The best Covent Garden restaurants right now
Covent Garden restaurants are not exactly few and far between. In fact, there are almost too many to choose from, whether you're looking for a pre-theatre bite, an affordable restaurant in Covent Garden or Michelin star dining. From fine dining at Spring to the intimate atmosphere at the Barbary, we've rounded up the best Covent Garden restaurants to book a table at. Some of them are so good, they're also on our list of the best restaurants in London overall, so you'd be hard pressed not to find some top quality dishes.
The best Covent Garden restaurants
1/18Henri
Best French restaurant in Covent Garden
Attached to the bottom of the Experimental Group's charming Henrietta Hotel (on Henrietta Street, as you might guess) is this new French bistro by Jackson Boxer. It sounds like it's going to be impossibly cool, but it actually wears its chic lightly, and has a friendly, laid-back atmosphere that makes it ideal for just about every occasion. The interiors are by Dorothée Meilichzon, who has been behind other very stylish Experimental locations, and although there's a lot of tables packed into a small space, it all feels considered and comfortable.
The menu is filled with French bistro classics, some with a modern twist, others just as you would expect them. The steak frites is luxurious, the oysters are fresh and lively, and the desserts are wonderfully indulgent (the Royal Opera Torte is a must-try). As befits a restaurant in the heart of theatreland, Henri offers a very reasonably priced pre-theatre set menu (currently three courses for £30). You will find the place buzzing before the shows open, but it's an energising bustle, and you can also pop in for a cocktail at the bar if you're passing.
14, 15 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8QH
henricoventgarden.com
2/18Café Murano
Best Italian restaurant in Covent Garden
Sometimes, all you really want to eat is a great big plate of pasta and when you do, you want it to be as good as possible. That can be hard to find but at Angela Murano's Cafe Murano in Covent Garden, you can never go wrong. This elegant yet informal restaurant offers something for everyone, with quiet corners for romance and big tables for families. The menu is pure dolce vita, with big, bold flavours and a traditional Italian formula of starters, pasta dishes, mains and desserts. Everything is rich, perfectly seasoned and decadent while still feeling familiar, comforting and simply heavenly. They cater well for little diners too and it feels like a family-run taverna in Italy in the best possible way.
36 Tavistock St, London WC2E 7PB
cafemurano.co.uk
3/18The Delaunay
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for old world charm
Think of The Delaunay as the grande dame of Covent Garden, an elegant respite from the busy streets where you can slink into an intimate banquette and get acquainted with the food of mittel-Europa. Stroganoff, tartes flambées and schnitzels all make the cut, and breakfast is equally delightful. The price point reflects the more formal nature of the restaurant and it’s definitely one to book at a table at, though you can take your chances as a walk-in. If you can’t get a table, hop next door to the more relaxed Delaunay Counter instead, where sandwiches, salads, pastries and an incredible array of cakes and hot food awaits. It's brilliant pre-theatre, both the main restaurant and the counter.
55 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BB
thedelaunay.com
David Loftus4/18Jamie Oliver Catherine Street
Best bistro in Covent Garden
Jamie Oliver needs no introduction but his most recent restaurant venture flew somewhat under the radar. It opened in late 2023 and has been steadily catering to Covent Garden diners since, in a grand building on Catherine Street. The interiors are sleek and cosy, with banquettes, mirrors and plants galore, paired with modern touches like linen shades on the pretty hanging lights. The menu is a tour de force of bistro classics; think chicken pie, perfect steaks and an excellent plate of tandoori-spiced lamb. One thing to note – whatever you order, you absolutely, imperatively must make sure you order the chocolate mousse for pudding. It's light as air, so chocolatey and simply one of the best desserts in London.
6 Catherine St, London WC2B 5JY
jamieolivercatherinest.com
© ELEONORA BOSCARELLI5/18Oriole
Best for world-class cocktails and a show
The folks behind London's award-winning speakeasy cocktail bar Nightjar (hidden by Old Street roundabout) brought Oriole - formerly in Smithfield Market - to Covent Garden's The Yards. The jazz club-slash-speakeasy bar is the ideal place to come for a delicious three-course meal with a side of seriously quirky cocktails and live music that feels like a world away from the Covent Garden hub on street level. The ‘dinner & show’ menu includes three courses, a cocktail and a delightful homemade Chipa bun – an ideal date night setup.
