Crusting Pipe

Our entire experience here was characterized by the WORST service I have experienced anywhere in the UK.
Throughout the meal one of the outside waitresses was loudly complaining to anyone within earshot about how she was the only server outside and the restaurant was being unfair by making her do the entire outside seating area by herself. The other two waitresses working the outside area at the same time as her did not seem amused by her behavior.
After we finished eating I asked all 3 waitresses for the check several times over the course of OVER AN HOUR. It took me standing up and threatening to leave for them to finally bring me the check. It then took them about 15 minutes of searching to locate a working card reader. Overall it took nearly an hour and a half to pay for a meal that took 20 minutes to eat.
Just to make sure I was livid, for our party of two they added a 10% service fee to the bill. What criminals! They should be ashamed.

Good food. Try it out the Steaks with new potatoes.
Good variety of wines.
The service was fast and place was comfortable.

While in London on holiday we made a couple of visiting to Covent Garden, and on both occasions we visited the Crusting Pipe for wine and snacks. On our arrival day we wandered from South Kensington to Covent Garden, so by the time we reach CG we were ready for a glass of wine and a snack.
Crusting Pipe is located in an open air, below ground level, patio area with an indoor dining room as well. The outdoor area has entertainment provided by «drop in» entertainers playing violins to singing opera. This entertainment is not provided by The Crusting Pipe, but their «stage» adjoins the outdoor seating area. After each performance the hat is passed for tips/​donations to the entertainer.
Wine prices are reasonable with a good variety and they have a nice, but limited menu. We had the Bread basket with olives, and variety of the British Cheeses on both visits. The cheeses are not listed so you have to rely on the wait staff to tell you the choices of the day.
We enjoyed the visit so much that we came back again 3 days later with friends.
I only have one complaint; it was about the wine or cheese, but the service. The service was slow on the second visit as it was more crowded that the first visit. However we had the same issue on both visits. On Thursday we paid in cash and the waiter returned to the table and said that I hadn’t given him enough money. He said I had given him £40 for a £49 tap, so I gave him another £20 note and left a £5 tip. I had been a long day after the overnight flight to London from Houston; I was tired and quite possibly made the mistake.
However on Sunday we were there with 2 other couples and the exact same thing happened again! I gave the waiter £140 in cash for a £126 tab. A completely different waiter used the same scam; he came back and said that I had only given him £120 for the £126, this time I called him out and he took me to the till and showed me that there were only 6 £20 notes in the drawer. I had stopped at an ATM machine earlier in the day and it gave me brand new crisp £20 notes, and he showed me there were only 6 of the crisp notes in the drawer once again. I just accepted it and gave him another £20 and didn’t leave a tip this time. Sad ending to a nice afternoon of wine and cheese at Crusting Pipe.
If you go, either count out the cash to the waiter, or pay by credit card.

I was very disappointed. The service was very slow, and the food was bland and uninspiring. No wonder it was the only restaurant in Covent Garden with a table available immediately!

I happen to like this place. Been coming here for years and years. The location in lower Covent Garden is an ideal setting.
Nice wine and beer list here. Today I started with the grilled Mediterranean veggies with Halloumi cheese and balsamic drizzle – and topped with fresh basil, it was so delicious!
For my main course I had the Roast Beef carvery with Yorkshire puddings and fresh veggies. All in all very nice!
To finish I had the cheese board. I love cheese, and asked my server for recommendations. She chose well for me!

I went here for a birthday do. The wine was exceptional, the choice was vast, but we liked our fist bottle so much we stuck to it. We told the bar man what we liked and he gave us three to test. We ended up with the least expensive, but it was just lovely! We were sat in a small alcove which was sheltered from most of the noise of the other diners/​drinkers, but we had a hatch to the stock room which was in almost constant use by the staff, which was a bit annoying. But, after all the wine, we really didn’t care too much! What a great find!

I had several hours to kill before a matinée, and I decided to stop in here for a solo lunch. Due to my lack of knowledge of systems of measurement outside of those in the US, I ordered 500 milliliters of wine, which was really fantastic as it was exactly how much I wanted, but would have been embarassed to order alone if I knew exactly how much wine that really was. The non-​liquid part of lunch consisted of a potato based soup (I guess sort of liquid) and a scotch egg. The soup was decent, the egg was fantastic, somehow they managed to maintain a soft boiled egg contained within a crispy fried layer of sausage. Service was kind of slow and disorganized, which did not bother me, as I was not in a rush, but it did take quite awhile for my lonely little egg to come out.
Since I was now thoroughly drunk due to not paying attention in world history class in the ninth grade, I ordered dessert and tea. Sticky Toffee Pudding (attention Americans, it was neither sticky nor pudding, but was delicious) with clotted cream (same Americans, don’t be afraid of the clotted cream, it’s a treat) and a pot of Earl Grey Tea. I enjoyed my lunch but I wouldn’t make it a point to return here unless it was quite convenient.

Went here with some colleagues for dinner while traveling to London for business. I had the braised pork belly with a side of potatoes and some red wine. I thought the pork belly was above average, but not exceptional. It had a nice crusty skin that was caramelized with brown sugar so it didn’t make it easy to eat (stuck all between my teeth) and there was much too fat, even for pork belly. But otherwise it was pretty good. The potatoes were just that… potatoes (nothing special). I think the restaurant’s been around for over 20 years so they’re doing something right. I’d agree with my fellow London Unilocalers here and give this place an average of three stars.

