Covent Garden

• Moto bar and shop in Covent Garden will serve up sake and top Japanese snacks

  Moto will be focusing strongly around Sake and other Japanese spirits, aiming to bring lesser-known varieties to London - all paired with bar snacks too. 

• Alcotraz is bringing its prison-themed cocktail bar to Covent Garden

  

  It caused something of a stir when it opened originally in Brick Lane, but the prison-themed Alcotraz must be doing something right - as they've just announced a new three-month pop-up in the West End. 

  Coming to Covent Garden, this time it's Alcotraz Penitentiary: Cell Block Six Eight. It's a basement speakeasy where you'll have to smuggle your alcohol past a warden and guards to the

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• Test Driving Nutshell - the new Iranian star of Theatreland

  

  We head into Covent Garden to try their take on modern Iranian cuisine...

• KERB goes indoors with Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden

  

  Updated 9/9/19 with the final line-up

  Over the years, KERB, after starting at King's Cross, have gone on to conquer all parts of London with their lunchtime street food markets (and some great evening events). And now they've finally decided to go indoors for their next venture, a covered market at Seven Dials. 

  They're taking over the 19th century Thomas Neal’s Warehouse in Seven

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• Pick and Cheese at Seven Dials Market will be London's (nay the world's) first cheese conveyor belt restaurant

  If you've ever wondered what entirely new delights the London food scene held for jaded city dwellers, then behold the new cheese conveyor belt restaurant coming your way.

• Monty's Deli and Claw are the latest to move into Seven Dials Market

   

  As the launch of Seven Dials Market gets closer, we're hearing more about who exactly will be settling into London's next big food hall. 

  First up is Monty's Deli. They've recently closed their Hoxton restaurant, so this will be their third site (they're also at Spitalfields and Market Hall Victoria). So if you're in Covent Garden and have a craving for a proper reuben salt beef

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• Finland's Fafa's will be serving up filled pitas in Covent Garden

  Fafa's is a Finnish success story having started out as a street food vendor - and now with 39 outlets across Finland and beyond. This is their first time in London, where they'll be bringing their filled pitas to Covent Garden. 

• The Franco Manca team does pasta and Nanban Mk II for Seven Dials Market

  

  The next big London food hall is on the horizon, and two new openings there have just been announced.

  First up is Strozzapretti from the original people behind Franco Manca (note - not actually Franco Manca itself). Franco Manca was best known for their pizzas, of course, but Strozzapretti is all about pasta. We really do seem to be getting closer and closer to peak

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• The Opera Tavern relaunches, going back to basics

  

  22/7/19 - updated with soft launch details.

  Originally opened back in 2011, The Opera Tavern was an instant hit. Back in the day when Covent Garden wasn't exactly blessed with decent places to eat, an actually-good restaurant was welcomed with open arms. Now, it's about to get a whole new look. Run by Salt Yard (who itself was recently bought by Urban Pubs and Bars) the revamp kicks off outside, with the

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• Santa Nata opens two custard tart bakeries in Covent Garden

  

  Updated 19/6/19 - the Covent Garden shop has now opened too. 

  Covent Garden is a little short of Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tarts), now that I Love Nata has closed on Endell Street - but another big player is about to join the scene. Santa Nata is opening not one, but two sites in Covent Garden this spring. It's run by a family of second-generation bakers who have been perfecting their recipe, so we'll be

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• Nutshell will see an ex-Palomar chef serving up Iranian food in Covent Garden

  Ex Palomar chef Jeremy Borrow heads up the kitchen at this restaurant in Covent Garden where he'll be exploring all forms of Iranian cuisine.

• Frenchie are launching a bacon scone pop up in Covent Garden for the summer

  

  UPDATE - due to circumstances beyond their control, the bacon scone pop-up will no longer be going ahead. 

  Original article follows:

  If you haven't yet had a chance to go to Frenchie and try their amazing bacon scones - then they're about to make it a whole lot easier for you. This summer they're launching a bacon scone pop-up in Covent Garden

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• Test Driving Kebab Queen - next level counter dining

  Maison Bab has created a hidden restaurant in its basement behind a fake kebab shop in its basement. Where everything's served on the counter. It's quite special, so we went down for a look. 

• The salted yolk lava buns at Din Tai Fung are finally here

  

  So we missed this when they launched last week - but think it's well worth bringing to your attention as a public service announcement. When we first visited Din Tai Fung, among the things we really wanted to try were the salted egg yolk custard lava buns - made with duck egg yolk. We'd heard talk

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• Mark Wahlberg brings Wahlburgers to London in Covent Garden

  Is London ready for another US burger invasion. The brothers behind Wahlburgers certainly think so as they have their sights set on Covent Garden for the first in a probable UK expansion of their burger brand.