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Garlic & Shots

European Restaurant in Soho
Garlic & Shots image

5 / 10 from 2 reviews
Address
14 Frith Street
Soho
London
W1D 4RD
Map
Telephone
020 7734 9505
Cuisine
European
Region
Soho
Nearest Station
Tottenham Court Road
0.19 miles

Website
www.garlicandshots.com

Opening Times
Monday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Tuesday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Wednesday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Thursday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Friday
Opens 18:00 - Closes 01:00
Saturday
Opens 18:00 - Closes 01:00
Sunday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 23:30
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Garlic & Shots serve a variety of European dishes at their restaurant, as well as catering for vegetarians. Outdoor seating is provided on the pavement area. Catering for private parties of up to 40 guests is also available upon request.

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All In London Review

Garlic and Shots

Olsson’s Garlic and Shots or just Olsson’s – is a Swedish bar of great repute on Frith Street, in the heart of Soho. But first things first – no lame vampire jokes, they just wouldn’t do it justice. That’s not to say that the bar doesn’t have a sense of humour, just that it’s above that kind of thing. So, no ‘vampires beware’, no ‘order the stake’ and certainly no ‘beware of your breath’ type LOLs. Just no.

Garlic and Shots is one of those places that just belongs to Soho. Like Bar Italia and the Rupert Street sex shops, it’s an institution. Not that it’s an easy place to describe. The faintly gothic, historic space is filled with trinkets and tat collected over the years, which gives it a strangely homely theme to go with its Swedish doom.

Upstairs, the restaurant space is as you might expect an old Swedish café to look – although having not seen what a Swedish café looks like could be the only reason for that feeling. Black paint covers a lot of the space, simple chairs and tables cover the floor and the menu covers a vast range of garlic inspired food. So in short, a lot of covering.

You’ll find burger and chips with plenty of garlic attached, crayfish tail nachos with garlic sauces and, of course, dessert will mean a scoop or two of garlic ice cream. The rest of the menu continues in the same vain with garlic on everything. While Garlic and Shots might not be the first place that springs to mind when you’re out for a meal in Soho, it shouldn’t be the last.

For drinks, think garlic infused beer – or choose standard beer by the bottle for those who have indulged once before – and the shots from the bars title. Tomato juice, chilli and garlic plus other experimental concoctions.

If you want customer service, go to the Disney store, this is an institution and while the old manager can be a curmudgeon it just adds to the authenticity of the place. If you’re not eating take your drinks to the outdoor terrace, which is sandwiched between two looming Soho buildings. Or head below to the crypt for darkness, loud metal and atmosphere.

Garlic and Shots? It’s London’s greatest heavy metal restaurant and garlic dive bar of course…

Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Aug 22, 2012

Best For

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Possibly as close as you’ll come to living out a little bit of Lost Boys/True Blood fantasy freakiness in the heart of Soho. If you prefer your romance on the macabre side then disappear into the seedy basement for beers and garlic infused shots and spend the night trying to cancel out the heavy sour garlic taste in each other’s mouths.

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Warn off vampires and the opposite sex year round by making Garlic and Shots your local.
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User Reviews

Anonymous

Feb 17, 2009

Great place. Excellent food.
Horrible customer service.
If you are looking for a place to have a beer and shots, it's perfect.
If you want a restaurant the food is amazing but the crew is rude and arrogant.
If you want tapas, nibbles, salads, appetizers, FORGET it. You cannot even sit if you doesn't look live having a proper meal. They do good efforts to make you feel uncomfortable.
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