Balans Soho, No.60

"At this point, Balans in Soho might as well be an institution and receive blue plaque status - it’s been around for ages and has been dishing out brunches and late night eats to the Soho after-hours community since time began. To be clear, the food is mostly deeply mediocre, but there’s a great neighbourhood atmosphere, and it’s a good spot to relax with a few friends and people watch. It’s also open until 5-6am, where it becomes an indispensable place to keep drinking and grab a plate of pasta." - David Paw

"Closing time: 5am every night (except Sundays) If restaurants could talk then we would pay good money to go to Balan’s explosive Ted Talk on Famous People Doing Stuff That Famous People Do. Their No. 60 venue (not to be confused with their even older No. 34 spot up the road) has been open since the early 90s and has been witness to everything from Amy Winehouse repeatedly attempting to smoke inside to this iconic lace-meets-deadly-jacket moment from Lady Gaga. These days it’s very much the go-to sophisticated LGBTQ+ date night spot and although the food can be a little hit or miss, you can’t beat it for a round of American pancakes or a big old burger at 4am on a weeknight. If a 5am curfew is too early a cut off point for you, then it’s worth knowing that their spot at No. 34 is open 24 hours a day." - heidi lauth beasley