Restaurant: Lowlander Grand Café
Vibe: Grand Belgian Beer House with lots of beer taps and a Dutch-Belgian-inspired menu
Cost: £14-19 mains (Moules starter portion for £8.95)
Location: 36 Drury Ln, London WC2B 5RR
Closest Tube: Covent Garden (under 5 minutes' walk)
Website: https://wwww.lowlander.com
Also Nearby & Worth a Visit: Redemption Roasters Coffee Shop (review here)
The Lowlander at night - a regular spot for post-gym, Monday moules!
London is not renowned for it's offerings of Belgian and Dutch cuisine, which is why The Lowlander sits as one of my favourite places to chow down on some European cuisine, accompanied by one of their many Belgian beers.
As you walk-in, you are met with a drinks board from floor-to-ceiling, and on panning to the right, you notice the multitude of beers on offer, from high percentage Belgian brews (order the half pint otherwise you'll be dizzy quickly!) to lighter lagers and ales, both on tap and in bottles. The setup here is restaurant-cum-bar, with closely-set tables and chairs in neat rows. The service is quick and friendly, with a small number of attentive staff observant and ready to refill your glass or take your food order. Whilst the crowd is as varied as you'd expect a casual bar in Covent Garden to be, with a mixture of office workers and tourists dotted about the place.
Pro-tip - put your jumper on if you're using the bathroom, it's basically in the beer cellar and a bit chilly down there! But worth the adventure...
The menu is particularly varied and a great shout if you're in a group with mixed wants and needs. There are meze boards to share, cheese croquettes to dip in spicy ketchup, along with the usual burgers, fish, and salads. The highlight is of course the moules, with the obvious Moules marinière front and centre. But that's not all, there are a number of moules pots available, from meaty broths to veggie-based stews, each partnered with two slices of toasted bread to soak up the liquid goodness.
Moules with a leek and mushroom broth - £9.95 for a starter portion.
For those wanting to get the most out of their spend, I recommend opting for the starter portion of moules, which comes in a half-sized pot but definitely hits the spot. These are available for £9.95. The main course, large-sized pot is £16-18, depending on which you order. Taking this approach, you can order yourself another bite or a side of triple cooked fries to dip in mayo. I went with the vegetarian sandwich, containing mozarella, pesto, rocket and tomato, in a flatbread (which you can see below).
Pesto Flatbread @ The Lowlander - with a tempting cheeseburger in the background!
But don't forget that Belgium and Holland are particularly famous for their deep fried items - believe me, I have to prepare for the temptation *every* time I visit either country. It's great to indulge though and you can get your fill of croquettes, fries, and other breaded goods from the starters/side dish section of the menu.
Sadly, there isn't any Bitterballen - if you've never tried these delicious, hotter-than-the-sun, ragu-deep-fried-in-breadcrumbs balls, you need to asap! However, a recent conversation with the manager (January, '23) revealed that they are trying to get them back on the menu soon. Something about Brexit... Alas, if you're really desperate for Bitterballen, you can go to the nearby Dutch bar on Macclesfield Street (just outside of Chinatown) called De Hems. The Bitterballen omission doesn't matter too much at The Lowlander - you could visit a few times and barely make a dent in the beer / food menus!
Location-wise, it's again in a great spot - close to theatres, bars, shopping and Covent Garden Tube Station (3 minutes walk). Also next door is the Redemption Roasters Coffee Shop - where I recommend you go earlier in your day to grab a coffee for your walk in and around Covent Garden and Soho. You can read more about Redemption Roasters in my review here.
Drinks as high as the eye can see!
Generally speaking, this place is a sport-free zone but on visiting during the World Cup (December, '22), there were a number of screens around, so just bear that in mind - and check the fixture list for any big games upcoming - in order to have a more peaceful experience.
All-in-all, a great bar in a good location with plenty of food/drink choices that should appeal to everyone in your group - walk-ins of up to 6 earlier on in the week *should* be able to get a table without booking. The only drawback to this is that sometimes, the kitchen will close before 9pm if there are not too many people inside. Thurs-Sat I recommend that you make a booking if you want to guarantee a table. Now go, enjoy those moules!
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