5 Best Pubs in Covent Garden

Covent Garden is one of the nicest and most popular areas to visit to relax and unwind. It is largely pedestrianised making it a great part of London to wonder around and less hectic than the West End.

Once you have expended some energy exploring the local area you can reward yourself with a good local pub for some food and drinks.

Pubs are a British tradition so if you are visiting London for the first time spending some time in a pub should be high on your agenda, for cultural research purposes at least.

Covent Garden has lots of great pubs so you really are spoiled for choice. To make life easier we have drawn up a shortlist of our favourite pubs and these are some of them.

The Nell Gwynne

Built on the site of the Old Bull Inn, the Nell Gwynne Tavern was named after the infamous mistress of Charles II. Nell, born and raised in the locality at St Martin in the Fields, sold fruit in the nearby Covent Garden market before gaining fame as an actress on the Drury Lane stage. Samuel Pepys describes seeing "the mighty pretty Nell" on his way to the Strand in 1667.

Today, 'the Nell' is one of London's most charming and historic hidden treasures, offering a great selection of local beers, wines and spirits and a lively but cosy setting just yards from the hustle and bustle of the Strand. It also boasts one of London's best jukeboxes packed with classic old 45 records.

The Harp

Named as the Evening Standard's pub of the year for 2019 and pub of the year 2016 by CAMRA's West London branch The Harp is brimming with charm and character. It is a blissfully traditional pub with great beer and traditional ciders from all around the country. with no less than ten hand-pumps serving up classic cask ales plus short-term guest brews that beg to be sampled.

if you are peckish they serve delicious sandwiches, pork pies and other tasty nibbles.

The Cross Keys

The Cross Keys is testimony to Londoners love of old fashioned Victorian pubs. It is the perfect place to lose track of time over a pint or two.

Outside, plants and flowers cover the walls; inside, it is ornaments, mirrors, pictures, road signs, and all sorts of bric-a-brac. There's even a small collection of Beatles memorabilia, and a napkin signed by Elvis Presley.

Lunch is served between between noon and 2.30pm and includes great value sandwiches and homemade pies. On Sunday's you can't go wrong with their homemade roast dinner served between 12pm and 3pm and at just £5.95 is a real bargain.

The Porter House

One of the largest bars in Covent Garden The Porter House is a traditional Irish bar split over three main floors with various mezzanine levels in between. It is well known for its award winning craft stout fresh from Dublin; and large selection of bottled beers and Irish whiskies.

The Porter House is a great place to enjoy major sports events with rugby and football matches shown on the many big screen TVs. In the later evening The Porter House's basement bar opens for live music.

There is a good selection of dishes on the food menu including pub favourites like shepherd's pie, and steak and chips. On Sunday they serve their traditional Sunday roasts.

The Lamb & Flag

Said to have been a favourite pub of Charles Dickens, The Lamb & Flag is one of the most historic pubs in London. There has been a pub on the site since at least 1772. Back then it was known as The Coppers Arms. At the beginning of the 19th century the pub acquired a reputation for staging bare-knuckle boxing matches and earned the nickname "The Bucket of Blood". In 1833 the name changed to it's current one, The Lamb & Flag.

The pub has a diverse menu featuring authentic, traditional English pub food like sausages and mash, and fish and chips. The traditional Sunday roasts are always popular too.

For more information about the best places to eat, and the best places to drink, in Covent Garden take a look at our London guide and guide to Covent Garden. We are always adding new content to help you make the most of any visit to Covent Garden you make.

If you are interested in other areas of London too our London guide covers all the most popular places to visit including Soho, Mayfair , Fitzrovia, Kensington, and Chelsea. We recently added an article about the Best Pubs in Soho, Fitzrovia and Mayfair for example.