One of London’s biggest tourist areas has transformed its food and drink offering – read our guide to the best restaurants in Covent Garden.
The past few years have seen Covent Garden transform from a tourist destination to a shopping, restaurant and bar destination.
The street performers and theatrical elements remain, which has kept a unique flair to the area, but the capital’s most successful restaurateurs have also entered stage right.
Read this feature on Covent Garden restaurants as we pick some of our favourite restaurants in Covent Garden.
The Barbary
The Barbary’s menu ‘reflects the countries from the Atlantic Coast through to the Mediterranean Sea leading to Israel’. And the food is exquisite.
The Barbary is a counter-dining restaurant with an emphasis on sharing dishes, creating a wonderful vibe.
Open all day from noon, the restaurant has only 24 seats and operates a walk-in only policy.
Cora Pearl
The team behind Kitty Fisher’s in Mayfair opened a second restaurant, Cora Pearl, in Covent Garden.
The menu is rather short and simple (in a good way!), and most of the dishes grab your attention immediately.
Try the deliciously rich cheese and ham toastie with a pot of pickle on the side and the excellent veal fillet main dish with a bordelaise sauce with chunks of bone marrow.
Make sure you try the chips – fluffy, light, delicate layers of potato deep fried to a glorious crisp. Heaven.
Story Cellar
Chef Tom Sellers opened a Paris-inspired rotisserie in Neal’s Yard.
Story Cellar – in part named after the chef’s award-winning Southwark restaurant –serves rotisserie chicken, as well as house terrines, changing grills of meat and fish, charcuterie, and smaller plates designed for sharing.
Blacklock Covent Garden
Blacklock has built a devoted following thanks to its good value, lively atmosphere and expertly cooked chops.
The Covent Garden outpost serves the group’s signature selection of beef, pork and lamb, alongside standout sides and its much-loved white chocolate cheesecake.
The “All In” sharing feast remains one of London’s best meat-focused dining experiences and they offer the best Sunday roast in London in my view.
The Delaunay
The Delaunay, sits on the corner of Drury Lane and Aldwych in Covent Garden.
The Delaunay restaurant is open seven days a week serving breakfast, afternoon tea, and à la carte lunch and dinner menus ‘inspired by the grand cafés of Europe’. An excellent spot for a Wiener Schnitzel.
The Barbary Next Door
An intimate sibling to the much-loved Barbary, The Barbary Next Door brings the same bold flavours of North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean to a smaller, more relaxed setting in Neal’s Yard.
The menu focuses on skewers, flatbreads, vegetable dishes and small plates cooked over fire. Expect vibrant spices, excellent ingredients and a lively atmosphere.
NoMad London
Bow Street Magistrates Court in Covent Garden, directly opposite the Royal Opera House, has been transformed into a stunning hotel: The Nomad London.
The main restaurant is set in a landscaped atrium with a soaring glass ceiling, flooded with natural light in the day.
Side Hustle is NoMad’s take on the classic British pub setting but with a menu focusing on Southern California’s fresh, Mexican-influenced cuisine.
Sit at the bar, order a margarita and enjoy some of the great tacos on the menu.
Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Tucked away in Seven Dials, Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels is one of Covent Garden’s best wine bars.
The Paris-born wine bar pairs a globally focused wine list with a concise menu of French-inspired small plates, charcuterie and seasonal dishes.
J Sheekey
Fish and seafood restaurant J Sheekey is a West End institution that oozes old-fashioned glamour.
The menu offers fresh oysters, classic dishes such as Dover sole and lobster thermidor and a signature fish pie.
Monochrome photos of stars of stage and screen line wood panelled walls, creating a stylish, intimate atmosphere.
J Sheekey is one of our favourite post theatre venues in London.
Keep reading for our pick of some of the best restaurants in Covent Garden….
Ave Mario
Ave Mario, from the people behind Gloria and Circolo Poplare, have once again gone big on the design and the food, as evidenced by the enormous ice cream cake that they wheel about the room!
Specialities at Ave Mario include a caviar section, massive cocktails and a veal Milanese that’s huge!
Town
Town is chef-owner Stevie Parle’s celebration of British produce, sustainability and regenerative farming.
The spacious dining room near Covent Garden showcases exceptional seasonal ingredients with modern British cooking.
Kerridge’s Bar & Grill
Kerridge’s Bar and Grill is a relaxed British brasserie in the Corinthia Hotel, where the dining room has been beautifully updated by David Collins Studio.
The menu features some classic British dishes made with the refinement and certain twists, including an indulgent glazed omelette ‘Lobster Thermidor’ and a rib of beef from The Butcher’s Tap with chips, bone marrow sauce and Gherkin Ketchup.
Rules
Rules in Covent Garden is one of the oldest restaurants in London having been established by Thomas Rule in 1798. It serves traditional British food, specialising in classic game.
The restaurant has become famous for the gilded grandeur of its décor and the sheer quality of its game, oysters, pies and puddings.
10 Cases
10 Cases is a small, unpretentious Bistrot with wine as its main focus.
The menu comprises three starters, mains and desserts, as well as a list of daily specials with a wide-ranging menu of little plates to have at the bar.
The restaurant only ever buys 10 cases of wine so there are always new wines to try. With only 10 tables available, booking ahead is recommended.
Barrafina Adelaide Street
Barrafina is a modern Spanish tapas bar owned and operated by restaurateurs Sam & Eddie Hart.
The menu is made up of contemporary and traditional tapas from all regions of Spain, and a specials board written around the seasons, which changes twice a day.
Barrafina does not take reservations for lunch or dinner so arrive early and be prepared to queue.
The Best Restaurants in Covent Garden
Need further ideas for the best restaurants in Covent Garden? What about New York’s favourite French brasserie, Balthazar? Or steak specialist Hawksmoor Seven Dials? Or the new Café Murano Covent Garden?
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