Best restaurants in Covent Garden
Published 08 February 2023

When sleek, handmade pasta specialist Bancone opened its first branch in Covent Garden back in 2018, it scored an instant social media hit with its ‘silk handkerchiefs’ – soft, glistening rectangles of fazzoletti dressed with walnut butter, sprinkled with nuggets of chopped walnut and topped with a golden confit egg yolk. While still the stars of the show, they share the billing with other tempters such as pappardelle with Herdwick hogget, soy, Thai basil and chilli or cappellacci with Cornish crab, corn, chives and sea herbs. Start with cauliflower salad, smoked almonds and pecorino sardo; finish with fior di latte or crème caramello with coffee and buckwheat. Prosecco and Italian regional wines go down a treat. 

Handily located on a corner site in Covent Garden’s theatreland, with all the hallmarks of the Barrafina group – from the prime time queues to the counter seating at a marble-topped bar and the cooked-to-order menu of Spanish tapas classics. Top-notch ingredients are at the heart of things and the cooking is deceptively simple, whether you’re after one of the made-to-order tortillas (perhaps prawns with piquillo peppers) or something from the charcoal oven (milk-fed lamb’s kidneys or dry-aged sirloin with oloroso sauce). Para picar nibbles such as pan con tomate or Padrón peppers get the juices flowing and it’s also worth taking a serious look at the little chalked-up board of daily specials for further inducements. Here you might find inviting star turns such as cuttlefish croquetas, lemon sole with citrus butter, whole turbot with ajada sauce or smoked calf’s tongue. For afters, check out the crema catalana or the milhojas (stacked layers of puff pastry with a creamy mix of condensed milk, sugar and vanilla). To match the food, there’s a spot-on list of Spanish regional wines (many available by the glass or carafe) as well as sherries in all styles.

Post-lockdown, Barrafina’s hugely popular Drury Lane branch briefly morphed into seafood-themed Barrafina Mariscos, but now it’s back to normality – much to the delight of its many regulars. Like its near neighbour on Adelaide Street, this venue is a godsend for Covent Garden’s theatre crowd, with the bonus of a covered terrace. The marble-topped bar and red stools may be reassuringly familiar but there’s always something new to eat, whether you opt for the regular placemat menu or pick something more creative from the daily specials board. Arroz negro (seafood rice blackened with squid ink) is something of a speciality here, but don’t discount the meat and vegetable options – a plate of Iberian pork ribs from the charcoal oven, perhaps, or a dish of fennel with ajo blanco. Para picar nibbles never disappoint, likewise the perfectly runny, made-to-order tortillas and patatas bravisimas. As for that specials board, expect anything from mussels cooked in Basque txakoli wine to skate wing fritura or turbot with confit potatoes, as well as the occasional pig’s head or calçots with romesco. Desserts such as crema calatana and Santiago tart are fixtures, although the board might also list yoghurt sponge or chocolate tart (terse descriptions conceal more than they reveal). Drinkers can sip their way through a cracking list of Spanish regional wines, alongside various sherries and zesty vermouth cocktails.

Nestled next door to its elder sibling, the 10 Cases, this all-day venue has all the trappings of a petit grand café: marble-topped tables, framed monochrome photos, half-mast curtains, tightly packed but comfortable for all that. Freshly baked goods are sold from a hatchway on the street, while croques and fully loaded sandwiches form the backbone of the eat-in menu – we enjoyed a chilli-laced crab salad in marie-rose dressing on hacked-up chunks of baby gem. Otherwise, expect anything from gravadlax with rye crisps to beef tagliata, ahead of desserts including a textbook baked Alaska. The coffee is excellent and there's a tiny wine list too.

Secreted on a quiet side-street away from the frantic bustle of Covent Garden, the West End outpost of Blacklock is a softly lit basement room sandwiched between walls of wood and brick, run by expertly attentive staff in surroundings that are probably fated to be considered masculine. Chops, steaks and meaty things are the order of the day, and there is a determined refusal to beat about any bushes.

