The 5 best function rooms in Covent Garden

Though the (old) fruit and veg market is gone, and (the fictional) Eliza Doolittle no longer sells her flowers, George Bernard Shaw’s presence is still felt in Covent Garden.

Take The Ivy Market Grill for instance. Named after his most popular play, their Pygmalion function/private dining room is everything you’d expect.

From the warm lights and wood floors to the mustard walls that serve as a backdrop to the photos of stars and entertainers and the green chairs ready for an evening’s worth of conversations, it’s the right amount of charm and style.

With room for up to 40 guests and a menu to satisfy all tastes, it’s an ideal choice for private dinners, parties and post-meeting lunches.

Covent Garden isn’t Covent Garden without Balthazar. Serving up classic French dishes, the brasserie isn’t without its place at the top of many “best in Covent Garden” lists. And, as it turns out their function rooms are just as good as their food.

As expected, Le Grand Solon Privé is the larger of their two spaces. You’ll find it on the first floor, complete with red-accented chairs and booths, low-arched windows, marbled walls, a private bar and of course, shelves of wines.

The space seats up to 80 standing guests (or 49 seated).

Putting the “fun” in functional is Jimmy’s Room, one of two private rooms at The Hippodrome Casino.

The 20-person function room is one of the smaller function rooms near Covent Garden but is an ideal choice for meetings, presentations and private dinners.

With a fully-equipped, versatile space and more than enough natural light, Jimmy’s is exactly what you’d expect from a function room. Simple, comfortable and bright. So let the function begin, and when it’s all done, the casino awaits…

DJ nights. Indie film screenings. Ice skating evenings. Mainstream film cameos. Somerset House needs no introduction, after all, it’s the home of all things arts and culture in London.

As the place to entertain and be entertained, it’s no wonder that Somerset House offers a whole host of function rooms.

Introducing Lancaster Rooms, their latest function room with space for up to 110 seated guests (and 220 standing). Everything from the high ceilings, pillars to the arched windows and private entrance make this function room feel grand and dare we say, a little dramatic.

Just picture it, light streaming through both sides of the room (thanks to large windows) as the sun sets, the tables set and the room exactly to your taste.

Banquet? Fashion show? Meeting? Charity event? It’s your call.

Marbled floors. Mirrored ceilings. Retro velvet mustard sofas. Hexagonal stools. Bronze tables. Everything at The Londoner’s Green Room feels like a lesson in shape and space, and a pretty successful one at that.

At the 150 guest-capacity function room, you’re in a world of your own. It’s sleek, stylish and grown-up, and exactly the sort of venue you’d expect to host a private party or networking event at.

For a drink, head to the private bar then settle down for the evening with a dinner menu specifically created by the executive head chef.