Covent Garden has been a beauty mecca over the last few years. It’s home to many beauty brands, including Deciem and Charlotte Tilbury. Our blow LTD Beauty bar offers everything you need, from quick manis to blow dries.
We can safely say that we have spent a lot of time eating and drinking at all the local hotspots.
These are the best 18 places you can find within walking distance from our amazing beauty bar…
Jamie’s Secret Basement Bar
We shouldn’t tell you this, but Jamie Oliver (his friend and fellow celebrity chef) and Chris Bianco own a secret underground bar. The bar is located in North Hall, Covent Garden, and can be found in the basement. It serves award-winning beer, London-inspired cocktails, and delicious British food.
The Covent Garden Cocktail Club
This hidden gem is a bar that serves cocktails. Their members-only policy ensures you are safe from the tourist crowd. It’s easy to get a (free!) members card. Getting a members card is easy if you know how (their website). The amazing cocktail menu and eye candy behind it are well worth the effort.
Cellar Door
You’ll find yourself on the Aldwych pavement as you descend purple-lit steps. This will take you to a tiny Cabaret bar, half Berlin and half New York basement. The intimate venue was converted from a Victorian loo and houses the best London cabaret and burlesque performers. There’s also a menu that includes absinthe and cocktails odes to Edith Piaf. This is the place to go if you want a night with more than just a touch of vintage debauchery.
Polpo
Although this Venetian “bacaro” claims to be a simple restaurant that serves simple food and great local wines, it is one of the most popular eateries in London. For Venetian-style tapas, head to Maiden Lane Covent Garden.
Find Polpo
The Top Secret Comedy Club
There is only one thing you should know about comedy: the Covent Garden Comedy Club. The Covent Garden Comedy Club is where the UK’s biggest comedians (Dara O’Briain and Eddie Izzard, Russell Howard, and many others) perform before going on tour to the O2, Live at the Apollo, or elsewhere. You can check their credentials. They have the highest online reviews of any London comedy club. They can be found on Drury Lane. But we didn’t tell you!
Circus London
Ladies and gentlemen, roll your sleeves up! The Circus London is a restaurant, bar, and lounge in one. To be believed, it must be seen. The Circus London’s star attraction is its pan-Asian food and cocktail menu. The show refers to dancers in hoops twirling over guests, acrobats performing death-defying feats, fire breathers, and many more. They all appear intermittently throughout the night before disappearing without a trace.
The Hawksmoor
The Hawksmoor’s British steak (from the Ginger Pig butcher) is renowned for being the best in London. It’s served dictionary thick and perfectly cooked. You can also choose simple seafood options, such as their lobster roll. Make sure you order the right vintage cocktail to wash it down.
Opium
Continue down Gerrard Street until the jade door appears innocent. A bouncer stands in front of it. You won’t be able to ignore him, he’s charming, and we promise he’s charming. Then head up the spiraling stairs to find somewhere you didn’t know was hiding in China Town’s walls. This place is a cocktail bar and dim-sum parlor, a mix of a cool-kid secret hideaway and a Chinese smoking den. Finding their signature smoking cocktails and some delicious dim sum is worth the effort.
The ECC
ECC is another China Town speakeasy. It’s located above the Chinese restaurants-filled streets. The cocktails aren’t overly extravagant but different enough to be interesting. They are often called the best in London, if certainly not THE best. It’s not too bad to look at (major understatement) and has three floors of beautiful colonial decor. You can find it by walking along Gerrard Street. Look for the black door guarded by a man wearing a red bowtie.
Top Tip: ECC reserves half its capacity for walk-ins, but it is worth booking a table.
Freud
This underground bar, hidden in London’s West End, is worth the walk. To enter the dimly lit hub of cool kids, descend the narrow staircase to the bottom of Shaftesbury Avenue’s sidewalk. A Holy Lynchburg Lemonade (lychee, elderberry, and vodka-infused lemonade) is a great choice for late-night summer sipping.
Dalla Terra
It is just 20 seconds from our Covent Garden Beauty Bar, St. Martins Courtyard. Both customers and staff love Dalla Terra. You’ll often see ladies enjoying a glass of wine before or after blow drying. Covent Garden locals, not tourists, enjoy post-work drinks and small plates of authentic Italian Antipasto. The wine bar is primarily a wine bar. We are slowly making our way through the wine list, which contains over 180 bottles.
Top Tip: Book in a Sneaky Blow Dry or Mani Before you go for drinks. We’re the opposite!
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Joel Robuchon is a celebrity chef and holder of 26 Michelin stars. L’Atelier offers a truly memorable dining experience. This is Covent Garden’s most popular restaurant. It boasts a Michelin star, three floors, and a host of celebrity fans. French cuisine is combined with Japanese and Spanish influences. Food is served in small bite-sized portions with intense flavor. This is the place for you if you are a foodie.
The Lobby Bar at One Aldwych
The Lobby Bar, although it is part of the One Aldwych Hotel’s luxurious One Aldwych Hotel Hotel, has quickly become a popular destination on its own. The Lobby Bar is a popular spot for guests who enjoy cocktails made by talented mixologists and towering floral arrangements. Their afternoon tea is the real star. It often changes to match local West End shows strong >…
Top tip: West End afternoon Teas can often be purchased in conjunction with tickets to the West End theatres.
Balthazar
Balthazar is the perfect place to find a little New York in London. It’s a replica of the NY original. Balthazar is a mix of New York City cool and Parisian style. We suggest skipping the French cuisine and going to the bar for cocktails. Here you can sip old-fashioned Negronis, Martinez, and Aviation while imagining you are on Mad Men’s set.
Dishoom
Dishoom is described as a Bombay café in London. It draws its inspiration from post-colonial Indian ‘Irani Cafes’. Softly whirring fans overhead and old Indian ads plastered on the walls. There are delicious Indian dishes like bhel, biryanis and bhajis that can be paired with a Tipple – Bombay Pimms or chai tea-themed cocktails and gin fizz.
Top tip: Queues can be lengthy, so make sure you get there early
La Bodega Negra
This is a must-see Soho spot that you should visit at least once. You know you are in for a great experience when you find yourself hidden inside a sex shop with a mannequin dressed in a gimp costume welcoming you in. The place is darkened, so it feels like a nightclub, and the Mexican food has a home-cooked feel. It’s no wonder, Usher, Kate Moss and Kylie Minogue have all passed through La Bodega Negra.
Foundation Bar
The Foundation Bar is an underground haven halfway between Covent Garden, Leicester Square and London. You’ll find cocktails in jam jars and teapots, doors made from Lego, fully grown trees and giant pop art roses on the menu. This is a popular drinking spot for Londoners in the know.
Sticks N Sushi
Sticks N Sushi is the place to go if you don’t think Japanese food by the Danish sounds good. The Nordic region’s leader in Japanese cuisine, Sticks N Sushi, is a simple concept: sushi for fish lovers and yakitori sticks (grilled skewers with chicken, pork and other vegetables) for those who are less inclined. Because they are so delicious, you can have sushi and sticks for everyone. Look for their Covent Garden branch at Henrietta Street, and prepare to see a paradigm shift in how Japanese cuisine should look.
