Writer covering first half of stay in small restaurant (6)
I believe the answer is:
bistro
'small restaurant' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'writer covering first half of stay' is the wordplay.
'writer' becomes 'biro' (I've seen this before**).
'covering' is an insertion indicator.
'first half of' suggests halving the letters.
'stay' halved is 'st'.
'biro' placed around 'st' is 'BISTRO'.
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for bistro that I've seen before include "A small informal restaurant from France" , "Little restaurant" , "Small French bar and restaurant" , "Eating place" , "Intimate eatery" .)