The story
Imad's Syrian Kitchen serves Middle Eastern food on the top floor of Kingly Court, 2.14-2.16 Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, Soho, London W1B 5PW. The Michelin Guide gave it a Bib Gourmand in 2026 for good quality, good value cooking.
Imad Alarnab ran restaurants and cafes in Damascus before the war forced him to leave. On the journey through Europe he cooked for other refugees, at times for up to 400 people at once. His London career started with charity events and supper clubs, and the Syrian kitchen he runs now carries that history into a short, deliberate menu.
The falafels are golden, sesame-studded and shaped like ring doughnuts. Labneh arrives with crispy okra and green coriander oil, and muhamarra brings roasted red peppers with pomegranate, chilli and walnut. For something heartier, the grilled chicken comes with spiced potato, harissa mayo and pitta, while the slow-roast lamb shoulder is served with basmati rice. Mahalaya, a rose-water milk pudding topped with blackberries, coconut, mastic and pistachio, finishes the meal.
The Good Food Guide describes a bright, noisy dining room where the cooking has a familiar edge. Weekday set lunches offer good value, and the wine list is short, with bottles from Cephalonia, Georgia and Croatia. Breakfast dishes such as shakshuka, fatteh and ful sit alongside the lunch and dinner menu.
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History
good quality, good value cooking
Feeding hungry people is second nature to Imad Alarnab – and he has the backstory to prove it. A well-respected restaurateur in his native Damascus, he was driven out by the Syrian war and forced to trek across Europe, cooking for his fellow refugees along the way. Once in London, he started making a name for himself with pop-ups, charity events and sell-out supper clubs. In 2021, he went permanent on the upper tier of Carnaby's Kingly Court, and his bright, noisy dining room chimes perfectly with cooking that has a familiar edge but plenty of ‘memorable’ twists – from golden-brown, sesame-studded falafels fashioned like ring doughnuts to bowls of mahalaya (a rose-water milk pudding with blackberries, coconut, mastic and pistachio). The menu is short and sharp, ranging from vegetarian small plates to meaty high-protein grills. Aside from those Instagrammable falafels, the meze-style roster runs from labneh with crispy okra and dots of green coriander oil to muhamarra dip (roasted red peppers with pomegranate, chilli and walnut). If meat is required, go for grilled chicken with spiced potato, harissa mayo and pitta bread or slow-roast lamb shoulder with basmati rice. Weekday set lunches are a decent deal, and the short, eclectic wine list includes representatives from Cephalonia, Georgia and Croatia, among others. Above all, Imad's story 'resonates and brings renewed hope in difficult times'.
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