Covent Garden, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

This “super-cosy”, “chic and friendly restaurant is very welcome” in Covent Garden, “an area of chains and tourist traps” – with a “simple menu” of ‘elevated comfort food’, it’s “hard to beat for an early pre-theatre meal”. Named after a mid-Victorian courtesan who learned her trade nearby (although she made the big time in Paris), it is the younger sibling to Kitty Fisher’s (see also).

What does it say about the culinary tastes of the British middle classes that this spin-off chain, with about 40 locations based on the original Theatreland icon, has been such a rip-roaring success? True, there’s some “great people-watching” at the “always buzzing” Chelsea Garden venue (which has one of SW3’s best gardens). And, without doubt, those branches in Kensington, Tower Bridge and Kingston also particularly stand out amongst the rest for their “super atmosphere”. In general though, the knock-off look of their locations “isn’t a patch on the original on West Street, yet pretends to be exactly the same”. And when it comes to their brasserie dishes: although its many followers tout them as “acceptable, albeit nothing special”, their rating-average identifies them as “underwhelming tick-box fare”; all offered by service that’s very “indifferent”. And yet they are “always busy”! In June 2024, it was announced that billionaire Richard Caring had successfully sold his entire Ivy restaurants stake. Now that he is laughing all the way to the bank, it will be interesting to see if ratings reverse, continue or deepen their southward trend.

“The go-to place to celebrate a special anniversary” – this “enchanting” Covent Garden haunt is “magical for a special occasion or simply a treat”; and is yet again voted Londoner’s No. 1 choice for a hot date in our annual diners’ poll. If possible, try to book a table in the “beautiful flower-filled conservatory”, where there’s an opening ceiling in summer and a log-fire in winter: “upstairs, the cosy and intimate dining rooms have a whiff of that atmosphere (e.g. similar white flowers across the ceiling) but are perhaps for more mature relationships!”. While not its USP, its French cuisine is by no means incidental – “beautifully presented and bursting with flavour”; but it is upstaged by the wine list, which is “a rival to ‘War and Peace’ in length”. Service that’s “extremely helpful and very welcoming” caps off an impressive all-round performance. Top Tip – “the weekday set lunch is astonishingly good value for such cooking, particularly as it also offers a small carafe of well chosen wine for a pretty modest supplement”.

This “big, buzzy faux-Parisian brasserie” in the heart of Covent Garden certainly looks the part, but it “can get very busy” and “extremely noisy” as a result. It provides “lots of classic French cuisine”, but with very mixed results: fans say it’s “executed pretty well” but reviews overall are often jaundiced – for example: “dull food, impossible to chat… really bad experience and a ridiculous bill”.

2021 Review: Promising, if limited, early feedback on this modern ‘wine parlour’ – recently opened by wine expert Andrew Gray (a merchant with a business at the Southbank Food Market) on a corner-site near Covent Garden (the erstwhile office-space of a Mr Charles Dickens); and with an excellent list of 70 wines: “limited food, but what they do is lovely; tiny space, but it’s gorgeous, and well worth a visit, especially as staff are so lovely”.

“A very good pre-theatre meal” makes this mezzanine spot in a luxury hotel near Covent Garden a particularly useful option for eating around a show. It’s also “great for those who are gluten or dairy free”, and “the children’s chocolate-themed afternoon tea themed on Charlie & The Chocolate Factory is absolutely great”. Any downsides? It’s “a bit noisy”.

Three years on from a relaunch under its original name by Gordon Ramsay (it was formerly Kaspar’s), this elegant chamber with Thames views from the window tables has yet to regain the lustre it enjoyed before the hotel relaunched in the noughties. It’s not devoid of fans, but too often its cooking (of mainly fish and seafood) is critiqued for being “overpriced (and in some cases overcooked or over-sauced)”. Sceptics say Big Sweary’s name above the door is a saving grace – “if it wasn’t a Ramsay restaurant they’d struggle”. Top Tip – a good choice for a posh brek.

2024 Review: “Pre or post-theatre, very much a favourite over many years” – this elegant seafood bar was added adjacent to the main restaurant fifteen years ago, and its more laid-back style means it’s tailor-made for a luxurious bite and glass of fizz. That said, it’s become “quite pricey” over time, and doesn’t have quite the dazzling golden glow of yesteryear.

“The magic has gone” for many critics of this Theatreland icon whose ‘chainification’ under Richard Caring (who put the Ivy group he created up for sale for £1bn in January 2024) has reduced this original site to “living on its past celebrity status”: “everything is slightly better than at the café and brasserie spin-offs found in humdrum regional shopping centres and other backwaters… but not much”. It’s certainly “a lot easier to book than it used to be” – the A-listers are long gone and “the clientele seems less highbrow, with more sportswear and baseball caps”. But – to be fair – its ratings are middling, not terrible; and many diners feel that “while not as special as it once was, we still enjoy it”. Though more “corporate” in atmosphere, it still has a “beautiful interior”; service is “a little bit patchy” at times, but mostly gets it right; and the menu of “British classics with a smattering of Continental and Asian dishes” – never the prime attraction – is “acceptable”. Top Tip – “Can’t go wrong for a business lunch” that’s “reliable if nothing special”.

