The Star at Night

Having served Soho for eight decades, the plucky Star cafe’s folksy Great Depression-era decor seems to have come circle. Hidden behind construction barriers, this evergreen has successfully seen off Crossrail – the rapacious vortex into which others have disappeared or been replaced by clone coffee shops & the like. By day, the place is appreciated for its big breakfast fry-ups, bowls of lunchtime pasta & salads; by night, it’s a squeeze when it morphs into a buzzy candlelit gay bar popular with les girls. Knock back lemon-in-the-neck lagers, mulled cider, wine by the carafe & modest cocktails such as pink gin martinis, limoncello lovelies & fruity mojitos. If solids are called for, you can always nibble on tapas, charcuterie & cheese plates to a soundtrack of progressive house, big belters & lively ‘loungecore’.