KID: London Travel Guide

Soho has plenty of places to eat, and few of them get called permanent within weeks of opening. KID did. This Turkish restaurant opened in September 2026, and critics quickly called it a future cornerstone of Soho’s food scene. That’s a big thing to say about a room that’s still new.

The idea is simple to state and hard to do well. Central Anatolian cooking, a charcoal-led kitchen, and British produce on the grill.

Charcoal at the centre of things

Charcoal is the heart of the kitchen, and that shapes everything else. Cooking over coals is about timing, smoke and char rather than sauces built up in a pan. Expect the grill to lead the menu rather than sit beside it.

The pairing with British produce is the interesting part. Turkish grill cooking in London has long leaned on imported staples and familiar formulas. Here the technique comes from Anatolia and the ingredients come from much closer to home.

We haven’t been given the menu, so we won’t guess at dishes or prices. Read the current menu on the restaurant’s own channels before you go, since a new kitchen often changes things in its first months.

Two names behind the pass

The pairing behind KID explains a lot of the early excitement. Sertaç Dirik cooks. Londoners will know the Dirik name from Mangal 2, the family’s Turkish grill in Dalston, which became one of the city’s most talked-about neighbourhood restaurants.

David Carter is the restaurateur, known for Smokestak, the barbecue restaurant, and for Manteca. Both of those places are built on fire, meat and a confident, unfussy room. Put a Turkish grill chef and a fire-focused operator together in Soho and you can see why critics paid attention so fast.

Reading the Central Anatolian accent

Central Anatolia is Turkey’s high, dry interior plateau. It covers cities such as Ankara, Konya and Kayseri, plus the rock country of Cappadocia. Its cooking is different from the meze-and-seafood picture many visitors have of Turkey, which mostly comes from the Aegean coast and Istanbul.

The region is known for:

• Kayseri mantı, tiny dumplings usually served with yoghurt and spiced butter
• Pastırma, cured, spice-crusted beef strongly linked to Kayseri
• Etli ekmek, Konya’s long, thin flatbread topped with minced meat
• Testi kebabı, a Cappadocian stew cooked in a sealed clay pot that is cracked open at the table

None of these is a promise of what KID serves. They are the regional vocabulary the kitchen draws on. Knowing them helps you read the menu and ask good questions. If something on it sounds unfamiliar, ask your server which part of Anatolia the dish comes from.

Booking a table while it’s new

A restaurant this new, with this much critical praise, fills up fast. Here’s how to give yourself the best chance:

• Book ahead. Go through the restaurant’s official booking channel and treat it as a reservation-first place until you know otherwise.
• Check the hours before setting out. We don’t have confirmed opening times, and new restaurants often adjust their schedules in the first season.
• Ask about walk-ins. Some Soho restaurants hold back bar seats or counter space for people without a booking. Check KID’s policy rather than assuming.
• Go in a small group. Tables for two are usually easier to find in central London than tables for six.
• Order to share. Anatolian and grill-led Turkish meals are usually shared across the table, so order a spread rather than one main each.

On paying, London restaurants take cards and contactless almost everywhere. A discretionary service charge is often added to the bill. Read it before you add a tip, because it’s easy to tip twice.

Getting into Soho

Soho is small and best reached on foot from the Tube stations around its edges. We weren’t given KID’s exact address, so check it on the booking confirmation and plan your last few minutes from there.

• Tottenham Court Road (Elizabeth, Central and Northern lines) sits at the north-east corner, near Soho Square.
• Oxford Circus (Central, Victoria and Bakerloo lines) is at the north-west edge.
• Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines) is at the south-west corner.
• Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern lines) is to the south-east, next to Chinatown.

Coming from most points, Soho is a walk of five to ten minutes. Black cabs and ride-hailing cars move slowly through its narrow, one-way streets in the evening. It’s often quicker to get out on a main road such as Charing Cross Road or Regent Street and walk the rest of the way.

Around the table: an evening in Soho

Dinner at KID fits easily into a Soho evening. Before you eat, Soho Square’s small garden is a quiet place to wait if you’re early. Berwick Street, with its long-running street market by day, has some of the neighbourhood’s oldest independent shops.

Afterwards, Old Compton Street is the area’s late-night spine, lined with bars and cafés. Chinatown’s Gerrard Street is just south across Shaftesbury Avenue, and the West End theatres are close by. If you’re catching a show, book an early dinner and leave enough time for the walk. Confirm the timing with the restaurant when you reserve.