Rules

Rules is a restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, London. Founded in 1798 by Thomas Rule, it is London’s oldest restaurant. The building has served traditional British food since the 18th century. It began as an oyster bar but soon became known for game dishes. The restaurant still owns Lartington Estate in Teesdale, which supplies much of its meat. The restaurant has been a meeting place for famous figures for over two hundred years. Actors Henry Irving and Laurence Olivier dined there regularly. Writers Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh and Dorothy L. Sayers set scenes of novels in its rooms. In 1971 John Betjeman protested when the building faced demolition. More recently it appeared in the James Bond film Spectre and the television series Downton Abbey. Inside, dark panelling and old prints give the dining rooms a club-like atmosphere. The menu lists classic British dishes such as roast grouse, jugged hare and devilled kidneys. Staff bring plates from the kitchens to tables in the main restaurant. A smaller upstairs room holds tables for private lunches. The bar area still shows signs of its early days as an oyster house.