The 10 Cases

Everything you could ever want from a wine bar/​restaurant: dynamic wine list, bargains, interesting wines and a great ‘by the glass’ wine list with nothing you’ll find at a pub I promise. AND the food is really, really good.
Unlike a lot of wine bars around town, this place has some serious food above and beyond the old toastie (not that I have ANYTHING against a toastie). There is jamon, and you can have cheese, and it’s super hard to go past any of the small plates. The menu changes around with some pretty great looking specials (think hand made pastas and risotto). I find it hard to go past sharing some of the small plates. We shared the soft shell crab, polenta chips with truffle and parmesan, octopus (WOW), seafood and bacon risotto and a very, very moorish fennel salad.
The bar comes in two halves. One is more restaurant-​y with ten whites and reds to choose from (hence ten cases), and on the other side it’s a bit more wine focused with a shelf of amazing bottles that you can grab and takeaway or drink in for £12 more.
The have a space for 8 people for private events downstairs which looks on to the cellar which looks AMAZING.
When it’s nice weather, sit out on the street and soak up some sun (?!?) and the craziness of cov garden. Say yes to trying all of the wines and try something you don’t usually drink.

We came here for dinner, but the restaurant was full. Lucky for us, the wine bar next door has 75% of the menu and we settled in. Our table was small for all the small plates we ordered (we had a round vs. square), but cozy at less than ten tables. There was a private dining room downstairs that had large windows overlooking the wine cellar.
I loved being able to sample lots of different plates and tastes. We had olives and a cheese plate for nibbles, and for a bit more substance the fig, goat cheese and walnut salad (with arugula) and the fried soft shell crab. The salad was lovely, but the dish is not unique (sweet+cheese+a bit of green). The crab was incredible, get it. For wine, we tried La Tulipe a pleasant bright white wine, in honor of my friend from the Netherlands!
Cute place, nice stop. Customers were Londoners (I always like going local vs. touristy, if possible!)

Friendly and savvy staff– this is a smallish restaurant with daily menu of interesting and assorted fare. Excellent quality– full wine bar.
If I became a local– this would become a regular place for sure!

Believe me when I say, I wanted to love this place, and there were points at which I was on the verge of believing that this love affair would actually happen.
Let me give you a walk through of the evening’s events. I booked this place for a dinner for two, we arrived slightly early and were sat at the bar soon after, we asked for a white wine suggestion and they came through spectacularly, allowing us to taste the wines beforehand too. As we were trying to decipher the menu dotted around the room on blackboards we were seated on a table at the side, and thank goodness for that. The restaurant is tiny and being seated in the middle would make me feel like I’m paying to be an obstacle. Having said that the lighting and buzz of the place worked for me.
Onto entrees, I had to get the jamon — this was satisfying, nothing note-​worthy and the meat wasn’t dripping with oil from the aging process (which is a shame), it was jamon iberico, not the finest of aged jamon, but it sated me long enough for the soft shell crab and avocado with spicy mayo. This, for me, was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening, the soft shell crab was lightly battered, it was not oily and very crunchy, the finely chopped avocado was creamy and ripe, it contrasted the crunch and flavour of the crab perfectly, but we all know that this was a match that couldn’t go wrong, the spicy mayo gave it a soft kick at the end to add acidity to the richness.
And I would like to say the meal carried on as it begun, it would’ve earned a 5 star.
Sadly, the mains were just not as great. I tried both the Grilled Squid, Peperonata and Black olive Salsa and the Lamb Sweetbreads, Mashed Potato and Wild Mushrooms with Grilled Chilli and a red wine jus and there were definitely merits to both, but nothing that blew me away. The Grilled Squid was mild and they were a bit shy on the seasoning, which would’ve brought out both the squid and the black olive flavour. Taken together the textures and flavours worked but going through the entire dish is is a bit wearisome. The flavours are not diverse enough to hold it’s own for a mains. The lamb sweetbreads were a similiar story in the flavour department, but the sauce here was far too salty. I’m personally a fan of deep-​fried sweetbreads and thought this would’ve worked better on top of the mash, otherwise the textures were a bit too much.
I end as I began, I want to love The 10 cases, in truth, I still do. And to some extent, there are still bits I love, I wouldn’t mind having wine and sharing another soft shell crab and avocado. But all that teasing might be all it amounts to.

Quick glance:
+ fantastic selection of wines
+ wine available by glass, carafe, and bottle
+ regularly updated selection of wine
+ tasty food but (-) on the pricey side
— small venue but (+) takes booking
Full review:
10 Cases is known for buying 10 cases of wine at any given time so they can regularly update their selection. As a consequence of their model, one can have a glass, carafe or bottle of any of their wines in stock. The staff is also very knowledgeable about every wine on the menu.
The venue (bistrot) is small, with only ten or so tables. Despite this, they do take booking, which is highly recommended. Otherwise, it has a small bar area (4 – 6 bar stools from memory) for couples deciding to imbibe or dine last minute, although early arrival is recommended.
10 Cases has a small menu, scribbled on the few chalkboards lining the walls of the bistro. The food is on the pricey side (although comparable to other restaurants in the region) but beautifully presented and very tasty indeed.
The intimate setting mean you are a bit cramped in with other diners left, right, and all around, but somehow the acoustic didn’t hamper good conversations. I highly recommend 10 Cases for a catch up with an old friend over (many glasses of) good wine.

