is a huge wall sized mural of a mermaid waving to a ship. In short, this place has probably not been updated since the days when the Beatles were an unknown band
However the place focuses upon a retro Italian menu offering pizzas for pasta dishes or around £6, which is not bad for Soho. There are starters like avocado prawns which must have been so exotic in the ’60’s. However I ordered poor man pizza which was simple tomatoes with anchovies sprinkled with oregano. The pizza was not the best I’ve eaten but it was enjoyable.
The owner is obviously not young and I suspect this homage to The sixties Soho will disappear one day to be replaced by a cool Sohoite chain clone.

Food fads come and go, but there’ll always (?) be the Lorelei
Step back in time to a place which has been serving delicious pizza and coffee since long before London became overgrown with Stradas and Starbucks. Savour the tobacco-​stained mural of the mermaid, the non-​ironic 1950s fittings, the lovingly made pizzas, getting change from a tenner after a two course meal. Also one of the few places which still allows you to bring your own booze.
Probably the last coffee bar left in Soho from its ‘swinging’ era, it seems a crime to not be able to smoke in here anymore. A place to go with old friends to chew over that failed romance, celebrate a new one or set the world to rights, whether or not you’re down on your uppers.