Eating out in Covent Garden
undefined • 9 June 2025
If you are staying with us in Covent Garden then the good news is that you have local access to some of the best restaurants in London, if not the world. That said, as a magnet for tourism, there are also several options which are mediocre, overpriced or both. Here is our guide to some of the best options, all of which are within a 10 minute walk of Interlude House:
The Ivy now has 15 locations in London but The Original Ivy
on West Street is still known as a celebrity hang out and provides the best atmosphere. Their classics include Shepherd’s Pie with piped mash, steak tartar, Veal Holstein and Beef Wellington. Meals at the Ivy should never be rushed so be prepared to take your time and enjoy the dining experience.
On nearby Henrietta Street you will find The Ivy Market Grill, an equally sumptuous venue with outdoor seating on the piazza. Their breakfast is as good as their heritage menu which delivers 2 courses for just £20.95 if you are not looking for the full on experience.
Balthazar
has been known for its French food since 1997 when it first opened in New York but we have had one in London for some time. The set menu pricing is very reasonable but you do need to book in advance. Enjoy oysters, mussels, macaroni cheese (did we say French?) and of course crème brulee. An orange and apricot spritz is waiting for you too.
Let’s face it, you can get sushi pretty much everywhere but often it’s pretty tasteless. Not so at Sticks n Sushi
where set menu “Come for a Swim”, the Sashimi Deluxe bowl and Temaki Setto gets you super excited about your Omega 3 intake. Salads are great too. Like so many great places it’s located on Henrietta Street.
Sushi again but with a difference, Sushi Shamba
is fusion food combining Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian with restaurants best known for their atmosphere. Ceviche crosses over with sashimi and kobe beef is cooked over Japanese coals. The cocktail menu is just even more eclectic and, being up on the first floor of the piazza itself, you get a great spot for people watching.
Located below Sushi Samba and just inside the piazza is the Asian sharing experience Buns and Buns. Their breakfast menu is pretty underwhelming but the main dishes are mouth watering. Consider a choice between lobster roll with yuzu mayo, crackling calamari salad and pork belly buns with bourbon glaze and then just order them all.
Jamie Oliver on Catherine St
(between the Strand and Drury Lane) has a great outdoor terrace for summer dining and a “Proper Sunday Roasts” menu for when there is an “r” in the month (ie: the winter). Try the black pudding scotch egg if that’s your bag or otherwise the highly sustainable chalk stream trout.
For a quick bite and lots of choice try the indoor Seven Dials Market. Most tables are kept for walk ins but you can book and this is a great option for when everyone in your group fancies different things. Highlights include Pick n Cheese with its conveyor belt cheese and biscuits options.
Mildreds
vegetarian on St Martins Lane have been serving vegan and vegetarian food since 1988. Rather than a consolation prize, their food actually looks like the sort of thing you would actively choose even if there were meat and fish options on the menu which is no easy feat. The food is Mexican, British, Korean, Spanish, Japanese wherever you can get the good stuff. They even have a specific onion and garlic free menu for those on a low FODMAP diet.
Keep Chaating
is an Indian vegetarian restaurant on Neal St which is fantastic value for money. With lots of choice on the menu set in a colourful yet somewhat eye bruising setting, you could do a lot worse!
Dishoom
is a small chain with 8 restaurants in London serving Indian inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner. They always have some walk in tables available although it is best to try to book in advance and despite the food being not entirely authentic, it is just delicious and the cocktails are excellent. Don’t miss their gunpowder potatoes, chicken ruby or house black daal and wash it all down with a mango lassi. Located on St Martin’s Lane.
Flat Iron on Henrietta Street
has a simple centre piece in its menu: steak. Everything else dances around that including crispy bone marrow garlic mash, chips made from beef dripping and a choice of 5 different sauces. Mouth-watering for carnivores but if you don’t eat beef then this is not for you.
Finally, we love Barrafina on Drury Lane. You must have the Estrella Galicia on draft which is so hard to find in the UK (the bottled stuff is in supermarkets) and then remember that anything with an “x” in it, like txistorra, is from the Basque country and so is particularly good. Ditto anything Galician and remember that croquetas are always a good idea.