Start with pig's head on toast (not the whole thing), or a gravied 'cull yaw' crumpet made with the meat of a mature ewe. All the meat comes from Philip Warren in Cornwall, and shouts its pedigree, even in the high-hat burgers, which ooze forth their cheese and are packed with onions caramelised in vermouth. Chips, naturally, are done in beef dripping. There are some vitamins too, in the shape of braised cauliflower with sprouts and chestnuts or broccoli and walnut salad, but the kitchen can't resist barbecuing the baby gems and lapping them with rich anchovy dripping. Enormous sharing steaks come with the likes of well-made béarnaise or chilli hollandaise.

Finish with a traditional crumble, accompanied by ice cream or custard, or the signature white chocolate cheesecake, served from a big tray. Blacklock's Sunday roasts are also memorable, and groups can take advantage of an ‘all in’ offer promising three meats plus all the incidentals, including some of the best gravy in the business. Drinks run from own-label beers and lagers (brewed by the Harbour Brew Co in Cornwall) to idiosyncratic wines (including some on tap) personally selected by the owners.

Like Kitty Fisher’s on Shepherd Market, this Covent Garden beauty is named after a 19th-century courtesan – although it feels more 'decadent' with lush velvety fabrics, dark green tones and varnished woodwork creating an inviting backdrop for plates of comforting food with strong Anglo-European leanings. Scallops Rockefeller makes a good opener, likewise a riff on the ‘ham and cheese toastie’ theme, although you can also get fresh with a perfectly rounded salad of endives, walnuts, Stilton and pear. Follow on with Devon lamb cutlets partnered by carrots and buttered kale, a bowl of fish stew with croûtons or Creedy Carver duck accompanied by Swiss chard and quince.

If you’re hoping for at least one showstopper, look no further than the chips – ‘the best I’ve ever tasted,’ drooled one fan. Hot, crisp, fatty and deliriously moreish, they are cooked and pressed for 24 hours before being cut into Jenga-like oblongs and dunked in the deep-fryer. To conclude, a creamy bowl of ‘milk and cookies’ is the go-to option, although readers have also praised the chocolate crémeux with praline and the ginger cheesecake.

Given that Cora Pearl is a stone’s throw from the Royal Opera House and other West End attractions, the pre-theatre menu is a no-brainer, likewise the Sunday lunch offer. To drink, Bloody Marys seem to suit the mood, and there’s also a short list of European wines from £33.

To mark its 10th birthday in 2020, the original branch of Dishoom in Covent Garden underwent a dramatic refurb. The decor still pays homage to old Bombay’s Irani cafés (whirring ceiling fans, sepia photographs, vintage artefacts, Art Deco trimmings) but the new look now makes reference to the city’s cinematic heritage from Parsi theatre and silent movies to the all-singing, all-dancing glitz of the talkies. Apart from that, it’s business as usual for the hordes who continue to queue and pile in for a lively all-day menu of reimagined Indian favourites. Roll up early for one of the famous bacon naan rolls or a plate of kejriwal (fried eggs on chilli cheese toast) or get sociable later on by sharing a host different dishes. Street-food snacks and grills such as Dishoom’s murgh malai, pineapple tikka and spicy lamb chops line up beside various ‘Ruby Murrays’, slow-cooked biryanis (try the chicken Britannia), black dhal and the house special – ‘auntie’s recipe for the very best masala fish’, griddled in a banana leaf and served with coconut chaas. For afters, dive into a sweet, cooling ‘mess’ of fresh cream, crushed meringue and strawberries perfumed with rose syrup and gulkhand (rose-petal conserve). To drink, there’s a fascinating array of coolers, esoteric beers, wines and cocktails with colonial overtones.

Adam Handling’s Covent Garden flagship is a crowd-pulling destination full of noise and action, with an organised open kitchen serving up what the man himself calls ‘British food, inspired by London’. Bare tables, hard floors and counter seating are par for the course, while the culinary focus is now on a 10-course tasting menu that aims to take the chef’s zero-waste, ‘sustainability agenda’ to the next level. Proceedings begin with a series of precise, flavour-heavy snacks, ranging from an oyster tartlet abundant with caviar and tempered by cucumber in various guises to a wagyu beef tartare that arrives inside crisp pastry shells, daintily garlanded with flowers. Although most ideas are newly minted, Handling’s signature ‘bread with chicken butter’ remains. After that, there might be a dish of flaky cod (‘with just a suggestion of the sea’), accompanied by a lemongrass foam, celeriac purée, a tapioca cracker and green herb oil. Oddly, the same condiment reappears yet again in a dish of supremely good wagyu beef served with a 'welcome dose of greenery', a blob of English wasabi and a bordelaise-style sauce. The full experience is interspersed with the usual savoury and sweet interludes (including a palate-cleanser involving ice-cold cherry tomatoes sitting beneath a green tomato granita). Dessert itself might be a 'tellingly sound' piece of pastrywork combining white chocolate, pandan and strawberry. Readers have been bowled over by it all (‘course after course of perfection’), while we agree, some dishes are confusing, and the excessive use of herb oil isn’t to our liking. That said, there’s no denying the buzz of the place or the attentivenss of the staff, while the drinks list offers heady cocktails alongside a global wine (and sake) selection that divides up into categories such as ‘quintessential’, ‘esoteric’ and ‘maverick’.

