Shake Shack Covent Garden

Shake Shack trades from a unit inside the Covent Garden Market Building, the covered hall at the centre of the piazza, a short walk from the Royal Opera House and the shops of Long Acre and Seven Dials. The American chain began life as a hot dog cart in New York, and its London sites keep the same tight formula of burgers, crinkle-cut fries and frozen custard shakes.

The Covent Garden Shack is a dine-in and walk-up site. The company is clear that it does not offer delivery from this branch; anyone wanting burgers brought to their door in Soho, Charing Cross or Piccadilly Circus is served from the nearby Leicester Square Shack instead. Breakfast is not served here either, so the day starts at 11am with the main menu.

Burgers in Covent Garden Market

The menu centres on the ShackBurger and its variants, griddled smashed patties with the brand's own sauce, alongside hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries and the hand-spun shakes that give the company its name. A limited-time menu rotates through the year. Students with a valid ID get 20 per cent off food and drink, which matters in an area full of drama schools and colleges.

What to expect on a visit

Expect queues at weekends and in the hour before curtain-up, since the market hall carries some of the heaviest footfall in the West End and the street performers work the piazza outside. Covent Garden Underground is the closest station. For other quick options nearby, browse the takeaways in Covent Garden, or head to Wahaca on Chandos Place for tacos before a show.