BAO Fitz

BAO Fitzrovia makes a virtue of a clear, compact idea. On the corner of Windmill Street, the restaurant spreads over two floors, balancing a small-footprint intimacy with enough room for a group meal downstairs. Minimal clay walls and large glass windows keep the space light, while the U-shaped wooden bar — inspired by Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks — gives the restaurant a strong visual centre.

The setting suits the food’s own sense of focus. Bao’s appeal is built around small, precise things with enough flavour to make their scale feel generous, and the room creates the right rhythm for ordering, sharing and trying another plate. There is little need for ceremony. Fitzrovia rewards places with a bit of movement in them, and BAO Fitz has the energy of a restaurant designed to keep a table engaged without making the experience feel hurried.

Outdoor seating adds flexibility, while the basement makes the restaurant useful for groups as well as quick visits at the bar. At 37, BAO Fitz is a neatly resolved piece of Taiwanese dining: distinctive enough to have a point of view, compact enough to feel immediate and lively enough to belong exactly where it is. The room and the menu share the same discipline — small, exact and full of character. The option of sitting outside broadens the rhythm in warmer weather, while the basement gives the format a useful group dimension. It is a restaurant with a strong sense of scale, and that clarity is a large part of its charm.