Heritage restaurant review: Swiss indulgence in Soho
Enjoy cheesy classics in surroundings that are anything but

Heritage, which has just opened its doors a few steps from Leicester Square, touts itself as the London’s first modern Swiss restaurant - presumably in contrast to the cowbell kitsch of St Moritz, a Soho institution on nearby Wardour Street.
Indeed, unlike the faux-chalet decor you might find at other restaurants offering Alpine fare, Heritage pays only the classiest of tributes to its Swiss roots. Dark wood paneling acts as a sophisticated nod to Switzerland’s famous ski lodges, while eye-catching retro Montreux Jazz Festival posters mounted on the walls honour one of the country’s best-known cultural exports.
The menu, the brainchild of Canadian head chef Aarik Persaud - formerly of Chewton Glen, among others - promises a similarly upmarket take on Alpine classics like rosti, raclette and fondue.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But first, a drink at the bar, where - in our first sniff of luxury ahead - ice cubes are stamped with the restaurant’s crest.
The bar’s take on the negroni, garnished not with the traditional orange peel but with a fragrant bouquet of thyme and sage wrapped in a sliver of lemon peel, is an outstanding experience for the nose as well as the mouth.
Aperitif over, we are shown to our table. From the moment we walked through the door, the service was outstanding striking that elusive balance between courteous professionalism and relaxed warmth so often skewed on the upmarket dining scene.
Guided by our sommelier’s recommendations, we opt for a prié blanc from the Alpine-orientated wine list. The fresh and nutty white, from Cave Mont Blanc in the Aosta valley, proves the perfect counterpoint to the rich fare before us.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
It would hardly be a Swiss feast without a rosti, so we start with a particularly indulgent version, topped with maple-glazed Dingley Dell lardons and tomette de brebis cheese.
Another standout from the small plates section is the lobster and roasted fennel tart, bursting with succulent lobster meat and creamy with milk tomme.
Next up, we reach the jewel in the crown of Swiss cuisine: fondue. The concoction itself - an unctuous umami blend of raclette and emmental, laced with a white wine reduction, and charmingly served in a dinky copper pot - is delectable. But almost as delicious (and I never thought I would write this) is the accompanying plate of vegetables, a gleaming plate of rainbow heritage carrots and tomatoes, baby courgettes, radishes and linzer potatoes.
The last strings of fondue greedily gobbled down, we have now reached the star of the show: the charbonnade, a do-it-yourself affair in which an impressive miniature barbeque is placed on the table for diners to cook their choice of beef or lobster as they please.
We plump for the chateaubriand option, and are soon merrily grilling strips of delicate pink strips of Dedham Vale beef.
This feast is accompanied by three sauces, including a homemade mustard, and sides of hispi cabbage scattered with crispy ham, and potato gratin “Le Museum”, named for the iconic Montreux restaurant from which the recipe takes its inspiration.
After this epic trek through Switzerland’s culinary foothills, you’ll forgive us if we skipped the dessert menu. Maybe next time - and there definitely will be a next time.
Heritage, 18-20 Rupert St, Soho; heritagerestaurant.co.uk
Rebecca Messina is the deputy editor of The Week's UK digital team. She first joined The Week in 2015 as an editorial assistant, later becoming a staff writer and then deputy news editor, and was also a founding panellist on "The Week Unwrapped" podcast. In 2019, she became digital editor on lifestyle magazines in Bristol, in which role she oversaw the launch of interiors website YourHomeStyle.uk, before returning to The Week in 2024.
-
One great cookbook: ‘The Woks of Life’
The Week Recommends A family’s opinionated, reliable take on all kinds of Chinese cooking
-
Digital addiction: the compulsion to stay online
In depth What it is and how to stop it
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?
Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Critics’ choice: Celebrating rare Asian cuisines
Feature The 2025 Restaurant of the Year, a Hmong culinary tribute, and an Uyghur feast
-
Critics’ choice: Three small yet magical Korean restaurants
Feature A chef creates magic from scallops, a restaurant’s no-waste ethos, and more
-
The 9 restaurants to eat at this very moment
The Week Recommends They’re award-winning. Isn’t that reason enough?
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitions
Feature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
Critics' choice: Outstanding new Japanese restaurants
Feature An all-women sushi team, a 15-seat listening bar, and more
-
Critics' choice: Delights from the African diaspora
Feature Mahari in Chicago, Kabawa in New York City and Elmina in Washington, D.C.
-
Friendship: 'bromance' comedy starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson
The Week Recommends 'Lampooning and embracing' middle-aged male loneliness, this film is 'enjoyable and funny'
-
The 2025 James Beard Award winners
Feature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more