Covent Garden, American Restaurant Guide

“This American-style French brasserie” in Covent Garden – an offshoot of Keith McNally’s downtown NYC institution – has a “great atmosphere any time of day”: “love the decor as you enter”. It’s “a large space but a very cosy one”, and, say fans, “not outrageously priced considering its position and what it must have cost to create”. But at times it’s “a victim of its own success – packed, loud and slow, with staff trying heroically to cope”, and “the food is not exactly world-shattering”, just “fine in a ‘here’s one I prepared earlier and heated up’ sort of way”. Top Tip – “it’s very good for breakfast, which is less costly than other meals here”.

“Good basic BBQ and fried foods” plus “similar lobster and seafood options” (and “live music is another plus”) have kept this gen-u-ine American crabshack an always-packed-and-noisy feature of the King’s Road for nearly 30 years. “Good-sized portions” and good times are also reported at its newer, if less-established ,spin-offs in Covent Garden and Canary Wharf.

This classic American surf ’n’ turf restaurant and cocktail bar has a “lovely atmosphere” thanks to its setting in a very grand townhouse, and has been a Covent Garden stalwart for almost 30 years. “Perhaps it’s showing its age, but it’s still reliable and in a useful location”. The food could be better, although reporters single out the “generally excellent steaks” for praise.

“Seemingly relocated brick-by-brick, table-by-table” – this “casual and fun” haunt in Covent Garden’s (a 1970s spin-off from NYC’s famous Theatre District staple) moved a couple of years ago, leaving its original basement home for this new two-level location just a minute’s walk away. It’s a surprisingly faithful reproduction, and regulars of decades standing feel “it still works and seems unchanged”; and, as a place to refuel before or after a show, it still has a large fanclub, despite a “perennially ordinary” level of cooking…sadly also preserved in the move. Top Menu Tip – “the secret’s been out about the off-menu burger for many, many years now”, and it’s the best bet.

In less than 20 years, Danny Meyer has transformed his New York City hot-dog cart into a global fast-food brand giant with eight outlets in London – including a Covent Garden flagship that was revamped earlier this year. Ratings remain remarkably solid for “a chain that does what it’s supposed to do”.