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Bloomsbury has a strong academic and literary history and is, of course, home of the British Museum. As you would expect, there are various tourist hotspots that are best avoided if you want a good meal out. Here is our guide to some of the best choices within a 15 minute walk of Virginia House. My Old Dutch is a pancake restaurant on High Holborn. Aside from a multitude of sweet options, they have a surprising selection of savoury options too. If you imagine the sort of toppings you might get on a pizza but instead on a large crepe then you get the right idea. Absolutely every dish is customisable and they also have a really good salad menu. Reasonably priced Cocoro on Coptic Street serves hearty bowls of authentic ramen, sashimi and hot pot in an izakaya setting. We love the display food so typical of Japan to help you choose your dish. Flight Club Bloomsbury is more of a social bar that serves food. After a competitive game of darts (yes darts!) tuck into a sharing platter or a burger. A particularly good spot for groups and located on New Oxford Street. Uzumaki on Gt Russell St is an immersive anime restaurant where you can eat a lovely bowl of brothy ramen, admire the amazing character mural and then exit via the gift shop. Eggslut is just off Tottenham Court Road on Percy Street. It is messy food to eat but the sort of place where you want to eat without conversation so that you can concentrate on the food’s comfort. Everything is set within a sandwich and honestly it’s the best place eat when you are particularly starving. Make your choice and apply to face. The Life Goddess is a Greek deli restaurant on Store Street serving healthy fare such as giant butter beans, kleftiko and crispy liver. A great spot for lunch or dinner with limited outdoor seating. Honey & Co have two local spots, one on Store St and another on Lambs Conduit Street. It offers a modern menu with a Middle Eastern influence. They have a decent breakfast menu and a generous sharing menu for lunch or dinner. Fortitude Bakehouse is not a restaurant and, aside from some sandwiches, they mostly serve delicious pastries and filled doughnuts, sorry "beignets", in a converted mews garage. All food is to take away and there is some outdoor seating but it’s really very good and has become and internet sensation which is why it is included here. Be prepared to queue unless you get there very early. Located just behind Russell Square underground station. Ciao Bella on Lambs Conduit St is an old fashioned Italian restaurant that has been there for years. It is not the kind of Italian that centres around pizza and pasta but an actual Italian restaurant with actual Italian food on the menu like actual Italians eat.
Temple is a riverside legal district sandwiched between Covent Garden and Blackfriars. Unless you are in the legal profession or know more than most about the Knights Templar’s tomb, you may not have heard of it. It can be tricky to find the right place to eat locally as many of the local eateries are grab and go sandwich bars to please find our recommendations which are no more than a 10 minute walk from Eldon Chambers. Where any establishment is closed on any particular day of the week we have tried to indicate that below. Firstly, The Humble Grape is a great little place located in the crypt under St Bride’s Church. It is a wine bar with a really good food menu that includes small plates or a massive Tomahawk steak for two. Closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Barrafina on Drury Lane is another lovely option if you like eating up at the bar. You must have the Estrella Galicia on draft which is so hard to find in the UK (the bottled stuff is in supermarkets) and then remember that anything with an “x” in it like txistorra is from the Basque country and so is particularly good. Ditto anything Galician and remember that croquetas are always superb. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese dates back to the 17the century and is the famous waterhole of Charles Dickens, Samuel Johnson and Mark Twain although not necessarily at the same time. Enjoy beer battered cod and chips, steak and kidney pie or (if you want to stay awake after your meal) perhaps the Chop House Salad all at reasonable prices. They offer a fabulous cheese board of course but perhaps the best hoice is their warm kosher pork scratchings. Figure that one out. Located down a tiny alley just off Fleet Street so pay attention to the directions on your phone and look for “Wine Office Court” in Google Maps. Franco Manca St Pauls is a great place for a quick bite at reasonable prices. They offer gluten free options as well as lovely salads. Toklas is a Mediterranean restaurant with an in house bakery with choices which include peaches with green beans and almonds, rabbit cacciatore and Amalfi lemon sorbet. Closed Sundays. Sarastro is an Italian restaurant on Drury Lane. The sense of theatre comes from the décor as well as the food and they often have live music either in the form of a latin singer, string quartet or live opera. Never a dull moment here. Rules Restaurant is an incredible 200 year old institution that has the power to give you goosebumps if you are a James Bond fan (it’s where M meets Q and Moneypenny in Spectre. It also features in the script for Downtown Abbey. In real life it has been a literary destination for many an actor and author but it’s the sense of going back in time that makes it so special. Understated, unpretentious, uncompromising you either get it or you don’t. Have a look at the website and if a bit of Old England looks like a bit of you then get yourself booked in. The food, cocktails and service are very, very good indeed old boy. Smith and Wollensky is an American steakhouse on John Adam Street. Lovely surroundings and great food. Zizzi the Strand is a decent Italian chain located nearby with a good children’s menu. Old Bank of England is a converted pub in the old law courts of the bank. Enjoy ham, egg and chips or a burger for a quick bite on Fleet Street.
