Drury 188-189

Drury 188-189 is an independent cafe on Drury Lane that opened on 9 December 2016 and has since been rated the highest reviewed cafe in London on TripAdvisor. It was founded by two best friends, Ali and Cemal, who left steady jobs, one as a lecturer in business and economics, the other as a security manager, to open a cafe of their own in the middle of central London.

The pair took over a site where two previous ventures had failed and set out to build something different: a Wi-Fi free cafe where customers could put their screens away and talk, read or simply slow down. The walls are covered in the napkin art that visitors have left behind over the years, thousands of drawings, quotes and thank-you notes, alongside photographs of regulars and staff. The cafe won a Good Food Awards Gold Seal for 2024/2025 and marked its eighth birthday in late 2024.

Brunch cafe in Covent Garden, walk-ins only

The kitchen serves breakfast, brunch and lunch using locally sourced ingredients, with breakfast until 3pm on weekdays and brunch until 3.30pm at weekends, and lunch dishes from midday. Signature plates include Eggs Drury and French toast, and the menu keeps moving, with recent additions such as baklava pancakes. Coffee is made with Allpress Espresso beans. There is no reservation system, so everyone is a walk-in, which suits spontaneous visits rather than planned tables.

What to expect on a visit

Expect a small, personal room with an unhurried pace, weekday opening from 7:30am and weekend opening from 8am, and a sister cafe, Drury N4, in Woodberry Down with its own menu. It sits between Covent Garden and Holborn, a short walk from either station. Browse our other breakfast spots in Covent Garden, or head to Neal Street for The Breakfast Club Seven Dials when you want a bigger plate.