The best seafood restaurants in Covent Garden

Parsons is a cosy seafood restaurant in Covent Garden, known for its ever-changing menu based on the catch of the day, with dishes including the likes of smoked salmon with Guinness bread and fresh oysters. The restaurant's intimate space features white tiles, oak panelling, and a marble island serving beer and wine, creating a relaxed maritime feel. Named after the owners' mothers, who shared the same maiden name, Parsons keeps diners coming back for high-quality, seasonal seafood.

Orient London brings a touch of classic sophistication to Covent Garden, with its rich dark wood interiors and gold detailing setting the scene for authentic Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine. The extensive menu showcases expertly crafted dim sum and seafood specialities, alongside traditional favourites like roast meats, hot pots, and noodle dishes. Standout seafood dishes include high-end selections such as braised abalone, dover sole fillet, and lobster infused with ginger.

For more than a hundred years, J Sheekey has been dishing up ocean treasures, cementing its place in the heart of the West End's theatre district. Tucked behind its distinctive red frontage, the refined, wood-panelled dining room offers everything from oysters and caviar to extravagant seafood platters brimming with the best the sea has to offer, alongside timeless favourites like fish and chips and fish pie.

The Oystermen Seafood Bar & Kitchen is a highly acclaimed British seafood restaurant in Covent Garden. Renowned for its premium oyster selection, the restaurant offers a dynamic menu that highlights the freshest catches, featuring dishes like sea bream ceviche and anchovy risotto. The inviting, unfussy setting, with its big windows, provides a light and welcoming atmosphere for seafoodies.

Bocconcino spin-off Osteria del Mare applies its siblings' prestigious approach to Italian seafood, with lobsters, crabs, turbot, and other ocean delicacies showcased in a fresh fish display. Housed in a former bank beneath the Strand Palace hotel, the Covent Garden seafood restaurant spans two floors beneath a beautiful, hand-painted ceiling. Private dining is available in the former vaults.

Housed in a sophisticated Covent Garden townhouse, Louie blends French and New Orleans flavours for a refined dining experience. Set in a glamorous space that has welcomed stars like Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, the restaurant serves standout dishes inspired by these culinary traditions, accompanied by regular live jazz performances. Seafood options include the likes of roasted halibut, lobster roll, and seabass en papillote.

Situated in the heart of Covent Garden, Balthazar is a classic brasserie serving French favourites from morning to night. Diners can enjoy everything from brunch staples like eggs Benedict and pancakes to bistro dishes such as escargots, steak tartare, and confit duck leg, all rounded off with indulgent French desserts. The raw bar offers oysters, caviar, and fresh seafood, while the drinks list features an extensive selection of French wines and expertly crafted cocktails.

With its own fishmonger on site, you can be sure you're getting the freshest fish and seafood at FishWorks. Delivered daily, the seafood is served in a sleek, modern setting, where guests can enjoy a set lunch or pre-theatre menu alongside à la carte options like fish soup, carpaccio, and seafood linguine. And if you're buying fish to cook at home, the fishmongers will give you advice on how to prepare your chosen catch, recommend sauces, and offer expert cooking tips.

The Covent Garden outpost of the US seafood chain embraces indulgence with its signature overflowing feasts, served straight onto the table for diner to dive in elbow-deep. The signature seafood boils, featuring heaped servings of shrimp, lobster, and crab tossed in bold Cajun flavours, are priced by weight, with customisable sauces and spice levels.

The Hawksmoor restaurants are known far and wide for their meaty offerings, but the seafood on their menu is nothing to sniff at either. Start your meal with some oysters or native lobster before moving onto the expertly roasted hake or charcoal-grilled monkfish. The steak and seafood restaurant in Covent Garden is located in a former brewery and has a vintage industrial feel to it.