Came here for afternoon tea on a Sunday Christmas week. First of all, we were late by an hour for our reservation, and it was almost 5pm and the waitress still sat us, and upon our request sat us outside the restaurant in the square so we could watch the live christmas music. 5 stars just for that. We got the traditional tea and that came with an assortment of sandwiches, scones and little pastries.
Sandwiches: there were 4 different types and only one vegetarian, so i would have to give this 3 stars. I would recommend more vegetarian sandwiches and easy on the cheese (huge blocks of cheese were quite overpowering on the small sandwiches).
Scones: 4.5 stars. Very soft inside with a nice crisp exterior. And I prefer sweet scones, and these were perfectly sweet, not too much so.
Little pastries: 5 stars. Each was so different and so flavorful. Extremely rich, so the size was perfect.
Tea: 3 stars. I had the english breakfast tea while my sister had the white berry tea. Her tea was extremely tasty and fragrant. Mine was nothing special, just normal english tea. My friend asked for a latte which i tasted, and that was extremely tasty!
Service: 5 stars!
Location and ambience: 5 stars. Nothing better than a hot cup of tea while listening to christmas music. I was in heaven.

Food was OK, but completely out of pace with the price. Getting a table on a weeknight was fairly easy, and our reservation was definitely not necessary. Because it was somewhat chilly, we opted to sit inside instead of in the courtyard. Do it if you’re in Covent Garden, but I wouldn’t make a point of it.

The last time I went to Covent Garden, it was a Fruit & Veg Market! And no I did not get there in a time machine Police Box known as the TARDIS! This excellent bar and fooderie is downstairs, next door to the Apple Market. We were royally entertained by Imogen Rose of
, singing some opera, what a resonance, that was!

The crusting pipe is pretty much aimed at tourists but it does serve traditional British fare and as it has a prime position in the heart of Covent Garden is a great place to take in some street performance.

I have been here several times, although have never sat inside. I have always been in the courtyard, as that is where the entertainment is to be found. Quite frankly, while the food is OK, the real draw to this place, and one that keeps bringing me back, is the regular performances by operatic singers who sing wonderfully while one is munching one’s baguette and sipping one’s Pinot Grigio. It is also a great place to rest between shopping bouts and just relax and be seranaded.
Prices are not unreasonable and you can eat a snack and have a glass of wine for about a tenner. The place is an obvious draw for tourists and shoppers and why not, it has more to offer than many similar establishments.
I recommend this place.

Good value afternoon tea. Live music in the yard.

Situated right in the middle of Covent Garden and with seating outside in the courtyard this is a great place to enjoy a bottle of wine or two while watching the world go by. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff, and considering the location it’s not over pricey.

I was craving for duck and saw it on their menu. Hence, decided to get their charcoal grilled Gressingham duck breast. This was a big time winner. The seasoned fennel had a minty flavor. Redcurrant jus gave more taste. Perfect combination of duck, fennel and creamed potato, which has its own distinct taste.
The outside string musicians were very entertaining. They played, sang and danced to the audience delight. Outside seating was packed. Great night out!

Its not what it once was but the crusting pipe is still so charming I always enjoy it. Get an armchair at the back and have a jug of port!
The musicians outside once were quite entertaining string quartets from the Royal Academy and suchlike… now you get all sorts of riff raf who sing horrendously, but as long as you can sit far enough away its not too annoying.
The food is yummy– not the best in London but for a civilised and relaxed lunch out in the centre of town, they’ll look after you, have a good wine menu and maintain something interesting about the place. which for Covent Garden is pretty good!

Covent Garden is around the corner from our hotel. Jet lagged, we walked into the this friendly wine bar. The seating was comfortable, and the portions were substantial. We enjoyed a hearty, hot tomato and basil soup and warm bread and butter, and a Mediterranean Sharing Plate consisting of seasoned, grilled sweet peppers, grilled artichokes, Kalmatta and large green olives, feta cheese, strips of warm pita bread and hummus.
A drunken argument arose in the restaurant and the offender was escorted out of the restaurant immediately. There was no trouble, as the management immediately hit the «panic button» and a score of security personnel arrived within moments.
We enjoyed the secure, leisurely comfort of the Crusting Pipe, we returned for a late dinner the next night.

Ahhhh… a crusty pipe! This make my eyes light up straight away!
I have to say that this place is a total tourist trap, as hard as it tries to be a bit chic, sorry you’re in the centre of Covent Garden market and that’s just not going to happen. As a wine bar though, apart from the waiter that served me and my friend who had his head up his own arse, it’s rather lovely. You sit in what appears to be a cellar, all burnt down candles on the tables and cosy little alcoves to snuggle in.
The wine selection is longer than my arm (which is quite short so I don’t really know what I’m saying here) and there is a selection of yum-​able dishes on the menu. It’s definitely not for large groups as I was informed that me and my friend were too loud when we were laughing so much. That was a bit annoying but I supose this would make a lovely date spot still.

The first meal I had in London was at the Crusting Pipe. I met up for lunch with a friend, and we were strolling through Covent Garden. Normally I would have started with a glass of wine, but given that it was only mid-​day and I was jet lagged (and still had a formal dinner to get to that evening) we skipped straight to the lunch menu, which was very «English» if such thing exists.
We both selected the pasta dish, which was on the dry side. Nothing fancy, just some mostaccoli with fresh veggies (most of which I picked out). The bread was good.
Not sure I’d recommend this to anyone based on the food alone. I’m sure the wine is great. The service was good and the interior was really cute… little shadowy enclaves with candles and rustic décor. I felt like I was having lunch in the hallway of an old castle (it was even a little drafty).
PS. The google map for this location is incorrect.