21 things to do near London’s Covent Garden

Wildwood Kitchen

The perfect place to spent a relaxing lunchtime, or to chow down on some delicious Mediterranean cuisine before heading into Theatreland.  As well as an inventive selection of pizzas for under a tenner, they also offer some twists on the classics including a wild boar and chorizo burger. 

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 12–11pm; Sunday 12–10.30pm. 184 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2 8JB

Tristan Bates Theatre

The in-house theatre at the legendary Actor’s Centre is a great place to see some of the most original, inventive, touching, funny and exciting fringe theatre in London.  It’s also the perfect place to spot the stars of tomorrow in an intimate setting, as many productions here have transferred to major venues.

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 10am – 10pm; Sunday 10am – 6pm. 1A Tower St, Covent Garden WC2H 9NP

Kopapa

Easily one of the tastiest and most creative chefs working in Central London, Peter Gordon has presided over this inviting and sophisticated cafe-cum-bistro-cum-cocktail-bar-cum-restaurant for almost five years.  Located just off Seven Dials, it is perfectly positioned for pre-theatre or mid-shopping bites, and is competitively priced.  Our favourite time to hang out there is Sunday mornings, when their fry-ups or exotic spiced banana French toast with bacon and orange blossom labne are a tremendous way to soak up the excesses of the night before (probably caused by somewhere else lower down on this list!)

Opening Times: Monday – Friday 8am -11pm; Saturday 9am – 11pm; Sunday 9:30am – 9:45pm. 32-34 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9HA

Scoop

In our opinion, this classic parlour sells some of the tastiest ice cream in town.  Normally we’d recommend the authentically Italian straccitella or biscotti flavour, but for this week, it’s hard to look beyond the dark chocolate temptation that is Cioccolato Extra Fondente, straight from Madagascar.

Opening Times: 11:30am – 11:30pm. 40 Short’s Gardens, WC2H 9AB.

Monmouth Coffee

A fixture of Covent Garden for almost 40 years, Monmouth coffee is the perfect example of the area’s ‘village within a cosmopolitan city vibe’.  If you want some good old-fashioned caffeine injections, this is one of the best places in town.

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 8am – 6:30pm. 27 Monmouth St, London WC2H 9EU

Polpo at Ape and Bird

One of our favourite small plates restaurants took over this cracking pub on Cambridge Circus earlier in the year and since then they haven’t looked back. There’s not a single dish on the menu that costs more than £9 and you can choose from a variety of miniature pizzette (although why you’d choose anything other than the fig and prosciutto is beyond us) and then gorge yourself on their hefty (in both size and flavour) meatballs.

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday Midday – 11:30am; Sunday Midday – 10:30am. 142 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8HJ

Timber Yard

If you’re looking for a bright, fresh, unpretentious and modern coffee shop then Timber Yard is right at the top of the tree.  In 2014 it was named Best Independent Coffee Shop in Europe, and also won the prestigious 5 Cup Standard – the coffee equivalent of a Michelin star. Combined with this top quality produce is a menu brimful of sweet, moist cakes and the sort of sandwiches that taste like they’ve been designed by God and made by Elvis.  If we could set up our offices here we would!

Opening Times: Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm; Saturday/Sunday 10am – 8pm. 7 Upper St Martin’s Ln, London WC2H 9DL

The Poetry Cafe

Whether you want somewhere for a quiet cup of coffee with a friend, a cubby hole to work in, or somewhere to discover some exciting new verse, this is another wee gem.  The entire room bursts with the spirit of invention and there are regular performances from poets, comics, improv troupes and artists.

Opening Times: Monday – Friday Midday – 11pm; Saturday 7pm – 11pm. 22 Betterton St, London WC2H 9BX

Gaby’s Deli

It might not look like much on the outside, but this London institution nestling right next to Wyndham’s Theatre can provide a slap up meal of North African and Middle Eastern cuisine that knocks some of the pricier eateries in town down a peg.

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 11am – Midnight; Sunday Midday – 10pm. 30 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H DE

Adventure Bar

Central London venues can sometimes be a little too old-fashioned and stuffy, so it’s great that Adventure Bar is at the forefront of Covent Garden nightlife, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. They host an array of tongue-in-cheek themed nights, pub quizzes and even a chance for punters to get behind the bar and design their own cocktail menus.

