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Summary
“If one wants to wow a visitor to London” then this superbly atmospheric Covent Garden “old timer” – the capital’s oldest restaurant to operate continuously on the same site (since 1798) – is just the ticket. The “amazing”, “traditional” panelled interior is “very impressive”; and although the “classic British cooking” (rib of beef, game in season, steak ’n’ kidney) is decidedly “not cheap” and doesn’t please everyone, it mostly makes a decent fist of flying the native culinary flag. Given its prime location, it can inevitably be “overrun with tourists” at times, but it’s still a big hit with many locals too.
Summary
“If one wants to wow a visitor to London” then this superbly atmospheric Covent Garden “old timer” – the capital’s oldest restaurant to operate continuously on the same site (since 1798) – is just the ticket. The “amazing”, “traditional” panelled interior is “very impressive”; and although the “classic British cooking” (rib of beef, game in season, steak ’n’ kidney) is decidedly “not cheap” and doesn’t please everyone, it mostly makes a decent fist of flying the native culinary flag. Given its prime location, it can inevitably be “overrun with tourists” at times, but it’s still a big hit with many locals too.
Summary
“Like stepping into a time warp” – London’s oldest restaurant (in these Covent Garden premises since 1798) is a magnificent period piece, complete with a gorgeous panelled interior. Inevitably it’s “very touristy”, although many Londoners also harbour a very soft spot for the old place. That said, its “old-school British cooking” has been better in living memory and many reporters continue to find “prices are high for rather indifferent food”: “our American friends were happy, but we were not impressed and the steak ’n’ kidney pudding was not as good as we remembered!” Top Tip – “unbeatable game in season”.
Summary
“Step into London’s history” on entering the capital’s oldest restaurant (established 1798), whose “stunning” panelled premises near Covent Garden have a “timeless feel – Victorian diners wouldn’t look out of place, nor modern, open-collared business folk”. For “so-traditional British fare” (“wonderful game” and “top steak puddings”) it can still deliver “old-school perfection”, and though “foreign visitors love it”, it’s still “an absolute favourite” for many locals. That said, they need to watch the ever-more “inflated prices” here: “step this way and empty your wallet!”
For 30 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).
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Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £36.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £16.00 |
35 Maiden Ln, London, WC2E 7LB
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑5 pm |
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