Theatreland eating: pre-show menus, century-old rooms like Rules and J Sheekey, plus Seven Dials' modern bistros and Neal's Yard Dairy on Shorts Gardens.
The Hart brothers' walk-up tapas counter on Adelaide Street in Covent Garden London, opened 2014 and Michelin-starred, runs a daily-changing list of Spanish small plates.
Signature: Tortilla de patatas, Pluma Iberica
Order: Tortilla de patatas and a daily specials seafood plate from the blackboard.
Tip: No bookings. Aim for 11:45 to be first in at the lunch open; sit at the counter to watch the plancha.
Britain's oldest restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 1798 by Thomas Rule, runs an estate-game-led menu through grouse, partridge and venison seasons.
Signature: Game pie, Steak and kidney pudding
Order: Game pie in season, then steamed steak and kidney pudding with mash.
Tip: Lunch is a third of dinner's price and just as well-staffed. The upstairs cocktail bar runs to 23:00 most nights.
The Caprice Holdings seafood institution on St Martin's Court in Covent Garden London, opened 1896, runs a pre-theatre fish-focused menu with the oyster bar next door.
Signature: Fish pie, Dover sole
Order: Sheekey's fish pie and a half-dozen native oysters from the oyster bar list.
Tip: The Oyster Bar at no. 28-32 takes walk-ins at the bar; the main dining room books two weeks ahead for evening service.
Jeremy Chan and Iremae Adeyeri's West African-influenced tasting room on the Strand in London, opened 2017 and Michelin two-starred, on the World's 50 Best list.
Order: Plantain with raspberry-scotch-bonnet salt, the dish that has stayed on the menu since opening.
Tip: Counter seats look directly at the pass; book the corner for two and watch every plate go out.
Skye Gyngell's Modern European dining room inside the New Wing of Somerset House in central London, opened 2014, runs vegetable-led seasonal cooking and a Scratch dinner program.
Signature: Whatever spring vegetable course is on, Brown butter custard tart
Order: Whatever the spring or autumn vegetable opener is, and the brown butter custard tart for pudding.
Tip: The Scratch dinner uses kitchen offcuts to fight food waste and costs £25; the regular menu runs £55 for two courses.
The TY (Timberyard) Seven Dials cafe in central London, opened 2011 on Upper St Martin's Lane, runs a third-wave coffee menu and an all-day kitchen above Seven Dials.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Tip: Upstairs has plug sockets and quieter tables for laptop work; downstairs is the espresso-bar half.
Robert Robinson's Notes Coffee on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 2010, runs an in-house roastery, a focused wine list at night and a daytime work cafe.
Signature drink: House espresso
Tip: The downstairs basement is the laptop-friendly room. After 18:00 it pivots to a small-plates wine bar.
Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan)'s cocktail bar inside the Sea Containers hotel on the South Bank in London, opened 2019, runs an ingredient-driven menu that turns over twice yearly.
Signature drink: Whatever Mr Lyan ingredient feature is on the menu
Food: Snacks and small plates
Tip: Walk-up at the bar most weeknights; weekend tables book a week ahead. Six house ingredients drive the menu each season.
The Savoy hotel's American Bar on the Strand in central London, trading since 1893 and the world's oldest surviving cocktail bar of name, codified the modern cocktail through Ada Coleman.
Signature drink: White Lady (or any 1920s recipe from the Savoy Cocktail Book)
Food: Hotel snacks
Tip: Walk-up only between 11:30 and 19:00; book a week ahead for evenings. The Beaufort Bar across the lobby has the more modern programme.
Karim Salama's Egyptian street-food counter on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 2014, runs koshari (the Cairo bus-station dish) from a takeaway window with picnic seats.
Try: Egyptian koshari (rice, lentils, pasta, tomato sauce)
Tip: Box of koshari is £8 with all toppings. Counter takeaway or eat in the small upstairs space. Closed Sundays.
Koshari Street's Egyptian street-food counter on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 2014, runs the canonical Cairo bus-station dish at £8 a box.
Try: Egyptian koshari (rice, lentils, pasta, spiced tomato sauce)
Tip: Single-size £8 box comes with all the toppings (caramelised onion, chickpea, tomato-chili). Closed Sundays.
Keith McNally's London Balthazar in Covent Garden, opened 2013 as a sibling to the SoHo NY brasserie, runs a New York-leaning French brunch menu in a sprawling dining room.
Order: Steak frites and a glass of Sancerre
Tip: Booking essential for Sundays. The 10:30 weekday brunch is the easy slot. The pastry counter at the front takes walk-ups.