Leicester Square London - Interesting Facts and Places to Eat, Drink and Explore

philip carey
Nov 7, 2024
7 min read

Updated: Dec 22, 2024

THIS IS A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE TO THE PLACES TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY, AS WELL AS SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LEICESTER SQUARE IN CENTRAL LONDON

Discovery route around London's entertainment epicentre.

The southern area surrounding Leicester Square is ideal for exploring places to eat and drink. It is also a cultural hub and an entertainment hotspot with cinemas, theatres, casinos, and galleries. The route also includes iconic sights such as Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Pall Mall, and Piccadilly Circus.

HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS

Around Piccadilly and the Haymarket

Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus was created in 1819 at the junction with Regent Street, which John Nash was then building. It is called a circus because it was a turning point for horses and carriages as they made their way along Piccadilly or down to Westminster and the Palaces along Pall Mall. The Piccadilly Circus tube station was opened in 1906 on the Bakerloo line and the Piccadilly line in 1926. It is one of the few station entrances that are entirely below ground. The area has always been a busy junction for both traffic and people as it sits between the shopping areas to the north and west, Soho and the entertainment areas to the north and east, and royalty and government to its south, which is why there are so many places around here to eat, drink and be merry.

Coventry Street

Coventry Street was constructed in 1681 for entertainment and retail purposes and later acquired a shady reputation with its numerous gambling houses and a reputation for prostitution. This changed during the late 19th century with the establishment of several music hall outlets, including the London Pavilion and the Prince of Wales Theatre. In 1894, J. Lyons arrived at the Trocadero in Piccadilly and created a tearoom, restaurant and dance hall for tea parties, and from 1909, J. Lyons developed into a chain of teashops in high streets across the UK.

Prince of Wales - Coventry Street

The theatre first opened as a traditional three-tier theatre, seating just over 1,000 people. In 1886, it was renamed the Prince of Wales Theatre after the future Edward VII. It was rebuilt in 1937, and in the 1950s, the likes of Peter Sellers, Bob Hope, Morecambe and Wise, and Gracie Fields graced the stage. Delfont Mackintosh Theatres own it now, and The Book of Mormon is their theatre’s longest-running musical.

Three Graces sculpture by Rudy Weller

These three female divers are atop the Criterion Building at the junction of Coventry Street and the Haymarket. The Daughters of Helios or Three Graces depict the Charites - Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia - Splendour, Good Character and Festivity. At the base of the building is The Four Bronze Horses of Helios, also by Rudy Weller and depicts Aethon, Aeos, Phlegon, and Pyrois - the four horses of Helios, the Greek god of the sun.

His Majesty's Theatre

The present His Majesty's Theatre is the fourth theatre on the site; the first opened in 1705 as the Queen's Theatre, named in honour of Queen Anne, and was built on a former Stable Yard in the Haymarket. The current Her/His Majesty’s Theatre was opened in 1897 and was changed to His Majesty’s Theatre when King Charles III was coronated in 2023.

The Haymarket

The Haymarket is a broad street connecting Pall Mall with Piccadilly, and during Tudor times in the late 1500s, it was chiefly used as a street market for the sale of fodder, hay, and other farm produce. It was a rural spot then, with the village of Charing as the closest settlement.

Around Trafalgar Square

National Gallery

The National Gallery was founded in 1824 and housed the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It has over 2,300 paintings and is open 361 days a year –free of charge.

The present St Martin-in-the-Fields church was constructed in a neoclassical design by James Gibbs in 1726, but there has been a church here since 1222. Henry VIII rebuilt the church in 1542 and redrew the parish boundaries to keep plague victims from having to pass through his Palace of Whitehall. At that time, the church’s location was literally "in the fields", occupying an isolated position between Westminster and London. Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery in 1991 as the new home for its collection of early Renaissance paintings.

Apart from the National Gallery, the eat, drink and be merry places are to the southeast around Charing Cross, the north towards Leicester Square, and east towards Covent Garden.

Irving Street

This street is named after Henry Irving, an English stage actor and actor-manager who took complete supervision of sets, lighting, direction, and casting and played many leading roles at the West End’s Lyceum Theatre. In 1895, he became the first actor to be awarded a knighthood, indicating full acceptance of the profession into the higher circles of British society. There is a Henry Irving statue on the National Portrait Gallery grounds just at the start of this street. There are eat, drink, and be merry places along the street and in the surrounding area.

Wyndham Theatre

Sir Charles Wyndham was an actor and theatre proprietor, and this was his first theatre – The Wyndham's Theatre – which opened on 16 November 1899 in the presence of the Prince of Wales – the future Edward VII. Charing Cross Road goes from Trafalgar Square northwards towards Tottenham Court Road and is known for its bookshops. There are several theatres, casinos, and cinemas in this location. Food and drink can be found nearby in Leicester Square, St Martin’s Lane, and towards Chinatown and Soho.

