Here are the best pre-theatre dinner menus and most interesting restaurants within minutes of London’s major theatres
You’re off to the theatre, it’s edging closer to the 7.30 curtain time and you’re at risk of starving to death during a three-hour play (or, at the very least, you want a glass of something to kick the evening off). Don’t panic! London’s restaurants are fully equipped to handle this type of crisis with speedy, affordable pre-theatre dinner menus. And we’re here to make your dining decisions that much easier.
Ambassadors Clubhouse
Ambassadors Clubhouse, the Mayfair restaurant from the JKS Restaurants group, is a celebration of the food, drink and music culture of the Punjab. As well as running tasting menus and an a la carte offering, the restaurant has also introduced a new set menu that’s ideal for pre-theatre dining. Running from 12pm – 3pm daily and from 5.30pm – 6pm Monday – Wednesday, the menu is £38 for three courses, which is great value for the quality of the cooking here. After beginning with papads and chutneys, you can choose from dishes like paneer bhurji potli samosa; haryali rabbit keema cheela; lamb shami bun kebab; BBQ butter chicken chops with chicken keema pilau; and jalebi with dahi rabri and pista.
25 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BH
ambassadorsclubhouse.com
Savoy Grill
If you’ve got tickets to a show at the Savoy Theatre, the Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay is the place to grab a pre-show dinner. The restaurant oozes old-school elegance, thanks to the Art Deco setting, slick service and menu of classic British and French dishes. The pre-theatre menu incudes dishes like steak tartare with aged beef, confit egg yolk and black truffle crisps; steamed sea bream with Jerusalem artichokes and caper-raisin dressing; and Poire Belle Hélène with Madagascan vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate sauce. It’s £55 for two courses and £62 for three courses, and the menu runs from 5pm – 5.45pm, Monday – Thursday and 3.30pm – 5.45pm on Friday, leaving you plenty of time to make curtain up.
100 Strand, London WC2R 0EZ
gordonramsayrestaurants.com
The Ninth
If you’re seeing a show at the Dominion Theatre, The Ninth is a great spot for a bite to eat beforehand. The Michelin-starred spot does an Early Dinner Menu at 6pm Monday – Saturday, where two courses are £47 and three courses for £52. After starting with a glass of Lanson Le Black Réserve Champagne, you can tuck into dishes like sea bream carpaccio with blood orange, fennel and dill; slow-cooked beef featherblade with carrots and mojo verde; and pain perdu with tonka bean ice cream.
22 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NB
theninthlondon.com
Roka
At the Charlotte Street and Aldwych branches of Roka, both of which are close to several West End theatres, you can enjoy a pre- or post-theatre Japanese feast for £38 per person. The Classic menu includes a range of sharing starters, like beef, ginger and sesame dumplings; chef’s 3 piece sashimi selection; and tiger prawn tempura, which is then followed by a robata main, like baby back pork ribs with sansho and cashew nuts or sea bream with ryotei miso. If you want to push the boat out a bit more, you can indulge in the likes of crab, black cod and prawn dumplings; tuna tartare with nori cracker; lamb cutlets with Korean spices; and black cod marinated in yuzu miso from the Premium menu (at £48 per person). The savoury dishes are more than enough but if you fancy a dessert, you can add one on from the a la carte selection for just an extra fiver, which is actually pretty great value.
Charlotte Street and Aldwych
rokarestaurant.com
J Sheekey
Pre-theatre at J Sheekey is a classy affair. The Theatreland classic doesn’t offer an official pre-theatre menu (although its set lunch menu does run until 4:45pm if you want to settle in early), but staff will ask you if you’re heading to the theatre when you arrive. Tell them what show you’re seeing and they will already know the curtain time, add this note to your table, and make sure everything runs like clockwork to get to your show on time. It’s a beautiful dining room, one of London’s all time greats, and the seafood-centric menu is still as good as ever, offering oysters, big platters of seafood, and signature dishes like the J Sheekey fish pie, shrimp and soft shell crab burger, Cornish fish stew, lobster, and much more. If you’re visiting Wyndham’s Theatre, it couldn’t be more convenient as you literally walk out the restaurant’s door straight into the queue – on a recent visit, we left our table at 6:55pm and were in our seats at 6:59pm.
