Courtyard Wine Cellars

Courtyard Wine Cellars is a wine bar, shop and kitchen in the vaulted cellars of The Market building at the centre of Covent Garden. It sits beneath the Piazza in units 17B and 18B, where the brick arches of the 1830s market hall have been turned into a low-lit bar with wine racks running along the walls.

The collection is the main draw. The bar lists over 1,000 wines from 100 regions across 10 countries, pitched at both casual drinkers and collectors, and the team is on hand to recommend bottles and food pairings. Private rooms within the cellars can be hired for tastings and small gatherings, and a gifting section and a range of gourmet groceries sit alongside the wine shelves. The venue accepts the Covent Garden Neighbourhood Card.

A wine bar in Covent Garden Market from morning coffee to late evening

The day starts with coffee and pastries from 9am until 3pm, and food and wine service begins at noon. The menu is built to go with the bottles: artisan cheese and charcuterie boards, pizzas, toasties, quiches and filo pastry dishes, designed to work for a quick bite as readily as a long evening. Live acoustic music sessions are programmed from time to time in the cellar.

What to expect on a visit

Opening hours run from 9am to 10.30pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 9.30pm on Sunday. Being inside the Market building, the entrance is found among the Piazza's colonnades, so allow a moment to locate the stairs down. Our guide to wine bars in Covent Garden lists the area's other cellars and enotecas, including Cork & Bottle, a basement institution off Leicester Square that has poured wine since 1971.