34-35 Maiden Lane

34-35 Maiden Lane in Covent Garden is the home of Rules, widely recognised as London's oldest restaurant, opened as an oyster house by Thomas Rule in 1798 and serving food continuously ever since. The building and a collection of menus, visitor books, caricatures, paintings and signage were gifted to the National Trust in autumn 2026; the Trust cares for the fabric while a commercial tenant keeps the restaurant running. Diners down the years have included Charles Dickens, Thackeray, Lillie Langtry, Laurence Olivier, Vera Lynn and Graham Greene, and the Grade II listed Victorian interiors are lined with theatre memorabilia and artwork; the cocktail bar leads through to a glass-roofed winter garden. Reviewers describe it as dining in a museum, with artwork covering every floor, and single out the steak and kidney pudding and the game. Tips from visitors: book a table in advance, and remember there is no admission as such, so the way to see the interiors is to eat or drink here, paid for as normal.