Impala: Where to Eat in London

Fire in Soho

Impala is built around a fire. At the centre of the restaurant is an open grill, and that is where head chef Meedu Saad cooks. The idea behind the food is Cairo, by way of a Soho dining room.

It is the newest opening from Super 8, one of the restaurant groups that has shaped how central London eats over the past decade. People were talking about it before the doors opened. Plenty of London’s food crowd now call 2026 its breakout year.

This guide sticks to what is confirmed. The menu, prices and opening times are not covered here, because a new restaurant changes them often and we would rather not guess. Check the official site or the group’s social channels before you go.

Cairo, by way of the grill

Cairo is the starting point. The Egyptian capital has one of the Arab world’s great street-food cultures. Grilled meat is central to it, alongside staples like koshari, ful medames and ta’ameya, the Egyptian falafel made with fava beans rather than chickpeas.

Impala’s promise is fusion: Cairo inspiration given a Soho edge, cooked over live fire. Do not walk in expecting a faithful Cairo grill house. Expect a chef reworking those flavours for a London room.

The best way in is to ask what is coming off the fire that night. Grill-led kitchens often build a menu around whatever is cooking best, and the staff will know.

The Super 8 pedigree

Super 8’s name tells you a lot about what to expect. The group’s best-known places include:

• Kiln on Brewer Street, the Thai grill with its counter seating
• Mountain on Beak Street, cooking over fire with Spanish influences
• Smoking Goat, Thai drinking food in Shoreditch
• Brat, the Basque-leaning grill in Shoreditch with a Michelin star

Across all of them, live fire does a lot of the work. The rooms are lively and the cooking sits within view. Impala carries that thread into a new cuisine. That is why its opening drew so much attention from people who already follow the group.

Finding your way into Soho

Soho is a small district, easy to walk across in about ten minutes. Several Tube stations ring it, so choose the one closest to the street address on Impala’s booking confirmation:

• Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines) for the southern and western edges
• Oxford Circus (Central, Victoria and Bakerloo lines) for the north-west corner near Carnaby Street
• Tottenham Court Road (Central, Northern and Elizabeth lines) for the east, around Soho Square and Frith Street

Do not drive. Soho’s streets are narrow and many are one-way, and the area sits inside the Congestion Charge zone. Night buses run along Regent Street and Charing Cross Road for late finishes.

Getting a table during the hype

New openings in London get booked fast. When a restaurant arrives with this much buzz, tables tend to go quickly once they are released. Here is how to handle it:

• Book through the official channel. Use the restaurant’s own website or the booking link on its social pages, not a resale site.
• Watch for release dates. New places often open their bookings in batches. Following the restaurant’s account is the simplest way to catch the next one.
• Ask about walk-ins. Some Super 8 restaurants keep space for people who turn up on the night. Do not assume Impala does; check its current policy first.
• Be flexible on time. An early or late slot midweek is usually easier to get than a prime weekend table.

Once you are seated, paying is easy. Contactless and card payments are standard in Soho restaurants. London restaurants commonly add a discretionary service charge to the bill. Read the bill before tipping extra; if you are unhappy with the service, you can ask for the charge to be removed.

If you have a dietary restriction, say so when you book. Kitchens that cook over fire usually plan their work in advance, so give them warning.

Sharing at the table

Grill-led Soho restaurants are usually built for sharing. Ordering a few plates for the table and going back for more tends to work better than everyone ordering a starter and a main.

Let the kitchen set the pace. Food cooked over fire comes out when it is ready, and dishes may arrive one after another rather than all together. If you are in a group, agree up front to share everything.

Before and after, on the same few streets

One of the pleasures of eating in Soho is how much is within a short walk. Before or after Impala, try:

• Carnaby Street and Kingly Court for shops and a drink before dinner, near Oxford Circus
• Chinatown, around Gerrard Street, a few minutes south for dessert or late snacks
• Bar Italia on Frith Street, the espresso bar that has run late into the night since the 1940s
• Soho Square, a small garden for a sit-down on a warm evening
• Berwick Street Market, one of London’s oldest street markets, which is best at lunchtime

If you want to taste more of the Super 8 style first, Kiln and Mountain are both a short walk away. Ending the night there makes for a good comparison of how the group cooks across cuisines.