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Memories of peddlers in soiled aprons toting heavy baskets of fruits and vegetables and wheelbarrows piled high with fresh blooms are quickly fading. It has been almost 40 years since the produce and flower markets that dominated Covent Garden for centuries were relocated beyond central London in 1974. The old buildings of the markets remain and remind us of the area’s past, though now they house restaurants and shops. In and around the piazza, performers entertain free of charge in the only London neighborhood where outdoor entertainment is licensed. The “new” Covent Garden draws locals and tourists alike, and many of its businesses, with long ties to the area, bring continuity to this changing neighborhood.
TEN PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK
The Nell of Old Drury
29 Catherine Street, www.nellofolddrury.com
The Nell’s close proximity to several theaters accounts for this traditional English pub’s strong reputation with London’s theatrical community. The pub, one of the oldest in Covent Garden, was popular with traders in the days of the produce and flower markets, and it still flourishes today.
Rules
35 Maiden Lane, www.rules.co.uk
London’s oldest restaurant started out in 1798 as an oyster bar. Today the main dining room has an Edwardian atmosphere, and numerous cartoons and drawings adorn the walls, depicting the restaurant’s long history. This is the quintessential British restaurant for classic English cuisine.
The Punjab
80 Neal Street, www.punjab.co.uk
One of London’s oldest Indian restaurants, in existence since 1947, The Punjab is family-owned and has been at its current location since 1951. The current owner, Sital Singh Maan, took over from his grandfather in 1971. Not long ago, Mr. Maan reflected on the restaurant’s location: “It is good because there is lots of foot traffic, so people, including tourists, pour into the area and find The Punjab. The negative side is that many large companies want a presence in Covent Garden, stay for a while, then relocate, causing rental and property prices to soar.” But Mr. Maan is not going any place, as The Punjab, through word of mouth, continues to lure diners to its delicious North India cuisine.
Mon Plaisir
19-21 Monmouth Street, www.monplaisir.co.uk
Mon Plaisir has been in business for some 60 years, making it London’s longest surviving French restaurant. There are four dining rooms, and each one has a slightly different theme. Mon Plaisir still turns out consistently good food as evidenced by the many locals who return there again and again.
Rock & Sole Plaice
47 Endell Street
This restaurant and take-away has been selling fish and chips since 1871. It is the oldest established restaurant of its type in London, and while the fish and chips are no longer wrapped in newspapers, which seemed to add a flavor of their own, the fish is fresh, well-cooked and delicious.
Porters English Restaurant
17 Henrietta Street, www.porters.uk.com
Its menu boasts real English food at affordable prices, and this comfortable restaurant makes good on that promise. Richard, Earl of Bradford, the owner, recalls that “having opened Porters English Restaurant one year before the renovated market opened, I sometimes feel like the old man of Covent Garden. They were exciting times; the area immediately became a magnet for Londoners and visitors alike, and it still is, but then there is so much to attract people here. Though the competition among restaurants has become fierce, as so many have opened, we remain a survivor of the early days.”
Sarastro
126 Drury Lane, www.sarastro-restaurant.com
Enter Sarastro and you’re entering a world of theater and opera. Its ornate décor sets the scene with heavy velvet drapes, statues, bric-a-brac and individual opera boxes lining the sides of the dining room for “the show after the show.” Turkish and Mediterranean cuisines are served along with live performances of opera arias that add to the uniqueness of the evening.
The Ivy
1 West Street, www.the-ivy.co.uk
Something of a London institution, this is the place to see celebrities of stage and screen while enjoying outstanding food. The restaurant is entered through stained glass doors, and even first-time diners are made to feel comfortable and important in the often star-studded dining room.
Lamb & Flag
33 Rose Street
Tucked away down a quaint brick alley, the Lamb & Flag is thought to be the oldest pub in Covent Garden. Housed in a small wooden frame building, a pub has been on this site since 1623. Ploughman’s lunches are available downstairs, while full pub grub such as steak and kidney pies and roasts are served in the fancier dining room upstairs.
Belgo Centraal
50 Earlham Street, www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk
The restaurant is located in a converted cellar, and the mainstays of its menu are mussels heaped high on a plate with fries, and more than 100 Belgian beers. The atmosphere is comfortable in both the beer hall and the dining room. Just opposite is the award-winning Donmar Warehouse, whose theater productions have often made their way across the pond to Broadway.
