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    Joe Allen

    3.6 (63 reviews)
    PriceyAmerican, Bars, Brasseries
    Closed 11:30 am - 11:00 pm

    Joe Allen Photos

    JOE ALLEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Joe Allen

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    Andrew M.

    Epic burger fail! Intrigued by the great experience Dan H has with the BurgerMonday event hosted by Young & Foodish at Joe Allen, I added it to my burger shortlist. And when the Champagne & Fromage Elite event was right around the corner, this seemed like a perfect time to give it a go. I ducked out of work early, sped over to Covent Garden, and within 15 minutes I was the proud owner of a brand spanking new bacon cheeseburger from Joe Allen. The sun was shining on a convenient spot in Covent Garden market with some pretty decent live music and the friendly hostess had thrown in a quarter full bottle of Heniz ketchup to go with the fries. Life was good. Well until the first bit at least. To be far, the bun is decent and the cheese tasty. Overall, it's a tad on the small size but filling enough especially with the large portions of fries. But it's when you get to the meat that it all goes to hell in the breadbasket. First off, the patty is about 2 inches think and about that in diameter so rather than the typical burger shape you get a cylindrical lump of meat. And it's dense. How dense is it? Well it's denser than your stereotypical line backer after a 3 day bender. It's so dense that I didn't bite into it so much as gnaw away at the edges. And as Dan H has mentioned, it's dry. And given I had ordered it medium rare (to avoid just that) and it was very pink, that's a damn impressive feat of cooking. The fries were alright but nothing special. They are medium-thick cut with moderately fluffy insides but severely lacking in crunch factor. On the plus side, the interior décor is pretty cool and the hostess was uber friendly and helpful. In fact, I liked almost everything (well prices were a tad high for the quality but not for the location) except the burger patty. And since that's what I specifically came for it was a bit of a letdown. I can't say I won't ever return, but it's definitely not going to be high on my list. Given you have a Byron and even MEATMarket just around the corner, Joe Allen's will need to up the stakes in the burger department if it wants to compete.

    Dave S.

    I was keen to try Joe Allen as its burger made many a top 10 list for the best burgers in London. And the verdict is....meh it's just OK and a bit small, hence the 3 star rating. Interestingly enough the burger is not on a menu and you have to "secretly" ask for it. However it can't be too much of a secret as I saw many a table dining with said burger. The meat itself was well cooked and clearly higher-quality chuck. The bacon was a bit undercooked and its smokiness actually overpowered the burger and its brioche bun. The buffalo wings as a starter are delicious---I'd definitley get them again, though be forewarned they are covered in a tangy sweet bbq sauce instead of your traditional tabasco laced sauce (see pics). As for the atmosphere, the other reviewers are spot on, Joe Allen is an interesting exposed brick space below the streets of Covent Garden. Has the atmosphere of a higher-end American family-style restaurant, almost like a fancy candle lit TGIFridays---though that sounds a bit harsh, Joe Allen is actually nicer than that. All in, Joe Allen is a solid but not spectacular 3 star place for American fare in Covent Garden.

    Steven P.

    My experience here was pleasant. I came to the Covent Garden restaurant a month back. They have coat check and are a theater themed American food restaurant. The staff was friendly and boisterous. I love my meat and therefore ordered the steak sirloin 300G. The steak came with steak sauce and fries. All I can say is that is was neither the best nor worst steak I have ever had. The thing this restaurant has going for it is its overall experience- theater, themed servers, average American fare... taken together it can be a nice night out and a pleasant change of pace.

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    A great place with good food, and old timey appeal. Service was great and food was also good

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    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - Joe Allen

    If you are a fan of burgers ask for a Secret Burger - it's not on the menu -- and you will be surprisingly shocked -- it is AMAZING!!!

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    The Alchemist - Truffle, tater tots and prawn popsicles or maybe it was lollipops

    The Alchemist

    4.3(100 reviews)
    0.3 miCovent Garden, Strand
    ££

    food: dint grab food only drinks but the were yum and barely tasted like alcohol. also they were…read moreobviously presented super uniquely service: the staff was nice but kinda slow getting to us at a table and there was a lot of chaos like a bartender dropping glasses the whole time ambiance: really cool lighting and interior, gets very busy though

