St Giles 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 ST GILES IN CENTRAL LONDON

From Rookery to Cookery - food and drink discovery route.

St Giles is a hidden gem between Leicester Square and Covent Garden. It starts at Leicester Square with its bright lights, busy streets, theatres, casinos, and cinemas. It quickly heads towards the more tranquil Monmouth Street and Seven Dials, which have a rich history and many restaurants, bars, and theatres. In Shorts Gardens, you will find great eating places such as the Seven Dials Market, the colourful Neil’s Yard, and Monmouth Street, as well as exciting shops along Neal Street before ending up in Covent Garden for more adventures.

HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS

Leicester Square to Seven Dials

The Ivy – West Street

The original restaurant, opened by Abel Giandolini in 1917, is known for being popular with actors and celebrities. This was partly due to its proximity to the West End theatres, exclusivity, and late closing time. It became popular with Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Marlene Dietrich, John Gielgud, and many others. The Club at The Ivy is a private members' club with a hidden entrance via an adjacent flower shop.

St Martins and the Ambassadors Theatres

There are two theatres close by. St Martin’s Theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague as one of a pair of theatres, along with the Ambassadors Theatre, on West Street. It opened in 1916 and was delayed by the outbreak of the First World War. The theatre still belongs to Lord Willoughby de Broke. The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie, dating from 1952, and ran continuously until 2020, when it was temporarily discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ambassadors next door is one of the smallest theatres in the West End. There are several ‘eat, drink and be merry’ places on Upper St Martin’s Lane and towards Covent Garden and Seven Dials

Long Acre

Originally Long Acre was a street that was famous for coach building and automobiles, but today those have been replaced by shops.

The name Long Acre is based on the old standard imperial measurement of an acre, which is 660 feet long, or one furlong or one eight furlongs of a mile. It shorter side equates to 66 feet, which is equivalent to one chain, 22 yards, or four rods, or a hundred links. So it's not that much of a surprise why we embraced metrics with open arms.

Leicester Square

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 in this location, as well as casinos and cinemas. Food and drink can be found nearby in Leicester Square, St Martin’s Lane, and towards Chinatown and Soho.

Seven Dials

This unusual street design creates seven streets that merge onto this column/roundabout at Seven (sun) Dials; the column has six sundials at its top, and the column itself acts as the gnomon for the seventh sundial. This area was the heart of St Giles, which in the 18th and 19th centuries was classed as a notorious rookery (or slum), with a pub at every corner. Today, it has been gentrified, so it is now a safe and pleasant area to walk around, with venues such as the Cambridge Theatre close by and good places to eat and drink at nearby pubs, bars, restaurants, and top-quality hotels.

Seven Dials to Covent Garden

Shorts Gardens

Shorts Gardens is one of the seven cobbled streets that head towards Seven Dials. Today, it contains renovated Grade II-listed Victorian warehouse buildings, which are now shops, apartments, and offices. There are several places to eat and drink in the nearby Seven Dials Market and Neal’s Yard.

Neal’s Yard

This small alley and courtyard between Monmouth Street and Short’s Gardens was once a derelict warehouse previously used by the former Covent Garden fruit and vegetable market costermongers to store their equipment. Today, it is known as Neal’s Yard. In this colourful courtyard, you'll find a micro-village full of independent restaurants, bars, cafés, and shops, where every business is committed to sustainable and ethical commercial practices.

Covent Garden Hotel

This part of Monmouth Street has cobbled streets, with the Covent Garden Hotel and Neal’s Yard nearby. The Covent Garden Hotel is the oldest and most historic of Tim and Kit Kemp's Firmdale hotels, housed in a 19th-century French hospital. The hotel opened in 1996 and has three private dining rooms, a private 47-seat screening room, and a restaurant called Brasserie Max, with a pewter bar with an arched mirror.

Seven Dials

Long Acre

Originally Long Acre was a street that was famous for coach building and automobiles, but today those have been replaced by shops.

Covent Garden Station

Covent Garden Station is at the corner of Long Acre and James Street and is a principal meeting point for exploring Covent Garden. The station dates from 1906 and sits between Leicester Square and Holborn on the Piccadilly Line. James Street leads directly into Covent Garden Market and the broader areas – where most eat, drink and be merry places are situated.

History Video - Soho to Covent Garden

WHAT TO SEE, AND PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK.

What to See List

1 Leicester Square and cinemas

2 St Martin’s Courtyard and Art’s Theatre

3 St Martin’s Lane, Goodwin Court, and Cecil Court

4 West Street Theatres, the IVY and Monmouth Street

5 Seven Dials and the Cambridge Theatre

6 Shorts Gardens and Seven Dials Market

7 Neal’s Yard

8 Neal Street Shopping

9 Covent Garden and Long Acre

10 Royal Opera House and Bow Street

St Giles Route - Pubs and Bars

Several bars and pubs are along the route. However, there are many more at the start around Leicester Square, in Soho to the northwest, and at the end in Covent Garden.

Here is a listing of nearby pubs and bars

Pubs

The Nags head - 10 James Street

The White Lion – 24 James Street

The Lamb and Flag - 33 Rose Street (off Garrick Street)

Flying Horse – 6 Oxford Street

The Crown – 51 New Oxford Street – Sams Smiths – No local website

The Old Crown – 33 New Oxford Street – with two areas for karaoke

The White Hart 191 Drury Lane

The Sun – 21 Drury Lane

Philomena’s Irish Sports Bar and Kitchen 40 Great Queen St

The Craft Beer Company 168 High Holborn

The Cross Keys – 31 Endell St – Classic Pub – no website

The Crown and Anchor – 22 Neal Street

Crown – 43 Great Monmouth St

Two Brewers 40 Monmouth Street – Real ale pub

Freemasons Arms – 81-82 Long Acre – the FA met to discuss the rules of the game here in 1863

The Hercules Pillars 18 Great Queen st - Traditional English Pub

George – 8 Great Queen Street – no website

The Angel- 61-62 St Giles High Street

Bars

All Bar One New Oxford Street – 108 New Oxford Street

Flight Club Bloomsbury 55 New Oxford Street

Freud 198 Shaftesbury Avenue. Negroni

TSQ Playhouse – 166-170 Shaftesbury Avenue – creative cocktails

The Escapologist – 39 Earlham Street Cocktails and Abba on Saturday

Lockes Bar – 32 Great Queen St

Sway Bar 61-65 Great Queen St

BrewDog Seven Dials Marquis of Granby, 142 Shaftesbury Avenue,

Craft Beer Co. 168 High Holborn

Phoenix Arts Club 1 Phoenix Street

St Giles Route - Places to Eat

Finding and recommending the perfect place to eat can be tricky, as there is so much variety in London, and tastes and budgets vary widely. To try and overcome this, I have provided the most common links to help you find, select, and book eating venues—just add the location to the search.

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.

Nearby Breakfast Venues

The Black Penny – Great Queens Street

Dishoom - 12 Upper St Martin's Lane

Bill Covent Garden – St Martin’s Courtyard Slingsby Place

Cote Brasserie – 50-51 St Martin’s Lane

The Ivy Market Grill Covent Garden – 1a Henrietta Street

Monmouth Coffee Company – 27 Monmouth Street

26 Grains – Neals Yard – and Covent Garden

Browns – 82-84 St Martins Lane

St Giles Route - Things to Do