TEN PLACES TO SHOP
Covent Garden Market
www.coventgardenlondonuk.com
Several markets actually make up the Covent Garden Market. There’s the Apple Market in the outdoor courtyard, which sells quality arts and crafts, and the Jubilee Market behind it, which is known for its cheap—some may say tacky—clothing and antiques. The small food market held outside on Thursday mornings is a special favorite for its freshly baked breads and cakes.
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Stanfords
12-14 Long Acre, www.stanfords.co.uk
Stanfords bookshop has been synonymous with travel and maps ever since it opened in 1852. The flagship store has been at its present location since 1901, and is the first place to go when planning any trip. Andrew Steed, general manager, talks about a member of the staff who worked in the store in the 1970s before Covent Garden Market closed. She could recall going to work in the old days, walking over discarded cabbages and cauliflowers that littered the street, back when Long Acre was full warehouses belonging to the vegetable stallholders who worked in the market. “Long Acre is now populated by high street brands, but on the side streets to the north there are many independent, quirky shops,” said Steed. “With daily entertainment freely available in the Piazza, and the area dotted with theaters and restaurants, Covent Garden is a great place to work.”
Neal’s Yard Remedies
15 Neal’s Yard, www.nealsyardremedies.com
Opened in the early 1980s, its products are prettily packaged in blue glass bottles and jars to safeguard the natural ingredients. While there are many companies selling natural body products, Neal’s Yard Remedies was a forerunner of the organic movement. Their products, made in a factory in Dorset, include terrific-smelling soaps, hand creams and bath lotions.
Penhaligon
41 Wellington Street, www.penhaligons.co.uk
William Penhaligon, barber to the Court of Queen Victoria, gave this business his name when he established it in 1870. Walk into the Covent Garden shop, one of several locations in London, and it is a step back in time to another era. Wood and glass cabinets are filled with elegant fragrances such as Blenheim Bouquet, which was created in 1902 and still continues to be a top-selling perfume.
Dress Circle
57-59 Monmouth Street, www.dresscircle.com
After 30 years, this shop continues to be a wonderland for anyone who loves musical theater. Hundreds of CDs and DVDs fill the premises, along with an assortment of collectibles from West End shows. The extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff are devoted to show tunes, and don’t be surprised if one of them bursts into song during your visit.
Cath Kidston
28-32 Shelton Street, www.cathkidston.co.uk
This shop is known for its beautifully designed bags, tea towels and accessories, among other things, in bright colors, different fabrics and textures. As you approach this Covent Garden branch of Cath Kidston, an English label that has expanded to many corners of the earth, the large front double windows offer an explosion of color and design that makes entry into the store a delightful pleasure.
Stephen Jones Millinery
36 Great Queen Street, www.stephenjonesmillinery.com
Hats are the mainstay of this shop, and their shapes, textures and decorations make them some of the prettiest in England. Designer Stephen Jones is dedicated to the area and recalls that “Covent Garden has been my hatty home since 1980 when I opened my first shop in Endell Street. For me Covent Garden is that wonderful dichotomy shown in the film My Fair Lady with duchesses at the Opera House and flower girls next door in Floral Street.”
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Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop
44 The Market, www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk
Climb the narrow steps to the first floor to enter into a magical world of vintage toys and toy theaters. The detailed toy theaters are interesting to explore even if you are not in the market for one of these skillfully crafted treasures.
Filofax
68 Neal Street, www.filofax.co.uk
Filofax is a treasure-trove for anyone who still likes to keep a paper day-by-day diary. Maybe those hooked on electronic gadgets will succumb to these nicely crafted leather diaries in various colors and textures.
Gamba Dance
3 Garrick Street, www.gambadance.com
Within footsteps of the Royal Ballet, which performs at the Royal Opera House, Gamba Dance has been turning out dance shoes for almost 100 years and has supplied costume shoes to West End theaters since 1903. Budding ballerinas can be found looking for just the right ballet shoes or dance outfit.