    Between a 3 and 4, but going with four because the food was above average pub grub and the drinks…read morewere good even if they were better looking than tasting. Came here for pre-theater anniversary dinner with my wife. The ambiance was somewhere between that of a trendy club and nice bar. There was a mad scientist vibe with the lights being industrial vibe and some metal decor. The music was thumpy and loud enough to remind you it was there. It made me feel a bit out-of-place as somebody well past my 20s, but also a bit cool or being there. You really come here for the drinks. We got the pipe dream, smokey old fashioned, honeypot picante, and one other I can't remember the name of, but which came in a flower pot. The pipe dream and smokey old fashioned were likely the best. Overall the drinks were more visually appealing than traditionally good and the visually appealing ones tended to have ingredients that weren't as top shelf and/or they were just too sweet. Not bad, but disappointing for what we'd hope. The food was the opposite. I had low expectations and the food wasn't amazing, but was better than average. We got the bao buns, crispy duck pancakes, panko halloumi, katsu curry, and hot honey pork tacos. They arranged for it all to come out in time for us to make our theater show, which was nice. The bao buns and pork tacos were probably the best. Neither blew me away, but both were solid. The katsu curry and halloumi were standard of what you might expect. The crispy duck pancakes was maybe as advertised, but it would have been nice to have some moistness or substance to the dug vs. it basically being crunchy salty bits of something. Overall, this wasn't a bad meal, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for either. We may be back, but we'll probably try other things first.

    Photos
    The Alchemist
    The Alchemist - Cookie dessert

    Cookie dessert

    The Alchemist - Presentation drink

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    Presentation drink

    Carlsberg Sports Bar

    Carlsberg Sports Bar

    3.5(6 reviews)
    0.4 miLeicester Square
    ££

    My bf and I have come here a few times now whenever we are in the area and need to pop by to watch…read morefootball or rugby. Whilst it's not the most posh place I've been, it usually gets the job done well. Drinks are how you would find at most pubs, and service is decent too, given how a waitress came to ask us what we wanted and served us amidst a busy rugby game (at other times, we had gone to the bar to order ourselves). There are quite a few tv screens as well as a big home theatre-like one too, which always adds to your sports watching experience. I've never had food here before but would like to try sometime. I hear that their wings are good. Be sure to bring an ID -- as its part of a casino facility, they check your ID even if you're here only for the bar and not for gambling.

    Fun sports bar inside a casino. One of the ONLY places in London where they show American…read moreFootball! Oddly, to open a tab, you have to give them both your credit/debit card AND your driver's license/passport/ID card. They give you a "badge" which you then show every time you order, apparently so they know which tab to bill it to. A bit weird to me, but maybe that's the norm in London, or at least in high-tourist bars in London. Also, they won't let men inside if you are wearing a hat-- you must remove the hat to enter. Fortunately, once inside, I put my hat back on and didn't have a problem with anyone saying anything. Glad my hat hair didn't have to be on display!

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    Carlsberg Sports Bar
    Carlsberg Sports Bar

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    Waxy O'Connor's - Fish and chips with fries and mushy peas

    Waxy O'Connor's

    3.8(206 reviews)
    0.5 miLeicester Square
    ££

    The lead lady on the bottom bar treated my family with discrimination because of her political…read moreaffiliation. Completely in poor taste, and should not have happened. We were respectful and nonpolitical, she assumed from our ethnic backgrounds and treated us accordingly. She verbatim said she will not serve our kind. Then proceeded to tell all her bar tenders to no longer serve us. Regrettably we had to get our drinks upstairs. She went out of her way to stare at us from the top, making my mother uncomfortable. If you want a pub without employees making every thing political, this is not the spot. We do not even entertain politics, she just put us in a basket. This is the first time in my life I had to exit the pub because of the brainwashed ultra lefty employee. I love all people and people on the left, it sucks that this extremist ruined the night after spending our hard earned money. Honestly the pours were weak, the lighting was poor, and the drinks were heavily overpriced. It's some fake Irish bar.

    Very cute and ascetic pleasing pub in London. We were looking for a place to have a drink and sit…read moredown for a bit after a long day of sight seeing. We came across this place and decided to give it a try. We were greeted by two people at the door and invited inside. There are multiple floors that you would not expect from the look of outside. We sat on the second floor by the fireplace. There was a bar where we sat. Staff was extremely friendly and attentive. We ordered some drinks and food. There was music playing but it wasn't so loud you could not hear the people you were with. The service, food, and atmosphere was great. I would definitely recommend this spot to others.

    Photos
    Waxy O'Connor's - Left bar near the fireplace

    Left bar near the fireplace

    Waxy O'Connor's - Yummy and frothy Guinness

    Yummy and frothy Guinness

    Waxy O'Connor's - Landing

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    Landing

    Joe Allen - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

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