Lets Discover · Covent Garden
Best Restaurants, Bars and Things to Do in Covent Garden, London
Covent Garden is one of London's most visited neighbourhoods, sitting between the West End theatre district and the Strand, and covering the streets around the famous market piazza and the surrounding blocks of Long Acre, Neal Street and the Seven Dials junction. The area has a higher concentration of restaurants and bars than almost anywhere else in central London, ranging from longstanding pre-theatre dining rooms to independent cafes, cocktail bars and some of the city's best-known brunch spots. Creators on Lets Discover have recommended dozens of venues across Covent Garden, covering restaurants, bars, coffee shops and cultural venues.
What's on in Covent Garden
Upcoming events at venues in the area
Fri 27 Mar to Sat 11 Jul
Kinky Boots
London Coliseum
the multi-award-winning musical starring johannes radebe and matt cardle, now in its west end run at the coliseum. sequins, soul and sturdy footwear.
Tickets available
Fri 8 May to Sun 12 Jul
Sian Fan: False Idol
Somerset House
Digital sculptures and video installations fill Somerset House, raising questions about bodies, automation and devotion. Sian Fan knows the idol and the eye both lie.
Sat 9 May
Kawan
Kawan by Uncle Roger
Uncle Roger built 16 million subscribers on fried rice reviews. Now he has to serve his own. Kawan opens in Chinatown with chef Daren Liew from Hakkasan running the pass. The squid ink fish and chips is the wildcard. Nigel Ng spent years calling out other people's rice. Now he's on the hook to cook.
Sat 9 May
Cabaret
Playhouse Theatre
Cabaret is the award-winning musical production staged at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre in London. The immersive staging places audiences inside the world of the Weimar-era Kit Kat Club for the full duration of the show.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
The Murder by Trafalgar Square: Interactive Game Experience (in English only)
Snack stop
The Murder by Trafalgar Square is a self-guided outdoor interactive mystery game near Trafalgar Square where players use a mobile app to solve a murder by gathering clues around the area. The experience lasts approximately 1.5–2 hours with no prior booking of specific times required.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
The Play That Goes Wrong
Duchess Theatre
The Play That Goes Wrong is a Mischief Theatre comedy at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End, following an amateur drama society staging a murder mystery with escalating disasters. The show is known for its physical comedy, slapstick and audience interaction.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
Matilda The Musical
Cambridge Theatre
Matilda The Musical is the Roald Dahl adaptation at the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End, featuring music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. The show follows Matilda Wormwood, a precocious girl with telekinetic powers, and her battle against the tyrannical Miss Trunchbull.
Tickets available
Sat 9 May
Mamma Mia! at Novello Theatre
Novello Theatre
Mamma Mia! is the jukebox musical featuring the songs of ABBA, running at the Novello Theatre in London's West End. The show follows Sophie Sheridan as she tries to discover which of three men is her father before her wedding day.
Tickets available
Creator picks in Covent Garden
Verified recommendations from Lets Discover creators
- 1Chinatown Gate, Wardour Street, London, UK
Recommended by chinatownlondon · Wardour Street has had quite the glow up! 🏮 Over 300 years of history and today it’s home to some of Chinatown’s best.…
- 2Royal Ballet School
Recommended by coventgardenldn · Looking for the best ballet landmarks in London? Head to Covent Garden, where centuries of dance history can be explored…
- 3Bun House Chinatown
Recommended by thisissoho · Meet Z, co-founder of @8unhouse, a much-loved Chinatown spot known for its legendary steamed buns, Cantonese small plate…
- 4JJ Buffet
Recommended by chinatownlondon · All you can eat Chinese buffet in Chinatown? Say less! 🍽️ @jjbuffet.london has just opened and from £16 you can go all…
- 5Royal Ballet and Opera
Recommended by coventgardenldn · To celebrate the opening of the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup, the @royalballetandopera brought Puccini’s iconic Nessun Dorm…
- 6Kiko Milano - Covent Garden
Recommended by coventgardenldn · @ouraring has landed on the Piazza. Experience the world of Oura Ring 5 in Covent Garden. Inspired by the ring’s latest…
- 7Le Beaujolais
Recommended by mountstreetneighbourhood · Mount Street Neighbourhood Summer Festival is back for a second week. Until the 20th of June we'll be taking over the ne…
- 8
- 9Golden Phoenix
Recommended by chinatownlondon · GLUTEN-FREE DIM SUM 🥟 Looking for gluten-free restaurants in London? 🥢 Golden Phoenix here in Chinatown has just launc…
- 10Somerset House
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · From FREE days out to arty adventures, kid friendly theatre, and festivals throughout the capital - got you covered for …
About Covent Garden
Covent Garden rewards the people who know where to look. The piazza and its immediate surroundings draw enormous tourist footfall, but the streets that fan out from it contain some of the best independent dining and drinking in central London. Neal Street, Endell Street, Floral Street and the Seven Dials cluster each have their own character and their own concentration of venues worth knowing.
The neighbourhood has changed significantly in recent years. Pre-theatre dining still anchors much of the area's food identity, but a newer generation of restaurants, natural wine bars and specialty coffee shops has built alongside it without displacing it. You can find a serious tasting menu and an excellent flat white within a few minutes of each other, which is not something every part of London can offer.
The Lets Discover creators who cover Covent Garden tend to eat across the West End regularly and know the area's restaurant map in detail. Their picks are drawn from genuine repeat visits rather than single occasions, which means the recommendations hold up across different days and different moods.
The food scene in Covent Garden is anchored by a few distinct clusters. The Seven Dials area, where seven streets converge north of the piazza, has become one of the strongest concentrations of independent restaurants in the West End, with everything from Japanese and Korean to modern European and Middle Eastern cooking. Neal's Yard, tucked off Shorts Gardens, is one of the most photographed corners of London and also home to some worthwhile cafes and independent shops. Long Acre and Bow Street are stronger for pre-theatre options, while the streets around Floral Street offer a slightly quieter alternative to the main drag.
History and culture in Covent Garden
Covent Garden has been a centre of London life since the mid-17th century, when Inigo Jones designed the Italianate piazza for the fourth Earl of Bedford. It quickly became London's primary fruit and vegetable market, a role it held for over three hundred years until the market relocated to Nine Elms in 1974. The market's departure prompted an early experiment in urban regeneration, with the Victorian market buildings converted into shops, restaurants and the Jubilee Market Hall that remain today. The neighbourhood has a rich theatrical history stretching back centuries: the Royal Opera House on Bow Street has stood in various forms since 1732, and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the world. The area was also home to the original Bow Street Magistrates Court and the Bow Street Runners, widely considered the precursor to the Metropolitan Police.
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