TEN PLACES OR SIGHTS TO SEE
London Transport Museum
Covent Garden Piazza, www.ltmuseum.co.uk
This Victorian building was once the Flower Market at Covent Garden, but today it is a paradise for anyone interested in the history of London’s transport system as well as its future. The gift shop is a delight with all sorts of items that would make nice souvenirs to take home.
Royal Opera House
Bow Street, www.roh.org.uk
There has been an opera house on this site since 1732, which locals always refer to as “Covent Garden.” You don’t need a ticket to a performance to enjoy the public areas within this majestic building where both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet perform. Go upstairs to the Amphitheatre Bar and enjoy a drink along with stunning views of Covent Garden. If you wish to attend a performance, ask at the box office about inexpensive tickets that are sometimes available on the day of performance.
Broad Court/Crown Court/Martlett Court
Between Bow Street and Drury Lane
This maze of 18th-century pedestrian courts can easily be missed. There is nothing in particular to see here, but walking through these small connecting courts offers an unexpected sense of peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the Covent Garden area. A few footsteps off Broad Court is the Sun Tavern, which has been offering good food and drink at this location for many, many decades.
St. Paul’s Church
Covent Garden Piazza, www.actorschurch.org
Designed by Inigo Jones and completed in 1633, St. Paul’s Church quickly established connections with the theatrical world because of its close proximity to several theaters. It is traditionally known as “The Actors’ Church” for the many memorial services conducted there for members of the profession, and for the numerous memorial plaques to actors that adorn the walls. Its classical portico was the memorable setting for the opening scene of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady. The Rev. Simon Grigg is pastor of the church. “As a former actor, I feel incredibly privileged to be Rector of the Actors’ Church,” the Rev. Grigg said. “To be surrounded by the memorials of the great heroes of the profession, and to be able to hold the services for so many of them is truly wonderful. Of course, it is also an amazing experience to live and work in the heart of one of the most vibrant areas of the city.”
Seven Dials
At far end of Earlham Street, www.sevendials.co.uk
Named after the seven streets branching off in different directions and commemorated by a monument with six sundials in its façade and one in its base, Seven Dials was once one of the most notorious slums in London and figured in the works of Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie. Today Seven Dials is a prosperous commercial enclave with shops and restaurants complementing the rest of Covent Garden.
Freemasons Hall
60 Great Queen Street, www.ugle.org.uk
Freemasons Hall, with its impressive white brick art déco building, is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and is open to the public. There have been three Masonic buildings on this site at the corner of Long Acre and Great Queen Street since 1775; the current building dates to 1933. The interior of the building is just as impressive as its façade, and free guided tours include a look at some of its rooms and exhibitions. Also the Library and Museum provide a genealogical service that is available for anyone to use.
Courtauld Gallery
Somerset House, the Strand, www.courtauld.ac.uk
This is considered one of the finest small museums in the world, with the biggest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings in Britain: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet and more. Somerset House also houses the Gilbert Collection and the Hermitage Rooms, two other great art collections. In winter the fountains in front of Somerset House are shut off, and an outdoor ice skating rink creates a magical scene.
May Fayre and Puppet Festival
Garden of St. Paul’s Church, The Actors’ Church
A Punch and Judy puppet show was first performed outside St. Paul’s Church on May 9, 1662. The date is marked each year by a free annual festival with various puppet shows performed throughout the day. This is a wonderful event for the entire family.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Catherine Street, www.theatre-royal.com
A theater has been on this spot since 1633, so Theatre Royal Drury Lane is considered to be the oldest theater in London. It is rumored to be one of the most haunted theaters in the world, and stories of various ghosts are related by tour guides during daily tours that take place there. Guides take you backstage and to the front of the theater and tell a tale or two about the ghosts, who are said to have resided there for years.
Ching Court
Bordered by Shelton, Mercer and Monmouth Streets
Open to the public from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, Ching Court, named after Comyn Ching, a firm of ironmongers who used to occupy nearby premises, is another peaceful oasis in the heart of Covent Garden. Most times you will have this charming hidden triangle of outdoor space to yourself, surrounded by blooming cherry blossom trees, even in winter, listed buildings and a sense of peace. Sit down or stroll around the intimate space, and you will definitely leave Ching Court with a smile on your face. In fact, that smile shows up everywhere in Covent Garden.
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