Hola Paella

They serve up paper plates of fresh cooked paella almost «to go», i.e. their seating is very limited. What you get on your plate varies depending on where in the pile the server’s spoon hits. The paella was good, but not phenomenal and not overly plentiful. Paella includes some expensive ingredients, so the £5.50 price was fair even if it felt expensive for the portion size. Most of the seating in Covent Garden is owned by sitdown restaurants, so we ended up eating our paella on an unused doorstep in the crowded and lively roofed courtyard.

After walking from the National Museum all the way through Buckingham Palace and to Big Ben… my folks and I were starving. We were originally suppose to eat at Punch and Judy to meet up with my sis but when my parents saw the huge pan filled with paella… I knew they were a goner… like myself!
The line gets crazy busy but its well worth the wait. They have 4 tables that you can dine at but that also gets crazy busy.
I don’t remember how much our totally came out to be since we ordered 3 medium and 1 large with extra tikka chicken with 3 sangria… I think it’s well under 40 GBP and it was worth it. The paella itself was well seasoned and had tons of chicken and shrimp… thankful they didn’t cheap out on ingredients! Overall… the fam were all happy since we all got our rice fix!
Well worth checking out if you’re around Covent Garden!

Eine Zufallsbegegnung, die sich als kulinarischer Genuss entpuppte: Direkt am bzw. im Convent Garden gelegen tat sich uns dieser kleine Stand auf, vor dem eine Traube Menschen stand und auf einen Teller Paella wartete. Da die Schlange immer länger wurde — und die Paella verführerisch duftete — ließen wir uns auf die Warteliste setzen und wurden einige Minuten später mit dem wohl berühmtesten spanischen Reisgericht, zubereitet mitten in London, belohnt.
Das Gericht wird mit/​ohne Hühnerspieß serviert und kommt in drei Größen daher. Der kleine Teller kostet ca. 4,30 Euro. Sehr lecker!

Was wandering around in Covent Garden and stumbled upon this lovely little stand that was serving up delicious-​smelling paella and decided to try it out.
Rice was very flavorful and cooked well. Plenty of veggies, and there’s also assorted seafood (squid, mussels, shrimp) as well as chorizo — it made for a perfect light lunch. Reasonably priced: £4 for a small, £6 for a medium, as well as spicy chicken skewers for another £1.
Distribution of ingredients while serving could have been better though — ordered 2 medium plates and one was piled with mussels, while the other only had 2.

Got caught up in the fun of Covent Garden with the street performers and saw the long qeue in the lower piazza for some paella. Like a hungry lemming tired from shopping couldn’t resist the obvious tourist trap. (
)
Hola paella — $ 6 for a medium. It was just ok.
Really hot! Got one shrimp, scraps of mussel, and some bits of sausage, chicken, and chorizo. The bits of chorizo were tasty but the paella was mostly onions, peppers, and peas. The rice was a little too mushy and was missing those addictive crunchy bits of socarrat.
Washed it down with a Reserva 1925 from Spain — easy to drink lager while Mrs G enjoyed a sangria. (
Their worker resembled a famous tennis player. (
)

After smelling and seeing the giant pan full of paella in the middle of Covent Garden, I knew that I had to try it before I left. I bought the smallest serving which cost only GBP 4 and after taking my first bite, I really regretted it: I should have bought the large!!! This paella was amazing good; the mussels were cooked perfectly, the veggies were all fresh, and the rice was super flavorful.
Yeah, the lines can get long but I see it as a good thing. The more people who order it, the more they have to cook which ensures that you are eating the freshest paella and not one that has been sitting around for too long.
If I’m ever in Covent Garden again, Hola Paella will be my first food destination. 4 stars!

A great stop for some certified hot paella action, perfect on a cold day.
It’s located in the lower portion of the south hall of Covent Garden’s Apple Market. It isn’t hard to find — just follow the sound of opera music and find your way to the opposite atrium.
Small servings start at GBP 4.00, medium at GBP 6.00.
It’s extremely popular on the weekends so be prepared to spend at least ten minutes in line.

I’m really not into paella. but this was really really super delicious! My daughters LOVED it. The meats were cooked perfectly. If I’m ever back in London, I would definitely make a pit stop here!