They have also recently launched a late-night menu, served from 10.30pm from Wednesday - Saturday, with dishes such as the burger with provoleta and chicken karaage making the perfect indulgent end to an evening, at a time when most kitchens are readying to close.
– Tal Dekel-Daks
7-9 Slingsby Pl, London WC2E 9AB
oriolebar.com
6/18Café Petiole at Somerset House
Best vegan restaurant in Covent Garden
Museum restaurants in London have come a long way over the last few years. While Spring in Somerset House is the place to go for fine dining, Rishim Sachdeva (the chef behind one of our favourite vegan restaurants, Tendril in Mayfair) has set up a delightful 'almost vegan' cafe' for more casual outings and grab & go options. The pretty, pastel-hued space, from the female-led studio Duelle, overlooks Somerset House's courtyard. As with Tendril, the vegetables take centre stage in the dishes which are categorised into sweet bakes, savoury bakes, dips and bread, sandwiches, salads and desserts. On our visit, we opted for a mix of two salads (smoky grilled hispi cabbage and a whipped feta tabouleh with beetroot and pomegranate) and a beautifully creamy braised butter bean focaccia.
– Tal Dekel Daks
South Wing, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
cafepetiole.co.uk
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 9AM - 6PM; Sunday 11AM - 5PM
7/18The Barbary & The Barbary Next Door
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for moorish flavours
There are few restaurants in London that are as convivial as The Barbary and its tiny sister site – located just next door – The Barbary Next Door. Both are bar dining; the former is a horseshoe shaped bar and the latter a sliver of space seating just ten diners. This means that you can watch all your dishes be prepared and keep ordering more as you see plates fly off to other diners. Arrive hungry or you risk leaving and grumbling about all the dishes you saw other people having but didn’t have the space to order. The food is based on Moorish recipes so there’s a lot of excellent spices as you take a tour of the best of Tunisia, Morocco, Spain and beyond.
16 Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP
thebarbary.co.uk
8/18Ikoyi
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for Michelin star dining
With two Michelin stars to its name, Ikoyi goes from strength to strength and there’s little wonder why; the ethos is to take hyper seasonal, sustainable British produce and cook it with an array of spices from sub-Saharan West Africa. Sourcing is the foundation of Ikoyi’s menu and it shows in the precise, balanced and evolving flavours on the plate and clear passion that the entire team – headed by chef Jeremy Chan and co-owner Iré Hassan-Odukale – has for the food they are putting out. It is a ten out of ten experience and, while pricey, certainly worth it for a special meal.
180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA
ikoyilondon.com
9/18Dishoom
Modelled on the old Irani cafés of Bombay – which were a meeting place for people from all backgrounds and cultures to share stories over chai – Dishoom burst onto the London restaurant scene in 2010 and its popularity hasn’t waned a jot since. The interiors hark back to the Bombay scene too, with slowly rotating fans, bentwood chairs and the soft billow of incense mingling with the warm spices from the chai. It offers a superlative breakfast – order a bacon naan roll and side of masala beans – and is equally superb for lunch and dinner. The chilli cheese toast is the most divine of starters, along with the vada pau (or keema pau for that matter) in its soft brioche bun, and you must try a chicken biryani before you die. The Masala prawns pack a real punch and are excellent on every front, but to be quite honest, the menu is so extensive that you'll need a few visits to try it all. Just like the Irani cafés of yore, this is a welcoming space for all people and all occasions.
12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9FB
dishoom.com
10/18Spring
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for fine dining
The imposing neo-classical beauty of Somerset House is the perfect setting for Skye Gyngell’s dining room, where the Australian chef brings her meticulous, seasonal plates to a constant crowd of fans. The menu changes every day, depending on what Skye’s suppliers have been growing, so you might find yourself supping on blood oranges in January, new season asparagus in April, guinea fowl in September and confit winter tomatoes with halibut in December. You never know what the menu will hold, but it will always be cooked with a light touch to show the ingredients at their best.
Lancaster Pl, London WC2R 1LA
springrestaurant.co.uk
CHARLIE MCKAY11/18Joe Allen
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for pre-theatre
Since 1977, Joe Allen has been something of an institution in Covent Garden. Having shut its doors for a while, it's now back and better than ever, offering the same speakeasy atmosphere and comfort food in the style of a New York brasserie. You don't head to Joe Allen for complicated plating and ingredients, but rather your all-time favourites, done in style. The bar is not to be missed either.