Jamie Oliver's return to Covent Garden in the autumn of 2023 marked a fresh start for the celebrity chef. Next door to the Theatre Royal, you enter a warm, buzzy, wood-floored dining room done out with comfy burgundy-hued leather banquettes, stripey chairs, elegant linen lampshades, distinctive Art Deco lights and tall potted plants. It’s less of a vanity project and more about likeable, affordable food in the heart of theatreland.

The seasonal menu delves into Oliver's Anglo-Mediterranean back catalogue, cherry-picking classics such as the Fifteen salad with burrata or spaghetti with tiger prawns, white crab, clams and mussels in a tomato bisque. There are also dry-aged steaks, chops, pies and lobster thermidor with Koffmann fries to share, as well as ‘Trevor's chicken’ – a dish dedicated to the chef's father.

The good-value set menu (perfect for lunch and pre-theatre) shines the spotlight on quality produce, from carpaccio of beef or smoked mackerel pâté on sourdough toast to chicken Caesar salad or crisp-skinned sea bream with seasonal greens, although a plate of pasta with mushroom duxelles and British pecorino left us underwhelmed. We also found the service a little hit or miss, but a delightful warm Bakewell tart with crème fraîche helped to save the day. To drink, there’s a good choice of cocktails and a short list of international wines from £35 a bottle.

Having hit the jackpot with their Burmese restaurant in Shoreditch, Dan Anton and Zaw Mahesh have brought their winning ways to Covent Garden – although Lahpet West End is a very different beast to the original. Occupying two floors in the new, glitzy The Yards development, it comes with a heated terrace, open kitchen and a cocktail bar on each level. Festooned with plants and pickling jars, it’s a world away from ‘economically ravaged Myanmar’, although the food is fiercely authentic. Those who have eaten at the original will recognise quite a few dishes on the menu, including lahpet thohk (a crunchy salad imbued with the ‘subtle aftertaste’ of pickled tea leaves). Also look for the golden-brown Shan tofu fritters stirred into life with tamarind dip or coconut noodles with chicken, paprika oil and crispy wonton. The new kitchen also sports a robata grill, which produces starry dishes such as succulent pork belly with crispy skin, its richness neatly offset by a dash of sour bamboo curry and dry-fermented soya bean paste. Service is laid-back, and so is the atmosphere. 'Lahpet' means 'tea', so it's no surprise that fragrant infusions crop up on the drinks list alongside east-west cocktails, craft beers and spice-friendly wines.

Given the name, it’s not surprising that a dedicated oyster bar takes centre stage at this personally run seafood restaurant – the product of innumerable pop-ups, festivals and private party gigs. Oystermen's breezy interior was extended a while back, and the premises has also gained some additional outdoor space (a hangover from the pandemic). All-day opening is a boon for Covent Garden’s theatre crowd, who drop by before or after the show for ‘perfect’ oysters, squid salad with anchovy toast (‘beautifully done’), ‘excellent’ skate and more besides. The menu follows the market and rolls along with the seasons, so expect anything from a gratin of Isle of Man ‘queenie’ scallops with chives and lemon or cured sea trout with apple and ponzu dressing to whole ‘undressed’ Dorset crabs, native lobsters slathered in garlic butter with chips or pan-fried stone bass with parsnip purée, wild mushroom sauce and crispy bacon. Working in a 'teeny-tiny' kitchen, the chef and his team also throw in the occasional exotic curve ball such as hake with red curry sauce, baby sweetcorn and crispy kale. For afters, there are ‘delicious concoctions’ including vanilla panna cotta with blackberries and crumble or strawberry tartlet with vanilla custard and basil. Well-chosen, fish-friendly wines are knowledgeably served by efficient clued-up staff. ‘Overall, a pleasure,’ concluded one fan.

