Covent Garden, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Cosily atmospheric”, with a “stylish theatrical ambience”, this little sister of Kitty Fisher’s in Shepherd Market (both are named after historical courtesans) is “particularly welcome in Covent Garden”. There’s a “delicious short menu” of “sophisticated British comfort food”, and “efficient but personal service which creates a warmish glow”. Top Tips: “the chips are to die for” and the kitchen “does rose veal like nowhere else”.

“Always ambient and fun” – Richard Caring’s stretching (twisting?) of the Ivy brand is easy to snipe at but has so far avoided degenerating into farce. For sure, “the food is certainly nothing superior”: fans may claim it’s “more than adequate”, but its overall ratings nowadays are only just the right side of poor. That said, even critics of the cooking often feel that the “lovely” interiors and “welcoming service” provide compensation, and fit the bill for making an occasion of a meal. In the capital, the most mentioned outlets are The Ivy Chelsea Garden (“delightful garden tables and ideal for a noisy girls’ night out”); and The Ivy Kensington Brasserie (“huge fun, loads of buzz” and “always a treat”). The Ivy City Garden and Canary Wharf’s Ivy in the Park follow along in terms of volume of feedback. The newest member of the spin-off family is The Ivy Victoria – a vast space with 300 guests over two floors.

“The perfect way to a loved one’s heart” – this “oasis of calm and tranquillity amid the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden” yet again tops our annual diners’ poll as London‘s No 1 spot for romance. “The best tables are in the conservatory” – “intimate, elegant and florally stunning” – which is “like being whisked away to a beautiful spot in the countryside” (but don’t despair if you don’t nab one of the prime slots as there are also may “soft, dark and secluded” tables elsewhere). Another “star attraction is the wine list of biblical proportions”, showcasing its “brilliant” and “fairly priced” cellar. In prior years, we have always said the food and service are surprisingly good for somewhere with so many other competing attractions, and many reports do still laud its “very good modern British cuisine”. There’s no glossing over a big slide in ratings here though this year. No single complaint was to the fore, standards just weren’t rated as excellently as usual. Hopefully a blip.

“Comfortable and inviting” – this glam-looking offshoot of the famous Manhattan joint (brought to Covent Garden by NYC founder Keith McNally, and nowadays owned by Richard Caring’s Caprice Holdings) features decent “brasserie-style” cooking. But even those fans who say (slightly ambitiously) that “it’s a place to see and be seen” note that it’s “not as good as the NYC namesake” and can feel a little “robotic”, especially as “staff can struggle with the volume of people”.

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”.

2018 Review: This hotel mezzanine boasts a “brilliantly convenient” West End location – “get a table overlooking the Lobby Bar for atmosphere and fun” – and “makes a great place for meetings” of many kinds. “It’s especially a joy to be able to take people who are coeliac or can’t eat dairy to a decent restaurant” – the “clever” menu is entirely dairy-free and gluten-free.

It’s ‘Back to the Future’ at this fine chamber, whose window seats have majestic views over the River Thames. It has traded since 2013 as Kaspar’s Seafood Bar & Grill (RIP), but is now going back to its original (1890–2013) identity as ‘The River Room’. Gordon Ramsay Holdings – who already run The Savoy Grill – will relaunch it in autumn 2021.

“There’s something about eating sweet, delicious oysters from the half shell and listening to jazz….such a relaxing experience after a hard day” – Sheekey’s adjacent seafood bar is more chilled (you eat at the bar) than in the neighbouring dining rooms, but “lovely”, and higher rated than the rest of the operation this year.

“Nowhere near as exclusive as it once was, but still a formidable competitor” is perhaps a fair summary of the disparate views on the original Theatreland icon that Richard Caring used to inspire his national brasserie chain. That it’s “now no better than the lookalikes across the country” certainly carries a lot of weight when it comes to its middling comfort food: “there was plenty of sparkle and fun amongst our fellow diners but none on the plate: I’ve had better pub food!”. Still, it continues to inspire an impressive amount of feedback, especially amongst romantics who feel “its seductive interior is still great for dates” (“not the glamour spot it was, but can still impress!”).

“Brilliant, beautifully presented combinations of fresh ingredients”, elegantly served “in a lovely space in Somerset House”, show a restaurant really hitting its stride – with chef Skye Gyngell now matching in central London the accolades she earned over a decade ago at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, with “fabulous, simple Italian-themed food”. Top Tip: it’s a romantic venue, too: “recommended this restaurant to my son for an early date – he’s now happily married and we have a grandson!”

“My go-to comfort venue” – it’s worth knowing about this surprisingly good steak restaurant overlooking the floor of London’s biggest casino, on Leicester Square. It serves a wide range of dishes, but undoubtedly the biggest culinary draw is the selection of USDA steaks, which is something of a point of pride for casino owner Simon Thomas (as is the superior wine selection). It’s all super-handy and “very reasonably priced”.

“Still a great place for a glass of wine, any time of day” – this ancient wine bar near Embankment tube (London’s oldest, dating from 1890) has a superb interior, including a cavern where it’s hard to stand vertically, and a huge outdoor terrace. Its buffet-style food offering of cold cuts, cheese, salad and dishes of the day is primitive but at least relatively cheap, and in summer there’s also a BBQ on the terrace. Just about every London office worker has visited it at some point… in many cases, though, recollections are hazy…

Opening in September 2021, on the first floor of a new Covent Garden restaurant development (see also El Ta’koy), this new venture is named for its monthly changing menu from accoladed Scottish chef Mark Greenaway. From the website, we are told to expect spectacular views of the piazza, an open kitchen, and a choice of four- or eight-course menus.

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).