Curzon Soho

Walking into Curzon Soho feels like stepping into proper cinema territory. This isn't your multiplex chain - it's a serious film house tucked into Soho's warren of streets, where the programming actually makes you think about what you want to see rather than just whatever's loudest.

You get three screens here, each one decent-sized with decent seating. The sort of place that shows the stuff multiplexes won't touch: proper independent films, foreign language releases, documentaries that actually matter. They programme rereleases too, which is when you realise how much a big screen transforms something you thought you'd already seen.

It's not free - you'll pay standard cinema prices - but the selection justifies it. Allow two hours from arrival to exit, maybe three if you're the type to linger over a coffee beforehand. The sound system's good enough that you notice the difference.

Historically minded filmgoers and anyone after intelligent programming will find their people here. It's a working cinema, not a museum piece, so if you're staying at Lovat Parks and fancy a proper night out in central London, this beats the usual suspects hollow. You can easily pair it with dinner in Soho itself - the whole area's built for wandering between venues.

Worth checking their website before you go. They occasionally run special seasons and late-night screenings that won't show up in advance marketing.