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RestaurantsLondonCovent GardenWC2
10-12 Garrick Street, London, WC2E 9BH

survey result

Summary

£70
  £££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

An “atmospheric gem” that brings a “rustic taste of the French countryside to Covent Garden”, this bistro is “one of the few London restaurants that has been under the same family ownership since the 1980s”. “Fantastic for date night”, “perfect for pre & post-theatre dining, or a catch-up with friends”, it has a “terrace ideal for people-watching on a sunny day over a glass of Côtes de Provence rosé”. One or two dissenters, though, leave nonplussed: “didn’t live up to its promise” – “the food was very average”.

Summary

£68
  £££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Looking for that “great, little, traditional French bistro in the heart of theatreland”? For many in our annual diners’ poll, this “family-run” venue where much of the seating is in an atmospheric brick-arched cellar is “a firm favourite”, helped by its “reasonable prices”: “we have been visiting for 20 years, celebrating birthdays and engagements as well as their Bastille day and Beaujolais special events – it feels like a home from home”. Don’t expect culinary fireworks, though – sometimes the food is “underwhelming” (“still, despite it being below par, because of the staff we enjoyed ourselves!)”

Summary

£63
  £££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Candlelit booths, rustic French food and wine, and discreet service” make this “little slice of France in Covent Garden” “perfect for a date or anniversary”. If possible, “go downstairs and experience the brick arched cellar dining area, which is full of character and charm”. The “classic bistro fare” is “adequately prepared and comes at very reasonable prices considering the location”.

Summary

£61
  £££
3
Good
3
Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“The cramped basement is super-cute and atmospheric” (“its booths and candles making it one of the more romantic venues in town”) at this “little piece of Paris in the heart of Covent Garden”. With its “decent French provincial-style cooking” it is particularly tipped as a “very acceptable pre-theatre option”.

For 35 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Le Garrick?

Owner's description

Le Garrick is a classic French restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden that has one of the most intimate settings, offering an authentic menu inspired by the cooking from the South West region of France.

Opened over 30 years ago, Le Garrick is run by Dominika and Charles, who met in the restaurant over 10 years ago. Charles, a true French man, soon became a regular customer after discovering this little piece of France in London's West End. 

In an area packed with chains, Le Garrick is unique - an independent, family run business where the staff share a passion for offering good, honest, reasonably priced French food.  Charles' upbringing in Toulouse, Burgundy and the Basque country have been an inspiration for many of the dishes on the menu at Le Garrick which are family recipes, many influenced by his mother. Like an extended family, the staff infuse the restaurant with an infectious joie de vivre.

Split over two levels, Le Garrick has a bright and welcoming street level dining room, great for people watching on the bustling streets of theatreland, whilst downstairs you will discover one of the most intimate settings in the capital. The bar and dining room features rustic brickwork, booth seating with candlelit alcoves, romantic nooks and crannies, secluded corners and a welcoming atmosphere - a true hidden gem which attracts both local businesses and a bohemian crowd of theatre goers, actors and artists alike.

What the Newspaper Critics are saying

Evening Standard

David Ellis revisited a 40-year-old classic French restaurant he has known since his teenage years and still relies on as a refuge, sanctuary or asylum – “depending on the crisis”. Then he dropped the bombshell that this is his last review for the Standard, after just 19 months in post as restaurant critic.

Le Garrick’s menu is based around “a routine that plays as well now as when onions were first sweated to caramel in the 1700s”, with beef bourguignon that is “the sort of thing roadside places used to do in France, though they have long since shut”. The pre- and post-theatre offer is excellent value at £22 for 2 courses, £26 for 3, for things like onion soup and tarte au citron, although David stressed: “it would be wrong to suggest this is execution on the level of Paulette in Maida Vale or Henry Harris’s Bouchon Racine”.

“It’s the end of my beginning,” he concluded. “Pretentious until the end. Thanks for reading.”

David Ellis - 2026-05-17

Prices

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Pudding
£12.00 £23.30 £8.50
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £25.00
Filter Coffee £2.00
Extras  
Bread £4.00
Service 12.50%

Restaurant details

Yes
Yes
No dress code
80
Yes

Le Garrick Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Le Garrick Restaurant in WC2, London by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Le Garrick restaurant.
Richard T
Authentic and reasonable French bistro...
Reviewed 3 months, 13 days ago

"Authentic and reasonable French bistro"

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10-12 Garrick Street, London, WC2E 9BH
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Opening hours
Monday12 pm‑11 pm
Tuesday12 pm‑11 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑11 pm
Thursday12 pm‑11 pm
Friday12 pm‑11 pm
Saturday12 pm‑11 pm
SundayCLOSED

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