Serving up fish and chips to Covent Garden since 1874, Rock and Sole Plaice must be doing something right.

The Venue
Although Rock and Sole Plaice is tucked away in a Covent Garden side street, it’s always bustling with diners and passers-by. Indoors, the tables are absolutely jammed with happy fish and chips fans whilst the queue to order at the counter trails out the door. Outdoors the seating is much more picturesque – several long wood tables are shaded by trees and hanging flowerpots add a bit of colour to the restaurant’s walls.

The Atmosphere
This is a huge lunch spot with local office workers, who often crowd the tables both inside and out. Come during lunch on a weekday and it’s pretty much guaranteed you won’t get a table to yourself. Service is friendly, but terribly harried, and it might take a few attempts at eye contact before the waiters get a chance to help you.

The Food
Besides the eponymous rock, sole and plaice, there’s also a variety of fish like haddock, skate and the ubiquitous cod. On the non-fishy side, the restaurant also serves meat pies and chicken nuggets. Portions are enormous, and although the prices are probably a bit higher then you’d expect, you definitely get what you pay for. The batter on the fish is crisp and crunchy – not clogged with oil – and the chips taste like they’ve been cut mere minutes ago.

The Drink
Londoners aren’t exactly flocking to this restaurant for the extensive drinks menu. Although they do serve beer and wine, it’s nothing out of the ordinary but the buzzing atmosphere makes it easy to enjoy a drink or two with your meal.

The Last Word
One of the better fish and chips restaurants in Central London. High on atmosphere and even higher on taste and freshness.

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