2 Burleigh St, London WC2E 7PX
joeallen.co.uk
12/18Ochre
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for sharing plates
Ochre is attached to the National Gallery and offers modern dishes that are as intriguing to look at as the art in the gallery beyond its doors. The plates are incredibly well-presented, as is the room itself with soaring ceilings and a mustard tone running throughout. Sustainability, seasonality and traceability are the pillars of what Ochre offers, which in practice means a menu devised of ingredients mostly sourced from around the UK that changes all the time. The food is rich, the methods distinctly French in their decadence and every mouthful is a sensory overload.
National Gallery, Trafalgar Sq, London WC2N 5DN
ochre.london
13/18Ekstedt at the Yard
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for Nordic cooking
This fire and smoke-fuelled restaurant is ever so slightly outside the bounds of Covent Garden, but it’s close enough and good enough to make the list regardless. Niklas Ekstedt is the chef in charge, hailing from Sweden and on a mission to bring the best of his country to London diners, so long as it can be cooked over burning hot coals. Ekstedt focuses on Nordic wood fire cooking techniques and you know it from the smell and huge wood oven as soon as you step inside. You can order a la carte, but we recommend the nine course tasting menu to truly get to grips with what Niklas is all about.
3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HN
ekstedtattheyard.com.jpg)
OLA O SMIT14/18Toklas
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for a relaxed date night
Toklas feels like the sort of restaurant that a chef would eat at on their night off; relaxed, unpretentious and with a hint of St John about it in the select choice of ingredients on each plate. This is not a fireworks and glitter restaurant with multiple distractions – rather, all the talking is done on the plate. It’s modern, seasonal and simple, expertly seasoned and all utterly delicious. The best thing? The menu is designed to be shared, should that be your thing, or ordered as individual plates per person, which is something of a rarity and a joy on the London food scene these days.
1 Surrey St, Temple, London WC2R 2ND
toklaslondon.com
15/18Barrafina
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for tapas
There's tapas and then there's Barrafina, a restaurant that does it with such panache, they have five sites across the capital. There are no bookings, they are all buzzy to a fault and the marble-clad bars where you sample plate after plate of the best Spanish cuisine this side of Madrid are some of the hardest to get a seat at. It's worth persevering and waiting it out as the menu is so tempting at every turn, you'll be back to order anything you couldn't quite manage on your previous visit.
43 Drury Ln, London WC2B 5AJ
barrafina.co.uk
16/18Bancone
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for fresh pasta
The original Bancone on William IV Street is still at the forefront of London’s recent influx of pasta bars. The interiors are slick and cool, the atmosphere is always buzzy and it’s a restaurant we find ourselves returning to time and again. Of course, the main reason for the repeat bookings is the silky pasta and punchy sauces that accompany them. The menu changes to reflect the seasons, with some perennial favourites always there to welcome you; the cacio e pepe is a must (order it to share amongst your table, alongside your own pasta dishes) and the ‘silk handkerchiefs’ need no introduction these days.
39 William IV St, London WC2N 4DD
bancone.co.uk
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17/18The Ivy
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for a classic dinner
Ignore the franchise of Ivy Cafés that have populated every part of the UK and head instead for the original and the best: The Ivy West Street. Long before the group took their popularity to the masses, The Ivy has stood proud on this hidden road in Covent Garden, attracting everyone from celebrities to tourists for its menu that now blends the classics – that Shepherd’s Pie – with Asian-inspired dishes. It’s a mish-mash, yes, but it works and you just can’t resist the charms of the Martin Brudnizki-designed interiors and the famous harlequin windows.
1-5 West St, London WC2H 9NQ
the-ivy.co.uk
Alvaro18/18Osteria del Mare
Best restaurant in Covent Garden for fresh seafood
The youngest child of renowned Italian restaurant group, Bocconcino, Osteria del Mare is a brilliant new addition to Covent Garden. Dishes and interiors are inspired by the coastal town of Forte dei Marmi on Italy's west coast.
The menu is a blend of classic Italian osteria dishes, such as pizza and pasta, alongside refined seafood ingredients. The red mullet paccheri is a particular highlight, as is the tiramisú, which is big enough for two to share.
366 Strand, London, WC2R 0JF
bocconcinorestaurant.co.uk
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