The Print Room at 21, Covent Garden

Sipping away on ice cold refreshments whilst overlooking the frenzy of Covent Garden is a London must; be it watching the street performers during the day or rickshaws weaving through the crowds in the evening. For most tourists, this experience is undertaken at the overpriced and overcrowded Punch and Judy pub. The cooler and less mainstream option is literally a stone's throw away, The Print Room at 21.

Entering through a ground floor kitchen (bear with us), which finding is an achievement in itself, up the narrow staircase is a small, yet lively cocktail bar. Although a DJ plays monotonous and meaningless funky house music more akin to a Euro nightclub during the evenings, and finding your way to the bar is much like navigating the maze at Hampton Court Palace, the narrow balcony overlooking the South West corner of the market more than makes up for it.

Head straight to the bar and order your cocktail of choice (doubles are standard at this bar, although location considered the prices are not heart attack-inducing) before climbing out onto the balcony and perching on a high stool. Chat away whilst the night passes by before descending back to earth and disappearing into the London night, date in tow!

Take note too, that there is a restaurant at 21 for the less price-cautious; with the option of eating top-class Italian food on the terrace. We at the daterbase, however, think this is far too cliché for a Covent Garden date. And anyway, we hate pigeons loitering around for our leftovers.

Bedford & Strand, Covent Garden

It's hard to hide anything in Covent Garden. Bedford & Strand, however, is not immediately visible to the untrained eye. Its location, atmosphere and classic French bistro decor make it ideal for an after-work date with a difference in the West End.

Taking its naming convention from across the Atlantic, Bedford & Strand is situated (not quite) on the corner of Bedford St and the Strand. It's easy to miss it. Only a black doorway and a relatively inconspicuous sign give away the location of this quasi-wine bar. Head down the narrow stairwell and there's a faint feeling of being transported to the a cobbled back street in the heart of Paris. 

The decor is simple yet effective. If you book ahead, your table will be situated away from the busy bar, but the size if this place means you are never too far away from the hustle and bustle. Although not overly expensive, the menu has enough to offer for both the adventurous and the reserved, but the real winner here is the wine list. 

As any good Parisian bistro should, Bedford & Strand have made wine their focal point. The list recommends each white and red according to price, and guides the novice (and the more experienced wine bore, too) as to where your choice is reliable, honest, decent or good. What's more, every wine on the list is available by the glass, carafe (500ml) or bottle - meaning neither you nor your date will have to make sacrifices if your tipples of choice don't agree.

Despite successfully avoiding the tourists and theatre-goers that restaurants in this area attract (well, almost), Bedford & Strand is particularly popular with the after-work crowd. If you've booked ahead, the hordes shouldn't be a problem, but the bar does sometimes become overcrowded. In fact, it would be hard to spend an entire evening in here before the waiters politely ask you to move from your table. Don't let this put you off, though, Bedford & Strand makes a great date location even greater. If you do find it a bit too relaxed, or the wait at the bar begins to grind, then luckily only five minutes down the road is the perfect Covent Garden cocktail bar to end your evening in. And the chances are you didn't even know it was there - The Print Room at 21.