Its key location near theatres, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus makes this entire area the most interesting and dynamic centre anywhere for eclectic entertainment, crafts, upscale retail, restaurants, and museums.
Historically, it served as a true food market and one could feel deprived of that use today. What has replaced it has no parallel anywhere in the world.
Covent Garden also provides an unintended urban function by drawing in large numbers of tourists, so that other areas of the city remain undisturbed.