Dining
The 5 Best Restaurants in Covent Garden
Beyond the crowds and the chains: where to actually eat well around Covent Garden.
In short: our top picks are Spring, Clos Maggiore and Balthazar London. 3 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Covent Garden is easy to write off as tourist territory, and most of the piazza earns that reputation. But the streets around it hide some genuinely good rooms, the kind worth booking before or after the theatre. These are the ones we send people to.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Strand | £££ |
| Clos Maggiore | Covent Garden | ££££ |
| Balthazar London | Covent Garden | £££ |
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Editor’s choice
Spring
Why we pick itSkye Gyngell's light-filled room at Somerset House; seasonal, beautiful, and a real occasion.
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Clos Maggiore
Why we pick itThe most romantic room in London by candlelight; book the conservatory months ahead.
-
Balthazar London
Why we pick itA grand Parisian brasserie that gets the theatre-night rhythm exactly right.
No longer open
These appeared in earlier versions of this guide. We have left them here, marked, because readers still search for them.
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Frenchie Covent Garden Closed
Permanently closed since January 2024. Greg Marchand's Frenchie restaurants in Paris, Biarritz and Verbier continue.
A polished bistro a step off the piazza; the steak frites and the wine list both deliver.
-
Frenchie Closed
Permanently closed since January 2024. Greg Marchand's Frenchie restaurants in Paris, Biarritz and Verbier continue.
A stylish modern bistro on Henrietta Street.
Before you book
If you are eating before a show, tell them when you book and when you arrive; the good rooms here are used to a theatre clock and will look after you. Avoid the piazza itself and walk a street or two out. And book: this is one of the busiest corners of London every night of the week.
Common questions
What are the best restaurants in Covent Garden?
Spring is our editor's choice: Skye Gyngell's light-filled room at Somerset House; seasonal, beautiful, and a real occasion. Spring, Clos Maggiore and Balthazar London lead the guide, with 3 places in total, all chosen on merit.
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