Designed with table seating to one side, high-top stools to the other, window seats (for walk-ins) and an alfresco pavement terrace, Will Palmer and Ian Campbell's seafood spot (opposite their 10 Cases Bistrot à Vin) maximises a bijou dining space beautifully. The single-sheet menu lists a satisfying array of small plates and snacks, plus a handful of more substantial dishes, sides and desserts. What the dayboats bring in largely dictates what’s on offer. Two deliveries a day from the coast translates into some superb specialities – perhaps a whole turbot to share, served with mussel beurre blanc and Avruga caviar, or a great hunk of impeccably cooked skrei cod atop Jerusalem artichokes and a lemon beurre blanc – a hit at inspection. Other highlights included potted shrimp croquettes, smoked haddock chowder, and a superb Loch Fyne scallop croque monsieur where the sweet succulence of the bivalve worked beautifully with the rich, buttery, cheesy toast. Welsh rarebit makes an appearance on the dessert menu, alongside a spectacular tart-sweet blood orange sorbet and chocolate mousse with hazelnut crumb. Whites dominate the wine list, which has something to suit every pocket; it's an eclectic selection that encourages veering off the beaten path – although a few more options by the glass would be welcome.

A fixture of dining out in the heart of the West End since the time of George III, Rules is now well into its third century of operations. It remains a gloriously unreconstructed monument to British ways of dining, coming into its own particularly during the game season. A diner who knows his birds regretted the seeming obsolescence of the grouse season these days, but was relieved to find a red-legged partridge on the bill of fare in September. A silver pint tankard of Black Velvet (Champagne got up in a sombre coat of Guinness, originally to mourn the passing of Prince Albert in 1861) makes for a satisfying entrée to the Rules experience.

Dishes that have slipped into the heritage category are treated as if they were still the acme of gastronomy – witness the steak and kidney suet pudding freighted with tender succulent beef and intensely flavoured offal (plus an oyster too, if you will), together with another silver vessel, this time a boat of extra gravy. Add sides of dauphinoise and creamed spinach, and satisfaction is complete.

Start perhaps with stuffed mussels replete with garlic and herb butter, topped with breadcrumbs, or one of the daringly modern salads – smoked ham, pomegranate and blood-orange, or beetroot, apple, walnut and blue cheese – the better to enjoy the richness to come. Main-course fish includes a salmon escalope napped with Champagne chive butter, but meat options tend to be the favourites: a ‘cassoulet’ made with rabbit, smoked bacon and black pudding, for example. Treacle tart and orchard fruit crumbles are de rigueur for afters, but flourless blood-orange and chocolate cake shows that not all passing trends pass Rules by.

A deeply traditional wine list opens with a Rhône red and a dry white Bordeaux by the glass. Service, from initial halloo to fond farewell, is impeccable throughout, while the decorative style (complete with glistening burnished wood, classical figurines, old prints and paintings) augments the atmosphere a treat. Be prepared, though, for a steep, narrow ascent to the bathrooms.

If you don’t have the time or the inclination for the full-dress Restaurant Story experience, this casual offshoot should fit the bill. Tom Sellers’ Story Cellar has a reputation to uphold and it does the job – thanks to chef Robert Homer, who has moved from Dovetale to oversee the modern brasserie menu, and ebullient Kevin Orsat who leads the personable, attentive and genuine staff. The sleekly designed space is an ‘all-round winner’, with the theatre of an open-fire kitchen (plus stool seating at the counter and window) adding to the sense of in-place vitality. It's not hard to see why it has accrued a strong following.

Start with the rich, sumptuous snail 'bolognaise' with parsley butter on toast – nearly everyone was ordering it the night we were in. Either that or a special such as mackerel escabèche. Dry-aged pork chop with brandy-pickled dates or mussels in ‘Story’ cider are popular mains, but we have always found the rotisserie chicken irresistible – especially as it comes with its own rich gravy, a beautifully dressed house salad and crisp French fries. A full-flavoured steak (perfectly rare) with frites and sauce Diane is another standout choice.