With “light streaming through the windows”, this “big, airy space in Somerset House” is “such a beautiful dining room”: “not cosy” but “very elegant” and with “luxuriously spaced” tables, it’s a really “great choice for an intimate conversation”. Skye Gyngell’s cuisine “is not in-yer-face gastro, but simply thoughtful, beautiful and heartwarming”; and together with the “personal” service it adds up to a “delightful” overall package. Top Tip – “the set lunch and early bird ‘scratch’ menus are good value” (utilising food that would otherwise be wasted).

“The fine rooftop setting” with “charming views over to Trafalgar Square” (and Big Ben off in the distance) help lend a “special” sense of occasion to this well-known destination that can otherwise seem a tad “Spartan” and “echoey”. “After the National Portrait Gallery’s stunning makeover, it reopened”, overseen by Richard Corrigan in July 2023. Chef Corrigan’s involvement keeps the menu focused on the British Isles and “though the food isn’t wildly ambitious, you can taste everything: it’s a masterclass in the clarity of its flavours”. At least, that’s what its biggest fans think – a number of sceptics say it’s “not cheap” and “nothing memorable, but pleasant nonetheless”. Top Menu Tips – “Oysters, Sea bass in hollandaise with greens and the creamiest mash imaginable; finally, Chocolate fondant plated prettily with raspberries and teeny madeleines. Yom!”

Irish Wexford Tomahawk… Hereford Fillet Chateaubriand… Argentinian Ribeye… USDA prime fillet – the high quality of the steaks are a point of pride for Simon Thomas who owns London’s biggest and busiest casino, where the restaurant occupies an interesting space converted from the old circle of the former Hippodrome Theatre. NB under 25s must have ID. Top Tip – superb pre-theatre deal at £24 for two courses.

Quirkiness in spades is the particular appeal of this Dickensian watering hole – London’s oldest wine bar, whose best tables are in a superbly ancient candle-lit cellar which originally housed wine shipped to its front door by barges on the Thames. But in summer its outside comes into its own, boasting as it does a huge terrace adjoining leafy Victoria Embankment Gardens. “It has a very good wine list” – while the cold food is somewhat incidental: “a simple menu of quality ingredients” majoring in cold cuts and cheeses. Fun fact: it’s owned by entrepreneur Simon Gordon (the place was already called ‘Gordon’s’ when he bought it), who owns the increasingly ubiquitous Facewatch anti-shoplifting software, which was originally developed to stop thefts at the bar.

Overlooking Covent Garden’s piazza from the first floor of a Georgian townhouse, this modern British bistro is overseen by well-known chef Mark Greenaway. That it provides “decent value for WC2” makes it a useful amenity for feeding the family or pre-theatre. Critics find the menu “too pared back” or “somewhat pedestrian”, but all reports acknowledge that its fare is “all well-cooked”.

“Lovely jubbly!” – The ‘Naked Chef’ made his return to the national restaurant scene in November 2023 with this “rustic” venue inside the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, serving a miscellaneous menu mixing pasta, steaks and quite interesting sharing dishes (Lobster Thermidor say, or Chicken & Rabbit Pie) with the likes of burgers and Chicken Caesar. It inspired no particular criticisms, but it’s hard to get too thrilled: “a nice venue but the food’s average…”; “a good choice, but pricey for Covent Garden”.

2023 Review: Styling itself as ‘Your new home in Covent Garden’ – this new all-day British brasserie in London’s Theatreland opened in spring 2022 (just before our survey) in the prominent and convenient site formerly occupied by Tredwell’s (RIP). In limited initial feedback, reports are of highs and lows – it seems safest to leave a rating till next year.

2022 Review: In late 2019, the team from well-known café, 26 Grains of Neal’s Yard, opened a big sister over the road from Borough Market. It’s a casual, tastefully decorated haunt serving simple food; and where at night, the vibe is less café, more wine bar. In late 2020, Tom Cenci (the ex Duck & Waffle head chef, whose own Loyal Tavern venture did not survive the pandemic) took over what has become an extended residency. The cooking (by him and one other chef) centres on sustainability, and less-used cuts of meat (particularly Irish beef).

2023 Review: “A gourmet meal on a sightseeing bus in London” – might sound hellish but is surprisingly well-reviewed, including by some locals: “the food was tasty and it was a great experience!”

Establishing itself in the National Gallery’s “classy” – but previously habitually mediocre – dining room, off Trafalgar Square, this two-year-old is a “stylish, light and airy” spot, serving “reliably good brasserie-style fare” (“we stayed for hours and never felt pressured to leave, which is a bonus in London”). Top Tip – “the evening openings (Thursday-Saturday) are an excellent pre-theatre option in an area dominated by indifferent chains”; a single course with a glass of wine costs under £20.