Vivi
Covent Garden piazza at dusk with the old market hall illuminated, a violinist in the middle distance
Neighbourhood

Covent Garden

Covent Garden's secret is that most of the good restaurants are on the side streets.
Portrait of Clara Whitfield, editor of Vivi
By
Clara Whitfield

An editorial note

The trick to Covent Garden is to arrive early and leave early. Most of the serious kitchens open at 17:00, for pre-theatre, and the 17:30 sitting is the quieter one. If you are in the area for a show, eat first; if you are in the area for dinner, avoid the big night-out bars.

What Covent Garden is good for

Pre-theatre. A long lunch after a matinee. A drink at Spring at the Somerset House end.

What Covent Garden is not good for

A meditative solo dinner on a Saturday.

Worth a wander

Endell Street
A strong dinner and drinks strip. The Barbary at the north end, Stories at the south.
Henrietta Street
Henrietta Hotel at one end, the Rules windows at the other. One of the best short streets in London.
Catherine Street
The pre-theatre row. Cinnamon Bazaar, Savoy Grill round the corner.

Elsewhere in London