American diner for theatrical types
This is the restaurant with a 'secret' hamburger - not listed on the menu, but well worth ordering.
By some inexplicable alchemy, Joe Allen continues to be the Covent Garden eatery of choice for a wide swathe of the acting profession.
It is a dark, resolutely un-trendy place that dishes up a somewhat refined version of American comfort food.
If your heart is set on a Caesar salad, chilli con carne or eggs Benedict, this is a great place to come.
Joe Allen has a splendid attitude to mealtimes: the à la carte runs all day, so you can have lunch when you will.
There's also a lunch and a pre-theatre menu, plus a brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday.
The food is the kind of stuff that we are all comfortable with.
Starters include smoked salmon with new potatoes, chives and sour cream; buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil salad; and black bean soup.
They are followed on the menu by a section described as 'salads/eggs/sandwiches' in which you'll find some of Joe Allen's strengths: the Caesar salad; the roast chicken salad; and eggs Joe Allen, a satisfying combination of poached eggs, potato skins, Hollandaise sauce and spinach.
Main courses range from tuna with sesame crust and braised Chinese cabbage; through barbecue spareribs with rice, wilted spinach, black-eyed peas and corn muffin; to pan-fried calf's liver with mashed potato and grilled bacon.
As you would suspect, the dessert offerings provide a serious sugar hit - go for the brownie, with an extra portion of hot fudge.
Joe Allen
Exeter Street, London, WC2E 7DT