Pace yourself, for desserts should not be missed: ‘the bread and butter pudding is like a bowl of warm hugs,' and we were mightily impressed by a delicate mint Viennetta soft serve studded with shards of rich dark chocolate. The extensive, insightful wine list invites exploration, from iconic classics to esoteric artisan discoveries. Prices are top-end but you can drink regally by the glass; there are some alluring cocktails, too.

The 10 Cases is so named because owners Will Palmer and Ian Campbell buy just 10 cases of each listed wine on their 23-bin list – all offered by the glass, carafe and bottle (from around £33) – then don’t stock it again when it's all sold. However, this is no spot for cult producer fanciers chasing the rarest Burgundy or for those who just want to glug cheap plonk; it's somewhere for those who want to drink well for not too much money and embrace quality wines slightly outside the norm – we sampled a bottle of 2014 Morgon Les Charmes from Château Grange Cochard, a richer, modern style of Beaujolais. All in all, it’s a crowd puller. The place is also billed as a neighbourhood Bistrot à Vin, with a menu of simple, affordable French classics – perhaps smoked duck breast with rémoulade and candied walnuts or steak frites with peppercorn sauce – all served against a pitch-perfect backdrop of small tables, warm, low lighting and white walls covered with blackboards listing wine and food. We kicked off with a trio of small plates: blistered Padrón peppers hot from the fryer and dusted in rosemary salt; cod cheeks in a light, crisp tempura-style batter sprinkled with chilli and spring onion and served with a sweet, smoky, spicy vadouvan mayo; and a bowl of bacon-rich, creamy rillettes topped with cornichons. Next up, a whole roasted pork T-bone chop (for two to share). This was carved into slices alongside the bone and served with a wonderfully intense meat sauce, light and creamy celeriac purée and two halves of roasted apple – plus two huge slabs of confit-style potatoes layered with roasted onions on the side. To finish? Panna cotta with pistachios, and treacle tart with crème fraîche. Next door is the Cave à Vin wine bar, which is for walk-ins only.

Opened in 2016, this Neal’s Yard champion, a sibling of the Palomar, continues to draw a savvy, cosmopolitan crowd who crank up the decibels. The dining room is a mix of distressed, whitewashed brick, petrol-blue woodwork and moody lighting, all dominated by a horseshoe-shaped bar surrounding an open-to-view kitchen. Sounds and wonderful aromas fill the room, but it is the cooking from North Africa's Barbary Coast that really plays to the gallery. Blended with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences, it comes full of interest and flavour – if you like lemon, garlic, coriander, chilli and yoghurt, you’re in the right place. Driven by unfussy execution, the wood-fired oven and grill inspire many dishes, perhaps a wonderfully rich pata negra pork neck, or wondrous chargrilled cauliflower strewn with coriander seeds, or flavour-punching black dukkah-crusted salmon. Breads, served piping hot, are not be missed (especially the naans and Jerusalem bagels): try them with one of the special dips, say muhammara (walnut and roasted red pepper) or za’aluk (creamy spiced aubergine and tomato). Finish with a syrupy baklava, or a version of tiramisu made with tahini. The multinational wine list opens at £29.

You’ll find it in the alleyway leading into Neal’s Yard, a tiny corridor of a restaurant seperated from big brother The Barbary by a dividing wall. The format is counter seating only (some bookable, some reserved for walk-ins) with engaged, friendly servers giving good advice on the brief menu of bright North African and Middle Eastern small plates. Begin with bread, perhaps a pillowy, sesame-strewn Afghan khobz served piping hot from the oven with matbucha – a sweet-spicy dip of red peppers, tomato paste, smoked paprika, chilli, olive oil and garlic. Follow with a fresh, crunchy Turkish cucumber salad and a dish of slow-cooked lamb, tender and sweet, accompanied by a heap of salt, cumin and a small bowl of labneh for added flavour. Otherwise, try a warming butter bean stew with smoked paprika or lubina chermoullah (sea bass with coriander, chilli, garlic and preserved lemon). After that, sfenj – a light Maghrebi doughnut, sprinkled with sugar and served with a melted chocolate dip – is a deeply satisfying, if filling, finish. The wine list opens at £33 with a better-than-average French Gamay and a Sicilian Inzolia.