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 since 2013. 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 Samba
is fusion food combining Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine but is best known for the atmosphere. Ceviche crosses over with sashimi whilst 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 and Japanese. 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.
View more
Journal
London has a reputation for being expensive but one thing that makes London unique is its wealth of top quality museums that are completely free of charge, something you don’t usually get in other global major cities. Funded by a combination of grants and public spending from the Arts Council, National Lottery, central and local government, you can enjoy some truly world class museums. Instead, to support our wonderful museums, consider making a voluntary contribution or buying something in the gift shop. Some special exhibitions may be chargeable but the bulk of the museum is free at the point of entry. Here is a list to help you plan your visit: The British Museum – the fifth most visited museum is also widely considered one of the top three museums in the world. A good tip is to book your free one hour entry timeslot online to beat the queues. See the famous Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles (Parthenon Sculptures), Benin Bronzes, Easter Island statues and Egyptian mummies. The oldest exhibit is the Olduvai Stone Chopping Tool which is some 2 million years old. You could spend anything from 1 hour here to 6 and still not see everything. The Natural History Museum – possibly London’s most iconic museum, it is as impressive for its Gothic architecture as it is for its animatronic T-Rex and giant blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. Again, prebooked timed entry tickets are advisable as they are free of charge and help you skip the queues. At Christmas time there is a charming ice skating rink on the grounds. The Victoria & Albert Museum – located just adjacent to the Natural History Museum and nicknamed “the V & A”, its theme can be hard to describe. With changing displays that range from iconic fashion by Dior and Chanel through to Islamic ceramics and plaster casts of Michelangelo’s David and Trajan’s Column, it’s most famous object is Tipu’s Tiger; a mechanical item from 18th century India. Heavy on sculpture and glass blown objects I suppose you could day it celebrates art outside the canvass. The building features the simply stunning Gamble Room Café which is worth a visit in itself. The Science Museum – the third museum in South Kensington’s little Exhibition Road patch celebrates the history of innovation. With lots of interactive fun combined with exhibits behind glass cases, the first X ray machine and Stephenson’s rocket are a highlight. Paid experiences include the interactive Wonderlab and IMAX cinema. The space gallery inspires wonder and as you would expect, the exhibits don’t stay static as the nature of science is that it should always be forward facing. If you have been before, perhaps you should go again. Tate Modern – many years ago one of the main exhibits was Tracey Emin’s unmade bed. Some may dismiss modern art as “low effort” or simply ridiculous but others simply adore its break from the confines of classical tradition. Whatever your position, the Tate Modern is a riverside former Bankside Power Station awash with large open spaces. It is one of the largest museums of contemporary art in the world saved from demolition when repurposed. It features a Picasso, Dali, Matisse and a Warhol as well as a world class restaurant and very decent gift shop. Well worth whiling away an hour or two. The National Gallery – super famous building located on Trafalgar Square, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings including Monet’s The Water Lily, various Boticellis and da Vincis, works by Rembrandt, Stubbs, Goya, Velazquez, Renoir and of course van Gogh’s Sunflowers. One visit is not enough, firstly because you need to take your time and secondly because of the vastness of the collection and space. The National Portrait Gallery – prior to social media, important historical figures would celebrate themselves via portraits (often self-portraits) and they really didn’t hold back. If you want to look at the faces of important British people from history then this is the place for you. From Shakespeare, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn (not together) to Samuel Johnson, this celebration of self-importance also depicts modern photography of icons such as Vivienne Westwood and the Beatles. The Imperial War Museum – covers conflicts from the Great War (WW1) to the present day. The Holocaust Galleries are particularly moving but you must be 14 years and over for admission. Worth the trip south of the river. The Bank of England Museum – this one is actually quite cute and somewhat reminiscent of a certain scene from Mary Poppins where young Michael struggles to part with his tuppence. It’s small and manageable, allowing you to pick up a gold bar and learn about the fundamentals of our economy. The London Museum in Docklands hosts 9 galleries that are free to the public, all based around the themes of London’s river, port and people. Set in a converted riverside warehouse, around 2 hours are recommended for a full tour. Excitingly, a new museum is due to open in late 2026 in Smithfield which is very hotly anticipated. Most of the river Thames in London is technical coastal, meaning tidal, did you know that? The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich actually hosts quite an eclectic range of exhibits under its maritime theme all accessed free of charge. Another riverside museum and architecturally impressive, you can get to Greenwich by riverboat for extra fun and the local area has much to offer including the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Mean Time line, Royal Observatory, the Trafalgar Tavern pub and a fabulous view of the London skyline from Greenwich Park. The National Army Museum – we need not describe this; the clue is in the name but actually it showcases soldier stories from the Army’s origins to the present day. With a strong emphasis on history and travel it offers perhaps a more interesting perspective than first meets the eye. This is not an exhaustive list! There are many many more free museums all over London and sometimes it is the smaller, lesser known venues that can pique your interest the most. A little bit of research can go a long way.
