The Edge Cafe in Soho Square is a gay-friendly venue that attracts everyone from families with young children to local office workers to groups of friends and couples.

The Venue
Subtle on the outside, bright and quirky on the inside, The Edge, just off Oxford Street is popular among locals for a quick drink and a social gathering. The cafe has plenty of colour inside: tall vases filled with blooming orange flowers sit on just about every ledge and windowsill available and on all the tables a smaller vase can be found holding a big yellow dandelion. The main light looks as if a large purple meteorite is being suspended from the ceiling with exploding fairy lights shooting out of it. The cafe’s bar has a copper sheet wrapped around the front and a solid wooden work surface. Behind the bar, nestling between all the bottles of spirits is a wide screen TV tuned into a male model catwalk for those who fancy keeping up to date on their fashion - or possibly the male models.

Unfortunately there isn’t much space inside and so it can get fairly cramped, particularly around lunch when the locals drop in from their offices. There are two comfortable booths in either corner, however, each large enough to seat a group of ten quite comfortably but unless you’ve managed to get one of these you’ll be stuck with a little table that seats two, maybe three people. These are all crammed up in the corner next to the bar and can be tolerated if you’re just ordering a drink but offer next to no room for you to enjoy a proper meal.

The Atmosphere
It’s a cheerful cafe with a lively atmosphere attracting all kinds of people depending on what time you arrive. In the evenings the Hygge Lounge and alfresco area, located on the second and third floors respectively, open up, offering a mix of chilled out music, cheesy pop and funky house.

The Food
A main course will cost you no more than around £7 and include dishes like fish and chips, homemade cottage pie and casserole with dumpling served with mash. Baguettes and wraps are around £4 and jacket potatoes are a fiver and come with a range of fillings.

The Drink
On tap is Carlsberg, Tuborg and Guinness. There are plenty of spirits available behind the bar as well and a selection of soft drinks to boot. They also serve coffee and tea.

The Last Word
The kind of place you might bump into Jack from Will and Grace. If you want a quick drink away from Oxford Street then it’s certainly worth dropping into so long as you reckon you’ll get one of those booths.

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