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Joe Allen

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13 Exeter Street, WC2E 7DT Full details & map
Special offers

Brasserie: North American

 

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Latest features

Time Out says   2 Users say 3/5 Rate it

By Time Out Editors Posted: Sep 28 2011

'Off Broadway or just off the Strand?' we asked ourselves, descending the stairs to Joe Allen's basement restaurant, set among the backstreets and stage doors of Covent Garden.

There's more than a touch of New York to this dimly lit dining room, filled floor to ceiling with posters and signed photographs that serve as a love letter to London's theatreland.

Brunch is a big deal in the Big Apple and so it seemed appropriate to order the perfectly spiced bloody mary, available on our special Sunday menu.

Macaroni in cheese sauce elicited strings of gooey goodness with every forkful, and a starter of butternut squash soup was pleasingly smooth. With half a dozen ways to order eggs here, it's no surprise that the smoked salmon and dill omelette got points for presentation and taste.

Slow-cooked pork belly, however, saw the crackling burnt rather than bubbling. Finally, a dessert of vanilla tart and raspberry coulis acted as an encore to a good-value set meal.

Ask waiting staff about the Joe Allen burger, not listed on the menu. It gets top billing from theatre staff regulars, thankful for a kitchen that closes well after curtain call.

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Tags: North American, Breakfast/brunch, Business, Late night, People watching, Central, Covent Garden, Mid-range, Restaurant, Brasserie
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Special offers

2 courses and quarter liter of house wine or a glass of Prosecco £19.50

...from the pre fixe menu (3 courses £21.50). Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Monday, Tuesday 12:00-23:30, Sunday 11:30-23:30
Offer covers Min 1, Max 20 people
Offer valid until Feb 24 2012

Please book this offer through the booking panel below.

2 courses £16

...from a set menu (3 courses £18) includes coffee and tea. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 12:00-15:00
Offer covers Min 1, Max 10 people
Offer valid until Feb 24 2012

Please book this offer through the booking panel below.

Pre-theatre set menu: 2 courses £16

...from a set menu (3 courses £18). Includes filter coffee or tea, VAT, excludes service.
Offer available Monday to Saturday 17:00-18:45
Offer covers Min 1, Max 6 people
Offer valid until Feb 24 2012

Please book this offer through the booking panel below.

Weekend Brunch: 2 courses and a drink £19.50

...from a set menu (3 courses £21.50). Drinks are: a Bloody Mary, Bucks Fizz or a glass of Prosecco. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Weekends 11:30-16:00
Offer covers Min 1, Max 6 people
Offer valid until Feb 24 2012

Please book this offer through the booking panel below.

Joe Allen Special Breakfast: £9

...a Glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, filter coffee or tea and a bacon and fried egg sandwich on whole wheat toast with brown sauce. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Monday to Friday 08:00-11:30
Offer covers Min 1, Max 6 people
Offer valid until Feb 24 2012

Please book this offer through the booking panel below.

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Joe Allen details

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Address

Joe Allen

13 Exeter Street WC2E 7DT

Transport Covent Garden tube

Telephone

020 7836 0651

Joe Allen website
http://www.joeallen.co.uk

Breakfast served 8-11.30am Mon-Fri. Meals served noon-12.30am Mon-Fri; 11.30am-12.30am Sat; 11.30am-11.30pm Sun. Brunch served 11.30am-4pm Sat, Sun

Main courses £9.50-£22.50. Set brunch £19.50 2 courses, £21.50 3 courses incl drink. Set meal (noon-3pm Mon-Fri, 5-6.45pm Mon-Sat) £16 2 courses, £18 3 courses

Credit cards AmEx, MC, V

Facilities

Tables outdoors ( 2, pavement ), Babies and children welcome ( booster seats; high chairs ), Booking advisable, Entertainment ( pianist 9pm-1am Mon-Sat ), Takeaway service
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Comments & ratings 3/5 (Average of 2 ratings)

By Cari - Feb 8 2012

Terrible menu, so limited I had to resort to a Chicken caesar sald, nice enough but I can prepare that myself at home. It used to be such a fun place with a good burger menu, but now you have to ask for a burger off menu and what they bring is so minimal and boring, it is grossly overated and over priced, it is relying on its past and has become complacent.

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By Sean - Sep 21 2011
4/5

Liked it very much. The (off menu) burger was one of the best burgers I've had in London, fries were great and there was some nice innovation on the menu (the green beans served with black beans were a lovely touch), while the selection of great imported American beers (Sierra Nevada, Goose Island, Sam Adams, Anchor Steam) was great. Recommended.

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By cs - Aug 12 2011
1/5

Truly appalling food considering £18-20 for a main course... I've had better tasting, better quality food for £5 at my local pub, what a waste of money, Waiters slow (but overworked... there were three for a sitting of well over a hundred... so not their fault really) food sitting on pass for over 15 minutes, completely ruined veg and just tasteless, cheap produce. We're never eating here again and would recommend you give it a miss. Highlight of the evening was swinging open the door as I was leaving and nearly breaking Derren Brown's nose as he was arriving... he didn't see that one coming!

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