Here is our guide to getting the best out of London this season. Firstly, the best parks for those photogenic colours and squirrels doing what they do best; squirrelling: Richmond Park - Stunning autumn foliage and rutting deer season (September-October) including a 7 mile circular taking in the Isabella Plantation Hampstead Heath - Golden leaves and crisp walks to Parliament Hill viewpoint, one of the best views of London Greenwich Park - Royal Observatory views framed by autumn trees Regent's Park - Queen Mary's Gardens with late-season roses Hyde Park - Serpentine Lake surrounded by changing leaves St. James's Park - Pelican feeding continues through the autumn months Kensington Gardens - Italian Gardens and Diana Memorial surrounded by autumn colours It’s not all parks and trees, some other recommendations for London’s best head clearing walks include: Thames Path Autumn Section - Westminster to Tower Bridge with golden plane trees Hampstead Heath to Kenwood - Through ancient woodland with stunning views Canal Walk - Regent's Canal from Camden to Little Venice with autumn reflections Literary London Autumn Tour - Keats House and poets' haunts in Hampstead The calendar is full of events this season with a mixture of homegrown & adopted cultures as well as historical events providing the context: Diwali Celebrations the Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of light with fireworks displays all over London including festivities at Trafalgar Square on Sunday 12th Oct 2025. Remembrance Sunday 9th November 2025 – head to the Cenotaph at Whitehall for a respectful and well attended ceremony and memorial services commemorating Armistice Day. Please consider buying a poppy from the Royal British Legion. Black History Month is in October in the UK rather than February in the US due to historical and culture differences. Watch out for free events, exhibitions, and talks celebrating Black heritage London Oktoberfest draws on the Munich tradition which needs no explanation and takes place over three October weekends in Finsbury Park and Hammersmith. Lederhosen optional. Hallowe’en (31st October) is muted in some areas and impressive in others, especially where there are American communities. Kensington, St Johns Wood and Knightsbridge are all excellent for trick or treating and instagrammable house decorations. Free Halloween activities include self-guided ghost walks through historic areas, Covent Garden and the West End for retail displays, pumpkin picking in some city farms such as Kentish Town and Stepney and underrated graveyard tours in Highgate and Kensal Green Cemeteries to take in the resting places and lore of bygone celebrities. The London Dungeon and The Tower of London are also excellent choices for the spooky season. Bonfire Night - remember remember the 5th of November is famous for Guy Fawkes’ gunpowder plot when he tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King Charles I in 1605. [GF didn’t get the King in the end but the parliamentarians did later on when HRH was found guilty of treason and executed in 1649 resulting in a temporary republic. Irony eh?] We have been celebrating this failed/foiled attack with bonfires and fireworks ever since. The best locations for such cavalier displays are Alexandra Palace, Blackheath, Clapham Common and Victoria Park. Some events are tickets only. Perhaps you have heard something about British weather being unpredictable. Don’t stress as many of the best Autumn cosy experiences can be found indoors, including: British Library - Free exhibitions and warm reading rooms Wellcome Collection – Free and special exhibitions with café Royal Festival Hall - River views and free events Barbican Centre - Brutalist architecture, lakeside dining and conservatory Somerset House - Courtyard and river terrace Historic & riverside pubs - The George Inn, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, so many others. Reward yourself with pub pit stops along the way Traditional Sunday roasts - Many pubs offer reasonably priced meals but the best Sunday roast we have ever consumed was courtesy of the Builder’s Arms in Kensington where you can order a sirloin, chicken and lamb rump “to share” for a meagre 4,081 calories Seasonal Tips: • Pack layers and thermos for longer outdoor exploring • After 1st November it will get dark by 4pm so get up and out early • Use heating in cafés and museums as free warming stations • Autumn is known for its harvest so choose produce at markets like Borough • Always carry umbrella for sudden London showers • Wear comfortable waterproof shoes for leaf-covered paths • Check museum late-night openings for shelter during rain • Keep an open mind- you may need to tweak your plans in line with the weather but with a good jacket you may still be able to sit outdoors in some cases. Our verdict: Is Autumn a good time to come to London? Yes! The weather can actually be very mild and city breaks can be uncomfortable during a heat wave. It’s a great time to get away before proper winter. Where should I stay? Our choice would be either near the river or the parks if the outdoor scenes appeal to you and Eldon Chambers is ideal. If you prefer the pre-Christmas retail vibe then perhaps you might prefer Interlude House .
