Covent Garden, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

“Lovely oysters and fab fresh fish generally” from a “daily changing blackboard of specials” fuel a meal at this successful joint which is “just like eating in a seaside restaurant”. It’s “a bit cramped and uncomfortable” for some tastes, but conversely “feels surprisingly intimate for Covent Garden”.

“Lovely fresh fish”, “cooked simply” and “at prices which should shame its neighbours”, is the attractive offer from this trio of straightforward seafood brasseries in some of the pricier parts of town – Covent Garden, Marylebone and Swallow Street, just of Piccadilly. Top Tip – “there’s a fishmonger’s attached”, so you can take some “high-quality fish” home with you.

In its heyday, this elegant room overlooking the Thames was one of London’s key options for any kind of major occasion. But its relaunch and rebranding (from Kaspar’s Seafood Bar & Grill, RIP) to this – its original identity, but now under Gordon Ramsay Holdings – in late 2021 inspired surprisingly limited survey feedback this year (and indeed few press reviews). It is sometimes recommended for the top fish and seafood that is its focus, but all-in-all reactions are muted and uneventful for what should be a top destination.

“If you can squeeze inside this tiny restaurant off Covent Garden (which has expanded out onto the pavement in recent years thankfully) you will be in for a real treat” and one “at a very fair price”. Over its five years in operation, it’s become one of London’s top destinations for “spankingly fresh fish and seafood”, “accurately cooked with brio in a small, bright space”. “The unique gimmick here is that what’s on the menu depends entirely on what they can get from the day boats in the morning and so could be anything. Dishes and prices are scrawled on the wall tiles with a reassuring lack of upselling; and wine comes from the ever-evolving selection at their sibling ‘10 Cases’ over the road so you never have the same meal twice”. “Lively and helpful” service completes the excellent offering. Top Menu Tips – “super oysters at £1 each” are a feature, “potted shrimp croquettes feature amongst the excellent-but-small selection of staples; and if you go in the winter you might be lucky enough to sample their legendary lobster mash”.

A semi-independent addition to the original venue next door, its “reliably fresh fish” and glam, casual styling make this American-style seafood bar “a great post-theatre favourite”. There are no specific gripes about food or service, but “the pricing seems to be approaching the level of the main restaurant, taking away some of its raison d’être”.

“Tucked away in a side alley in the centre of Theatreland”, this “old school” veteran (est. 1896) regained its No. 1 slot in this year’ poll, both as London’s most-mentioned destination; and also for providing the capital’s best fish and seafood. “All the classics are perfectly prepared” (“the freshest shellfish, unforgettable dressed crab, oysters and huge portions of Dover sole, washed down with a chilled bottle of Chablis… perfection”). And, they are served in a “quirky and atmospheric” series of picture-lined rooms, whose nooks and “intimate booths” further buoy its traditional appeal. Post-Covid, meals here did not always seem as sure-footed as in the past, with staffing often diagnosed as a problem. But recovering ratings this year suggest more of a return to the “classy” form that’s typically the norm here. “It’s pricey, but Sheekey’s still keeps its spot as one of the capital’s greats!”

Fans proclaim “excellent steaks” (including imported prime, dry-aged USDA fillets) and “not a fault to find” at this plush steakhouse off the Strand: the first international branch of the famous NYC chain. Its pricing, though, has often struck Londoners as “totally out of order”, leading to poor ratings across the board.