28-32 St Martin’s Ct, London WC2N 4AL
j-sheekey.co.uk
Bocca Di Lupo
Charming, unpretentious and affordable: that’s what you want from a pre-theatre dinner and that’s exactly what makes Soho’s Bocca Di Lupo a great choice. Their pre-theatre specials (available until 6.30pm during the week) will get you a starter and a main just £18, plus a dessert for an extra £7. Fill up on fritto misto and handmade pasta with no anxiety about the bill, and then stroll over to your show in loads of time. And if you want a drink post-play, you can head in for their post-theatre wine offering (from 9.30 onwards) where you can get them to open up any bottle on their list for you to try a glass from.
12 Archer St, London W1D 7BB
boccadilupo.com
Cora Pearl
The buzzing Cora Pearl (from the people behind Mayfair’s smash hit Kitty Fisher’s) is one to keep on your list for the chips alone: layered, baked in butter and thyme, and deep-fried for a chip like no other. Of course there are other reasons to go too – for the proximity to many of London’s theatres and the rest of the modern British menu. And their pre-theatre dinner, at £32 for two and £35 for three courses, is not too budget-unfriendly either.
30 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8NA
corapearl.co.uk
Sushisamba
The Covent Garden branch of this Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion restaurant may not boast the same views you get over at Heron Tower, but it does have a pre- and post-theatre dinner menu where you can get three courses for £36. Expect ribeye anticuchos, robata salmon and chocolate banana cake for dessert. This one’s ideal if you’re off to the Theatre Royal, Aldwych Theatre or Duchess Theatre.
35 The Market, London WC2E 8RF
sushisamba.com
Swan at the Globe
Swan at the Globe didn’t have to be *that* good a restaurant being, as it is, at the historic Globe – automatically making it a destination. But, thankfully, it is. The menu is classic British to complement that history, featuring the likes of ham hock terrine with piccalilli & sourdough toast; Welsh lamb with wild garlic, mint & lovage sauce; and Bakewell tart with damson jam & creme fraiche. Whether you go a la carte or opt for the River View set menu (served from 5pm with two courses for £27.50 and three for £32), everything is delivered speedily and you are literally spitting distance from the Globe, so there’s no danger of you missing curtains up.
21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT
swanlondon.co.uk
Joe Allen
Joe Allen has been a known haunt of theatregoers and thespians alike for years, so naturally it’s the perfect place to drop in for a bite before a show. It’s a classic but un-snooty New York-style brasserie with a menu of comforting familiar faves, like slow-braised smoked baby back ribs, sausages & mash and New York cheesecake to name a few. It may have moved from its original Exeter Street home but its rep as the beating heart of the West End has remained intact.
2 Burleigh St, London WC2E 7PX
joeallen.co.uk
Brasserie Zédel
Brasserie Zédel is a West End institution with all the authenticity and desirability of a highfalutin Parisian brasserie minus the price tag. That’s right, you can have a two-course (at £16.95) or three-course (at £19.75) meal in the centre of town at a glamorous restaurant that has existed in the same spot since 1915 for under £20 a head. And then it’s minutes to the West End theatre of your choice. Zédel is beloved for a reason.
And it’s even better for our INSIDERS who can get a complimentary glass of crémant or non-alcoholic sparkling wine at Zédel from Monday – Wednesday.
20 Sherwood St, London W1F 7ED
brasseriezedel.com
The Lane
Pre-theatre dining doesn’t get much more convenient than eating inside an actual theatre, and that’s exactly what’s offer at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. There’s The Terrace, serving up nibbles, sharing boards and wine, or you could go for a set menu at Jamie Oliver Catherine Street. Or, for a complete theatrical experience, have a Regency-esque afternoon tea in the Grand Saloon, designed by London cake goddess Lily Vanilli, with all the frilly pastel cakes, intricate sandwiches and teapots you could ever want.
Catherine St, London WC2B 5JF
thelane.co.uk
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