Best-of list · City Guide
The best bars in Covent Garden London, handpicked by our editors. From pre-theatre cocktails to late-night basement bars worth lingering in.
The short answer
10 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Covent Garden is one of London's most visited neighbourhoods, which means it also has more than its share of tourist traps. The best bars in Covent Garden are a different matter entirely — basement cocktail dens, centuries-old gin palaces, and rooftop terraces that justify the postcode. Our editors have spent considerable time separating the genuinely worthwhile from the merely convenient.
Covent Garden's cocktail scene punches well above its tourist-heavy reputation. These are the bars where bartenders take their craft seriously and menus change with the season.
How we picked
Covent Garden rewards those willing to move beyond the obvious. The best bars in Covent Garden are concentrated around the edges of the tourist core — down the side streets off the Piazza, in hotel basements on the Strand, and in the quieter lanes of Seven Dials. If you are here for pre-theatre drinks, give yourself at least ninety minutes and book in advance. If you are here for a proper evening, start at Scarfes and let the night take its course.
Sofia has been writing about European bars and drinking culture for over a decade. She splits her time between London and Lisbon, and has strong opinions about which West End neighbourhoods are actually worth drinking in.
Last reviewed 2026-05-24 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.