The Barbary

You'll push through the narrow entrance on one of Covent Garden's most atmospheric lanes and immediately clock the open kitchen dominating the room—there's proper theatre to it. The menu swings between wood-fired bread, grilled meats and fish, and vegetables treated with real intent; it's the kind of place where you taste restraint and skill rather than flash. Expect queues (they don't take bookings), but the turnover's quick and the crowd's always animated. It's genuinely good cooking at these prices, which is why locals keep coming back.