Le Garrick Covent Garden Review: Is It Worth It for Pre-Theatre Dinner?

Looking for an honest Le Garrick Covent Garden review? From its candlelit basement and old-school French cooking to the reality of dining there before curtain-up, here’s what to expect from this long-standing Covent Garden restaurant before a West End show.

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One of the most beautiful things about London (that draws tourists in like moths to a flame) is inevitably the theatre scene.

But as far as I’m concerned, it’s practically a sin to see a West End show without having the quintessential pre-theatre dinner first.

The only problem? Pre-theatre dining can get a bit of a bad rep.

You picture something formulaic—a limited menu, a few safe choices and food designed less to be remembered than to get everyone fed and out the door before curtain call.

Which is why I was pleased to find Le Garrick a few years back. It’s been a Garrick Street fixture for decades, with most of the restaurant tucked below street level.

On my second visit to the Covent Garden restaurant, I was again reminded of the beauty of going somewhere (outside of Paris) that feels genuinely French without labouring the point.

You won’t find Eiffel Tower props; instead, you’ll find classic regional dishes, French-speaking staff, tightly packed tables and a candlelit basement that feels more like a neighbourhood restaurant than somewhere sitting a few minutes from some of London’s busiest theatres.

Shall we?

Starting With the French Classics

We kept things very traditional to begin with: escargots and French onion soup.

The Escargots de Bourgogne don’t arrive in their shells, which admittedly takes away a little of the ceremony (purists may have their feelings), but once you start eating them, it’s difficult to care too much.

The snails were tender and the butter had enough garlic and parsley to do most of the heavy lifting, meaning your bread basket becomes another course when dipped into the leftover escargot butter, which is simply the best.

The French onion soup was similarly uninvented but delicious, slightly sweet with a dark, savoury broth and plenty of softened onion beneath the bread and melted cheese, which of course should also be met with more bread.

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Duck Confit, Cassoulet & Ratatouille

For mains, I went for the confit de canard.

Luckily, the duck had been cooked long enough that the meat fell away from the bone almost immediately, which does make it hard to complain. With mashed potatoes alongside it, there’s no pretending this is a light dinner, which may be exactly what you want before a 2½-hour show.

Across the table was the authentique cassoulet de Toulouse: duck confit, pork belly and Toulouse sausage cooked with beans, which was probably the dish that most clearly sums up Le Garrick’s cooking.

Rustic, filling and very recognisably French. Add a side of ratatouille and you’re golden.

But save room for the fondant au chocolat if your stomach allows.

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Is Le Garrick Worth Visiting Before the Theatre?

I’d definitely go back, and I mean, I already have!

And I’d say my second visit clarified quite nicely what Le Garrick does particularly well.

It isn’t trying to be London’s most inventive restaurant, nor is it attempting a contemporary reinterpretation of French cooking.

Instead, it sticks unapologetically to tried-and-true classic French food in a basement dining room that feels considerably removed from the bustle of Covent Garden.

The dedicated pre and post-theatre menu is also currently £22 for two courses or £26 for three, which is very reasonable for this part of central London.

That said, if your entire priority is getting in, eating as quickly as possible and rushing for your 7:30 curtain, I’d probably choose somewhere else.

But if part of the appeal, like me, is sitting downstairs over candlelight, dipping bread into far too much garlic butter and temporarily forgetting that Covent Garden is waiting outside, Le Garrick does that very well.

Happy Londoning,

Candace x

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Practical Bits:

Address: 10–12 Garrick Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9BH — Le Garrick

Nearest Tube: Leicester Square or Covent Garden

Price: ££

Pre/Post-Theatre Menu: £22 for two courses or £26 for three courses.

Perfect for: Pre-theatre dinners, date nights and anyone after traditional French cooking in Covent Garden.

Good to know: I’d personally request a downstairs table if you can!