Covent Garden at night is chaos with a postcode. You have theatre crowds moving like migrating birds, a busker giving it everything, and at least three people trying to eat a three-course meal in motion. It is loud, hectic, and oddly determined to feed you something sub-par.
Then you step into House of Louie and it is like someone has shut a door on the noise. A proper townhouse with nineteenth-century bones, low light, velvet-ish mood, and that immediate feeling of thank God, adults. In the middle of theatreland, surrounded by spaghetti houses and the familiar comfort of chain menus, this place feels like it has been dropped in from a better night out.
House of Louie is the whole plan in one address. Two restaurants for dinner, then an upstairs bar for when you decide you are not going home yet. You can do the full arc without a cab, without the coat dance, without the group chat meltdown. It is a one-stop shop, but the kind that does not feel like a compromise.
Start downstairs at Wani Tzuki, because that is where the best energy is. The name means Alligator Moon, which sounds like a cocktail order or a tarot card reader. The room leans into it. Low-lit, intimate, a bit moody, in a way that makes everyone look better than they did in the tube’s harsh lighting. It is designed by Joanna Pera Duvocell, who has mixed Japanese restraint with bistro warmth, so it feels sharp and calm, not themed and try-hard. You can sit at the chef’s counter and watch the whole thing click along, or take a table and let it become a long, chatty meal.
It calls itself an elevated izakaya. Translation: food you want to share, but done with real craft. The kitchen is French-trained, which sounds like it could get silly quickly, but here it is more about control than showing off. Japanese ingredients and techniques stay centre stage, and the cross-cultural touches feel like good judgement, not a dare.
Start with the raw goodness. Sashimi comes out properly chilled and cleanly cut, the kind that does not need a speech. Bluefin in different cuts, scallop that tastes sweet and pure, sea bream with that quiet elegance, prawn with a gentle snap. It tastes expensive in the best way, not because it is flashy, but because someone cared.
Then you hit the curveballs. Miso burrata is the obvious one, and yes, it works. Creamy richness, savoury depth, a bit of texture to keep it moving. You try one bite, then suddenly you are guarding the plate like it is your pension. That is the tone. Fun, but not sloppy. Confident, but not loud.
From there it is dumplings with silky wrappers and proper flavour, grilled dishes that have been handled with restraint, and glossy sauces that flatter rather than drown everything. The menu has rhythm. Bright and sharp, then warmer and deeper, then back to clean lines so you are ready for the next thing. It is the kind of cooking that understands you are here for a night, not a lecture.
Service is part of why it works. People are on it without hovering. They help you order without taking over. You feel looked after, not managed, which in Covent Garden is basically a miracle.
Upstairs, the building gives you options. Louie is your French chapter, jazz in the background, a dining room that makes you sit up straighter without resenting it. Then there is The Alligator Bar, where the mood shifts into late night, with music, cocktails, and that slightly dangerous feeling that you could stay out far longer than planned.
But Wani Tzuki is the reason you come in the first place. It is a sanctuary from the chaos outside, a world away from the nearby tat, and it makes theatre land feel exciting again rather than exhausting. You start with precision, you end up lingering, and you walk back out into Covent Garden feeling like you found the cheat code.
@houseoflouie_london | wanitzuki.com
13-15 West Street, London WC2H 9NE
