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Date spot in Soho and Covent Garden

Phoenix Garden

Find a bench in a small community wildlife garden, planted on an old bombsite behind the Phoenix Theatre and run by a local charity.

The Phoenix Garden's stone paths, lawn and overgrown planting, with a wheelbarrow and red-brick flats behind

Stacey Street, off Charing Cross Road

21 Stacey Street, London WC2H 8DG
  • Outdoors
  • Free

Why it's a good date: A few steps from the crowds and it's suddenly quiet. Bring a coffee and sit among the plants, then carry on into Soho or Seven Dials.

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Photo: Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)

More from our Soho and Covent Garden guide

  • Clos Maggiore

    King Street, Covent Garden

    33 King Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8JD

    Book a table in the conservatory for classic French cooking under a ceiling of blossom and fairy lights.

    Why it's a good date: This is the one for an anniversary or a proposal. Ask for the conservatory when you book, and book well ahead: those tables go first.

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  • The Royal Opera House auditorium from the upper tiers, its red curtain and gold proscenium facing curved rows of lit balconies

    Royal Opera House

    Bow Street, Covent Garden

    Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD

    See an opera or a ballet by the Royal Ballet and Opera in the red-and-gold auditorium on Bow Street.

    Why it's a good date: Dressing up for a night at the opera is a proper occasion. Seats high up in the amphitheatre cost far less than the stalls, and you still get the full sweep of the stage.

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    Photo: Peter Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)

  • A carved Chinese gate on Wardour Street, with strings of red lanterns overhead and people walking beneath

    Chinatown

    Gerrard Street, Chinatown

    Gerrard Street, Chinatown, London WC2H 7BE

    Graze your way down Gerrard Street under the red lanterns, from dumplings and roast duck to bubble tea and custard buns from the bakeries.

    Why it's a good date: Lots of small stops means lots of chances to try something new together. Take turns choosing the next place, and go a little before the dinner rush to skip the queues.

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    Photo: Robert Lamb, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)

From our guide to date ideas in Soho and Covent Garden

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