Mr Fogg's Market Tavern takes over The Crusting Pipe in Covent Garden, adding a Guinness Saloon

17/6/26 - updated with more details and an opening date

Earlier this year, The Crusting Pipe, a mainstay of Covent Garden for over 45 years, closed. It was sad to see it go but, in fairness, the last time we were in the area, it was almost empty. 

And now its replacement, Mr Fogg's Market Tavern, is nearly upon us. Mr Fogg's is a group that has taken over quite a few difficult sites and made a success of them, so perhaps they're the ones who can bring some life back to this part of Covent Garden. If you're unaware of them, they're a series of bars inspired by Phileas Fogg and the bars are supposedly full of trinkets he brought back from his travels. As a result, the designs are very eclectic and there's an immersive feel to them. 

This version is pitched as "an ode to a traditional Victorian public house", so they're really making the most of the site's history and bigging up the original features (lots of classic brickwork and flagstone floors throughout). The big new feature they're adding to this Mr Fogg's is The Guinness Saloon, because it seems that Londoners just can't get enough of the black stuff. There's even a counter that will show just how many pints they've poured since the restaurant opened, with every 1000th customer getting their picture on the wall and a free round (the 10,000th will get a trip to the Guinness brewery in Dublin). This Mr Fogg's also comes with a fair few seats in the covered piazza courtyard too. 

As for the rest of the drinks menu, it's all about beers, wines, punches and cocktails, like the Punch & Juicy, which mixes together 42 Below vodka, passion fruit, apple, vanilla & caramel, topped with Moët. The food will be similar to the other venues with dishes like beer battered haddock and chips or a double patty smash burger, with a Sunday lunch coming in the Autumn. 

It's good to see such a prominent place in Covent Garden so quickly back in action, and we can see Mr Fogg's bringing some life back to this part of the piazza.