Rovi

Who Should Book Rovi

Rovi is the right call for a date night or a relaxed celebratory dinner where you want cooking that feels considered without the formality of a tasting-menu room. If you are bringing someone who usually rolls their eyes at vegetable-forward menus, this is the place to change their mind. The open-fire cooking and fermentation-led approach produce dishes with enough depth and char that the absence of a protein centrepiece rarely registers. It is also a strong choice for anyone in Fitzrovia who wants something more ambitious than a neighbourhood bistro without committing to the price tier of a full fine-dining evening.

The Case for Rovi in Fitzrovia

Fitzrovia has no shortage of places to eat well, but Rovi occupies a specific gap: it is the most culinarily ambitious restaurant on this stretch of Wells Street, and it carries the credibility of the Ottolenghi name while doing something meaningfully different from the deli-style Ottolenghi sites elsewhere in the city. Head chef Neil Campbell runs an 85-cover room built around a large central bar, open-fire cooking, and a menu where fermentation is a recurring technique rather than a talking point. Chilli-pepper red banquettes and counter seating give the space a warm, energetic mood — this is not a hushed fine-dining room. Noise builds through the evening, which makes it a better fit for a lively dinner than a quiet business conversation.

The dishes documented by reviewers illustrate the kitchen's range: grilled leeks with pickled walnuts and date praline, charred hispi in almond XO, a celeriac shawarma with fermented tomato, and candied mushrooms with chilli and fermented black vinegar. Fish appears in the form of grilled halibut dressed with smoked fish butter curry, coconut, and Indian roti — a combination that signals the Levantine and eastern Mediterranean DNA running through the whole menu. Meat is available (a saddleback pork chop with kohlrabi and apple kimchi has been cited) but it is not the focus. Desserts follow the same logic: a fennel meringue with lime, pastis sorbet, and lemon curd, or a chilli-spiked cherry and chocolate fondant. The drinks list includes cocktails built on seasonal herbs and house-made shrubs, plus softs such as hibiscus agua fresca and watermelon and rose sharbat , enough to keep the bar counter worth occupying on its own terms.

Opinionated About Dining has ranked Rovi among its leading casual restaurants in Europe for three consecutive years: Highly Recommended in 2023, #300 in 2024, and #303 in 2025. A Google rating of 4.6 across more than 2,200 reviews confirms the consistency. That combination , sustained critical recognition plus broad diner satisfaction , is a reliable indicator that the kitchen performs night after night, not just when a reviewer is in the room.

Practical Details

Hours: Monday to Thursday 12–3 pm and 5–10:30 pm; Friday 12–3:30 pm and 5–10:30 pm; Saturday 12–3:30 pm and 5:30–10:30 pm; Sunday lunch only, 12–3:30 pm. Address: 59–65 Wells Street, Fitzrovia, London W1A 3AE. Reservations: Booking is direct , demand here is easier to meet than at the city's tasting-menu rooms, and tables are typically available within a week or two. Dress: Smart casual; the room is relaxed but the clientele dresses with intention. Group size: The 85-seat room handles groups well; the bar counter is the better option for two, larger banquettes for four or more.

How It Compares

For context on where Rovi sits in the broader London dining picture, see our full London restaurants guide. The Ottolenghi group's other London sites and the city's wider Mediterranean and vegetable-forward options are covered there. If you are planning a longer trip, our London hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city. For Mediterranean cooking beyond London, Apolonia in Chicago and Balear in Madrid are worth knowing about. If your trip extends beyond London, Pearl covers destinations including The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood.

FAQ

• How far ahead should I book Rovi? One to two weeks is usually enough. Rovi does not carry the booking pressure of London's tasting-menu rooms, and tables are available with reasonable notice. Weekend dinner fills faster than weekday lunch, so if you have a specific Saturday in mind, book ten to fourteen days out. Sunday is lunch-only, which makes it a lower-competition slot if flexibility allows.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Rovi? Dinner is the stronger occasion. The open-fire cooking and fermentation-led menu suit an unhurried evening pace, and the cocktail bar comes into its own later in service. Lunch is a good option on Sundays (the only meal available that day) or on a Friday or Saturday when the kitchen runs until 3:30 pm. For a date or a celebration, book dinner.
• What should I order at Rovi? The vegetable dishes are the reason to come: the grilled leeks with pickled walnuts, the charred hispi in almond XO, and the celeriac shawarma have all been highlighted by multiple reviewers as the dishes that define the kitchen's approach. The halibut with smoked fish butter curry is the fish option most consistently cited. On drinks, the house shrub-based cocktails and the non-alcoholic hibiscus and sharbat options are worth ordering rather than defaulting to wine.
• Does Rovi handle dietary restrictions? The menu is built around vegetables, which means it is well-suited to vegetarians and pescatarians by design rather than as an afterthought. Meat is on the menu but in a secondary role. For specific allergen or dietary requirements, contact the restaurant directly before booking , the kitchen's fermentation-heavy approach means ingredients are not always immediately obvious from the menu description.
• Can Rovi accommodate groups? Yes. At 85 covers, the room is large enough to handle groups without the constraints of a smaller restaurant. The banquette seating works for parties of four to six; larger groups should contact the restaurant in advance to confirm arrangement options. The central bar is better suited to pairs or small groups of three. Rovi is not a private-hire venue in the conventional sense, so for very large parties, check directly.