In a nutshell: Lovely food and even better wine. Not cheap but worth spending a bit more money on.
The 10 Cases has a deservedly good reputation for taking its wine seriously, and (as the name suggests) only orders in ten cases of each wine if offers at a time. A novel and — if my experience is anything to go — effective way of ensuring exciting variety and tasty wines.
It looks like what it is from the outside — a stylish bistro. Inside there are dark-​painted wood panels, all the way round the lower walls. The upper-​walls and ceiling are white-​washed, with simple wall-​mounted lamps. Timelessly and humbly chic. The menu is written on several blackboards. It’s an intimate place, with only 10 tables inside, but it certainly isn’t cramped.
The food:
Grilled eel to start — delicious, not too fishy. Subtle and sweet.
Pork cutlet with a spiced greek yoghurt rub, pomegranate salad, and chips — it looked great when it arrived, and it was. Juicy, medium-​rate, slight kick from the rub that went really well with the buttery meat. The chips were also beautifully crunchy and crisp.
Feather blade angus steak, with creamed artichoke — tender and silky steak, and the creamed artichoke was excellent. Freshness came through the creaminess, and it went perfectly with the angus.
We had delicious glasses of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, which costed £5 but tasted much pricier. This is why I’m a fan — the wines rotate and are excellent at any price.

Alone on day two in London. Done my tourist-​y due diligence and found my way back to Covent Garden tired and hungry. A friend living in London mentioned 10 Cases so I decided to try it.
I had a really wonderful, relaxing lunch. Scottish salmon with asparagus and a light pesto oil drizzle. This was so good and fresh paired with a glass of 2011 Matosevic Malvasia. I don’t know anything about wine but this was a delicious refreshing white wine that was perfect with the fish and recommended by my lovely waiter.
For wine lovers this has to be a must stop. I can’t tell you anymore about the wine other than they have a great looking list and I’d love to have tried them all. My waiter was wonderful and the atmosphere was relaxing. It’s just what I needed and would recommend to anyone visiting London and in the Covent Garden area.

What a great little establishment!
I love the chalkboards with their chicken scratch handwriting listing the specials, spread around the joint.
I love the wine. So many choices.
I love the coq au vin. One of the best meals I’ve had since living in London. Pair that with the raspberry crème brûlée and some cheese? Just go ahead and die now.
It was the perfect place to go to after seeing mama mia with my girlfriend. Perfect ambiance for a girl’s night!

I really liked this place. I was at the Cave a Vin side which is a wine shop and eatery all in one. I am not sure the difference between the Cave and the Bistrot. We enjoyed some small plates – excellent artichoke salad and steak tartare and nice wine with a knowledgeable waiter. The atmosphere is cozy, warm and romantic with its brick, dark wood and candlelight – great for a winter’s eve date.
Only drawback – expensive!!! But I liked the atmosphere, food and wine so it was worth it.

Its finding places like these that make you appreciate having Unilocal around. From outside the Bistro looks nothing too fancy, is in a convent garden side street that’s nowhere in particular and i would have passed it by had i not seen some earlier reviews on Unilocal.
This place was bustling for a Thursday night! We were warmly greeted at the door and ushered to our table by the open french doors. The waitress guided us through their rotating wine list and, after having trouble deciding, she said suggested we start with our lighter choice and she would return later with our second selection… don’t mind if i do! First impressions of the service was fantastic.
The menu apparently changes daily and is handwritten on little chalk boards along the back wall (or if you have smartphone check out their website). They had plenty of small plate options which we will definitely return to sample, however, I decided on the pork belly with slow cooked red cabbage and mash and the wife got the crab linguine. Whilst not fine dining the rustic cooking in this place was excellent and we quickly polished off our entire plates.
Our bill for 2 mains and 2 rounds of wine & service came to just over £70 which was very reasonable given the fantastic service we enjoyed. I’m a fan!

It’s rare that you find a cozy, non-​touristy and non-​crowded restaurant to eat in a spot such as Covent Garden/​Leicester Square.
This place was suggested to me and I tried it with three of my best girlfriends– our first impression was really great and that’s what set the vibe of this cosy little place for me.
The restaurant/​winery is quite small, with dim lighting, small tables packed together as to create a certain intimacy– without it being overwhelming.
The dinner menu is quite short but the food is delicious. We were more impressed by the wine. You can order by glass or bottle and the staff is very helpful. We were very satisfied with our bottle of red wine and ordered another one by the time we were leaving.
Overall, this place left me full, happy, tipsy, and glowing. The atmosphere is perfect both for a date but also as a cozy dinner spot with friends. Wouldn’t say it’s good for groups, though.
I’ll definitely stop by again.