Cookhouse Joe (Closed Permanently)

In the same way that Honest Burgers [see entry] introduced Soho to high-quality budget burgers, nearby Cookhouse Joe — started in 2013 by Sean McCaffrey — has done exactly the same for rotisserie chicken. The menu features freshly prepared Lebanese favourites falafel, lamb kofta and halloumi, plus burgers and the restaurant's signature free range rotisserie chicken, the latter of which Sean mastered following a two-year residence in Madrid. As the chicken is unseasoned, flavourful home-made sauces (mint and cucumber is best) are a big thing here, and the chips and salad are likewise excellent. An added bonus is that the chicken portions are anything but mean. For the record, Sean's parents own pizza-and-burger hot spot Soho Joe around the corner at 34 D'Arblay St (previous location Dean St) [see entry]. It's a Soho family affair, with high standards and expectations. Sadly a second branch of Cookhouse Joe (in Old Compton St), run by Sean's brother James, closed for good early July 2015.