Opening Times: Monday – Thursday 5pm – 11:30pm; Friday – Saturday: 4pm – Midnight; Sunday 5pm – 10:30pm. 20 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9HP 

Top Secret Comedy Club

Central London is absolutely brimming with some of the finest quality comedy in the world and over the past few years this new club has been at the heart of that.  Curated by former street perfomer Mark Rothman, Top Secret is located on Covent Garden’s main piazza and runs shows every night of the week where you can see quick-witted improv, major acts cooking up new material and packed out Saturday night shows.  Keep an eye on their Twitter feed as they often have free preview shows starting at 7pm, before the main show kicks off.  As well as the top acts on the UK circuit all sorts of superstars have dropped in over the years including Eddie Izzard, Katherine Ryan and Jason Manford.

Opening Times: Monday – Friday 7pm – 11:30pm; Saturday 6pm – Middnight; Sunday 7pm – 11pm. 170a Drury Ln, London WC2B 5PD

Homeslice

For quick, simple and delicious wood-fired pizzas, Homeslice is an absolute home run of a restaurant.  Huge slices cost £4 or you can gobble down a 20″ monster for £20.  From humble beginnings as a street food stall, they now serve wonderfully unusual takes on classic Italian food, including toppings such as goats shoulder, savoy cabbage, sumac yoghurt and aubergine, cauliflower cheese, spinach and harissa.

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday Midday – 11pm; Sunday Midday – 10pm. 13 Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP

Wild Food Cafe

Hidden away in the haven that is Neal’s Yard, the Wild Food Cafe offers up the sort of delicious organic and vegetarian food that puts paid to any questions that healthy food lacks flavour.  You can also buy difficult to find superfoods from its shop or even enjoy workshops about healthy living.

Opening Times: Monday Midday – 5pm; Tuesday – Friday Midday – 10pm; Saturday 9:30am – 10pm; Sunday 9:30am – 7pm. 1st Floor, 14 Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP

Blend and Press

If you’re feeling the need to be super healthy then head to the Mecca of all things juiced, squeezed and vitaminised here in Neal’s Yard.

Opening Times: Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm; Saturday 10am – 6pm;  Sunday: Midday – 6pm. 16a Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP

Rock and Sole Plaice

The sort of the iconic chippie that realy deserves its own blue plaque. Without a shadow of a doubt the tastiest, most authentic chips in town – fat, thick, cooked in sizzling oil and tremendous as vinegar and ketchup sponges – plus creamy, flaky cod to go with it.  Possibly the most excellently English 500 square feet in town.

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 11am – 11pm; Sunday Midday- 11pm. 47 Endell St, London WC2H 9AJ

Craft Beer Co.

Formerly the dayglo cocktail bar Rudy’s Revenge, this excellent bar on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and High Holborn is proudly riding the crest of the craft beer wave and has a huge array of excellently made booze available to match every taste.

Opening Times: Sunday – Wednesday Midday – Midnight; Thursday – Saturday Midday- 1am. 168 High Holborn, London WC1V 7AA

Big Easy

A little bit of Louisiana in downtown London.  We fell in love with this place the moment we saw their multi-story bar complete with antiquated library ladders to help barmen get to the really good stuff.  Add to that cracking music and stunning pulled pork, crab and punchy sauces and you’ve got the perfect venue to start a night out.

Opening Times: Monday – Wednesday Midday – 11:30pm; Thursday – Saturday Midday – 12:30am; Sunday Midday – 11pm. 12 Maiden Ln, London WC2E 7NA

The Chandos

We know it might just look like any pub, but with its stained glass windows and position right on the corner of Trafalgar Square, The Chandos is one of our favourite archetypal London pubs, especially for a well deserved pint.

Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 11am – 11pm; Sunday Midday – 11pm. 29 St Martins Lane, London WC2N 4ER

Cafe in the Crypt

Not only is this a cracking little haven away from the bustle of Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square, but it also hosts regular concerts of choral music and jazz, along with the sort of cakes that would leave Mary Berry bubbling with dignified joy.

Opening Times: Monday / Tuesday 8am – 8pm; Wednesday 8am – 10:30pm; Thursday – Saturday 8am – 9pm; Sunday 11am – 6pm. St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 4JJ

Davenport’s Magic Shop

It’s not often that a simple shop is iconic, but as the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest continuously owned magic shop, Davenport’s is more than just a vendor of curiosities and tricks.

Opening Times: Monday – Friday 9:30am – 5:30pm; Saturday 10:30am – 4:30pm. 7 Charing Cross Underground Arcade, The Strand, London, WC2N 4HZ, A4, London WC2N 4HZ

National Gallery

This should be on the itinerary of any visitor to the city, but even long time Londoners could do worse than drop by.  It’s pretty easier to forget that you can see works of art by the actual Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet for FREE.  There’s no better offer in town.

Opening Times: Monday – Thursday / Saturday – Sunday 10am – 6pm; Friday 10am – 9pm. Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN

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