Town

Not the Town I was hoping for

Cornish crab, tomato and trout roe salad

Covent Garden has never been short on showmanship, and Town, Stevie Parle’s newest creation on Drury Lane, leans heavily into theatre. The design alone is a performance: chrome curves, burgundy walls, lime-lit open kitchen, and a retro-futuristic dining room that feels like a 1970s nightclub. The menu is dotted with names familiar to London’s food-savvy crowd: Wildfarmed bread, Goods Shed vegetables, Irish cheeses and lobster from the Welsh waters, all carrying a sense of story and provenance. On paper it’s an irresistible mix: beautiful setting, traceable ingredients, a chef with pedigree, and the promise of something memorable.

Roasted scallops with smoked chilli butter

Grilled pork chop with peach

The food itself is where Town flirts with brilliance but often stops short of greatness. Some of the smaller dishes are a real joy, but the main course was less impressive. My Cornish crab starter was the standout dish, which came with tomatoes and trout roe. It had a lovely, refreshing taste with a soft, sweet, and sour tone, very well judged and balanced in taste. On the other hand, I found the grilled seabass was overcooked, came almost black, but the staff informed me that is how they serve it; it was pretty underwhelming to say the least. Also, portion sizes and pricing reflect its West End ambition, brand image, and level of sourcing: you don’t come here expecting cheap eats at the end of the day.

Grilled seabass

Strawberry cake

None of this is to say Town isn’t worth a visit. It’s stylish, ingredient-led, and brimming with personality, and compared to the conveyor-belt eateries that litter Covent Garden, it offers something far more thoughtful. If you’re chasing flawless execution or jaw-dropping flavours, you might leave satisfied but not dazzled. Town, ultimately, is a restaurant that’s easy to like, hard to love, and lands squarely in that middle ground—solid, enjoyable, and polished, but more of a looker than a keeper.

Food 3/5


What I paid: 
£80 per head with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£75

26-29 Drury Ln, London WC2B 5RL

https://www.town.restaurant/