Canada House and Trafalgar Square

Canada House was officially opened in 1925 by King George V as the office of the High Commission of Canada for the United Kingdom. The building dates from 1827 when the Union Club and the Royal College of Physicians occupied it.

Trafalgar Square was designed in 1830 to commemorate the British victory against the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Apart from the National Gallery, the eat, drink and be merry places are to the southeast around Charing Cross, the north towards Leicester Square, and east towards Covent Garden.

Around Leicester Square

WHAT TO SEE AND PLACES TO EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY

What to See List

1 Piccadilly Circus and Shaftesbury Avenue

2 Coventry Street

3 Chinatown

4 Leicester Square

5 The Haymarket

6 Pall Mall and Waterloo Place

7 Canada House and Admiralty Arch

8 Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column

9 The National and Portrait Gallery

10 St- Martins-in-the-Fields and the Strand

Leicester Square Route - Pubs and Bars

Several bars and pubs are along the route, with more nearby, especially in Leicester Square, the Stand, and south of Trafalgar Square.

Here is a listing of nearby pubs and bars

Pubs in and around Leicester Square

East of Leicester Square

The Chandos – Yorkshire – Sams Smiths ales – 29 St Martins Lane

Garrick Arms – 8-10 Charing Cross Road

The Bear and Staff 10-12 Bear Street

Round Table 26 St Martin’s Court

Brewmaster 37 Cranbourn St

The Porcupine – 48 Charing Cross Road

The Long Acre 1 Upper St Martin’s Lane

Round Table 26 St Martin’s Court

The Salisbury Pub – 90 St Martins Lane

In Leicester Square

Moon Under Water – JD Wetherspoon 28 Leicester Square

Joshua’s Tavern – Part of the Londoner 38 Leicester Square

All Bar One – 46 Leicester Square

In and around Chinatown

The Imperial – 5 Leicester St

Slug and Lettuce – (Sports bar and cocktails) – 5 Lisle St

De Hems Dutch Café Bar – 11 Macclesfield St

Waxy’s Little Sister – Irish bar Live music 20 Wardour St

O’Neills 33-37 Wardour St (Irish Pub live music and sports)

Waxy o’ Connor 14-16 Rupert St

West of Leicester Square

The Comedy Pub – Sport and Comedy – 7 Oxendon St

Tom Cribb – Boxing theme – 36 Panton St

Bars and Cocktails

Leicester Square

Icon Balcony Bar – 5-6 Leicester Square - Part of Empire Casino

LSQ Rooftop Cocktail Bar and Kitchen

Heliot Cocktail Bar Part of the Hippodrome Leicester Square

Zoo Bar and Club – 13-17 Bear St – Disco bar

The Beau (Brummel) bar and restaurant – 3 Norris St -St James’s Market

Nearby

Opium Cocktail Bar – 15 Gerrard Street

Leicester Square Route - Places to Eat

There are not many places directly on the route. However, there are plenty nearby to the north of Leicester Square in Chinatown and Soho. Use the food links below to find your perfect spot.

Open Table London prides itself on bringing together people and the restaurants they love in the moments that matter, offering dining options, experiences, and offers.

The Fork —This is a Tripadvisor company that relies as much on its communities of users as its communities of restaurateurs. You can search by price, cuisine, rating, and special offers.

Hardens – This is probably the UK's most comprehensive independent restaurant guide, with reviews written by its members. It ranks each place by its food, services and ambience and has extensive search capabilities.

Design My Night This site is designed to help you discover and unlock secret, new and unique city experiences, from events to bars and restaurants, but it is also a site to help plan and book online. It has categories for restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, and 'what's on'.

Afternoon tea This is an Afternoon Tea guide to help you find the 'perfect venue for afternoon tea' in London and the UK. It provides descriptions, offers, booking facilities and an extensive search option.

Leicester Square Route - Things to Do

This area has many entertainment venues around Leicester Square, including cinemas, theatres, casinos, exhibitions, and art galleries. Theatreland is to its north and east. This range of venues is highlighted below.

Leicester Square and Charing Cross Theatres

Vaudeville Theatre 404 Strand

The Adelphi Theatre Strand

London Coliseum – St Martin's Lane

Duke of York’s Theatre St Martins Lane

Noel Coward Theatre 85-88 St Martin’s Lane

Garrick Theatre 2 Charing Cross Road

Wyndham Theatre – Charing Cross Road by Leicester Square

Theatre Royal Haymarket 18 Suffolk Street

Her Majesty’s Theatre – Haymarket

Trafalgar Theatre – 14 Whitehall

Charing Cross Theatre – The Arches, Villiers St