The Best Pre-Theatre Menus In London
BEST FOR SOHO THEATRES
Brasserie Zédel
A French restaurant from the team behind The Wolseley and The Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel offers traditional Gallic dishes in beautiful art-deco surroundings (it’s been described by famed French chef Pierre Koffmann as “the only real brasserie in London”). One of the most affordable options on this list, diners can enjoy two courses from the set menu for £12.25 or three for £16. Start with the shredded carrot salad, followed by steak haché with french fries and peppercorn sauce, and Manjari chocolate tart for dessert. You can also stop by Bar Américain for cocktails and champagne after your show.
20 Sherwood Street, Soho, W1F 7ED
Visit BrasserieZedel.com
Sucre
In a former concert hall on Great Marlborough Street, Sucre’s menu features Latin American and European influences, and dishes are made with seasonal ingredients cooked over open fires. For a pre-theatre meal, opt for the set menu, which costs £29 for two courses and £43 for three. Highlights include stone seabass tostada with lime, sesame and avocado; wild mushroom paella with hedgerow garlic; lamb shoulder with carrots, cime di rapa and salsa verde; and chocolate and miso mousse with sesame brittle. After the show, head downstairs to Bat Abajo for cocktails and live Latin music.
47 Great Marlborough Street, Soho, W1F 7JP
Visit SucreRestaurant.com
The Palomar
This lively Middle Eastern restaurant has a 16-seat zinc kitchen bar where you can sit and watch the chefs at work. A mosaic marble floor leads to a 40-cover dining room at the back, with dark oak panelling and royal blue leather banquette seating. There’s a selection of small plates to choose from, including homemade pittas, green olive labneh, bulgur wheat with pomegranate and goat’s cheese, Persian lemon chicken with spicy chickpeas, and slow-cooked cabbage with artichokes and tahini. The sumac and lemon tart with orange blossom mousse is not to be missed.
34 Rupert Street, Soho, W1D 6DN
Visit ThePalomar.co.uk
Joe Allen
The original Joe Allen is in New York City, but its London counterpart has been a Soho favourite for nearly 40 years. Known as the ‘West End’s canteen’ by actors, directors and other famous faces who originally started the restaurant group, it’s a hotspot for today’s top theatre names and was recently relaunched with The Ivy’s former head chef Gary Lee and Brutto’s Russell Norman at the helm. When it comes to food, expect classic New Yorker favourites like black truffle cheese toasties, strip steak with fat chips and bearnaise sauce, poached eggs Hemingway, and New York cheesecake with fresh raspberries. There’s also a children’s menu and live music for post-show diners.
2 Burleigh Street, Soho, WC2E 7PX
Visit JoeAllen.co.uk
Wun's Tea Room & Bar
Z He and Alex Peffly, the husband-and-wife team behind Bun House and the Pleasant Lady Jian Bing Trading Stall, opened Wun’s Tea Room & Bar a few years ago. Post-theatre drinks are best spent in the downstairs bar which takes on the spirit of Hong Kong nightlife with velvet seating and an eclectic soundtrack, while quick and affordable pre-theatre meals can be enjoyed in the main dining room – plates start from just £2.50. Choose from nostalgic Cantonese dishes from Z’s childhood such as salt and pepper cuttlefish with sesame and chilli, crispy duck leg with jasmine-vinegar syrup, and fried chicken kung pao butter. There’s also an excellent choice of Chinese-inspired cocktails and refreshing iced teas – we love the melon oolong blend.
23 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 4DZ
Visit Tearoom.Bar
Bocca Di Lupo
Jacob Kenedy and Victor Hugo opened Bocca di Lupo in 2008. The restaurant has since received awards and accolades for its stripped-down, honest regional Italian cuisine. Despite the slick Soho surroundings, it’s a family business that feels like a trattoria rather than a glamorous restaurant. The kitchen specialises in obscure and delicious highlights of food and wine from across Italy's 20 regions. Almost everything is homemade, from the breads, sausages, salame, pickles and mostarda down to the pasta – the artichoke and ricotta ravioli is an SL favourite. Be sure to arrive with plenty of time to try a couple of wines, and save space for dessert and coffee.
12 Archer Street, Soho, W1D 7BB
Visit BuccoDiLupo.com
BEST FOR COVENT GARDEN THEATRES
J Sheekey
Sienna Miller, Suki Waterhouse, Poppy Delevingne and Kiera Knightley have all shown their faces at this Covent Garden institution – not to mention the famous actors who come for the oysters and champagne post-show. Launched in the 1800s, this seafood-focused hotspot is now owned by the group behind The Ivy. Highlights from the à la carte menu include monkfish and tiger prawn tikka masala, Cornish fish stew with garlic mayo, and shrimp and crab burgers. For a romantic evening, we recommend ordering one of the towering seafood platters to share – plus a bottle of champagne. Get there late, and you might just spot a couple of famous faces, fresh from the stage.
28-32 St Martin's Court, Covent Garden, WC2N 4AL
Visit J-Sheekey.co.uk
Frenchie
The original Frenchie is in Paris, but the London outpost has steadily established itself as a destination restaurant for discerning diners. Open from Wednesdays to Sundays, the main dining room feels cosy and intimate, while there are seats at the bar for those after a quick meal. The pre-theatre menu is served between 5.30-6pm and features dishes like smoked seabream carpaccio, truffle agnolotti with comté broth, Cornish pollock with jerusalem artichokes, and banoffee pie with nutmeg and caramelised pecans.
16 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8QH
Visit FrenchieCoventGarden.com
Barrafina Mariscos
Barrafina’s Drury Lane site recently relaunched as Barrafina Mariscos. The menu showcases the best produce from Spanish and British waters cooked via classic Spanish methods. Fish is served whole and charred on the Josper grill for those who want to share, or filleted and cooked on the plancha for individual dishes – think more unusual catches, such as scorpion fish. You can also choose from tapas plates, small meat dishes like presa Ibérica and grilled ox tail, and an excellent selection of European wines.
43 Drury Lane, Covent Garden, WC2B 5AJ
Visit Barrafina.co.uk
BEST FOR WEST END THEATRES
Wild Honey St James
Anthony Demetre’s Wild Honey received its first Michelin star this year. The restaurant offers elegant French fine dining at a surprisingly affordable price point – three courses come in at just £35. The ‘Early Supper’ menu is served from 5pm to 6.45pm in the grand dining room, with a rotation of seasonal dishes. Currently, diners can choose from celeriac velouté with chanterelles and pear; mussels with blood orange; Cornish cod with leeks and charlotte potatoes; and pine nut and salted butter custard tart.
8 Pall Mall, St James’s, SW1Y 5NG
Visit WildHoneyStJames.co.uk
A Wong
A Wong brings the kitchen experience to the dining table – you can sit just centimetres away from the chefs. Michelin-starred Andrew Wong himself is often on hand to talk guests through the meal, which celebrates traditional Cantonese dishes inspired by the food and flavours across multiple Chinese provinces. Get there early and go for the five-course ‘Touch of the Heart’ menu, which features the likes of crab claw with tomato and wasabi, pork and prawn dumpling with pork crackling, grilled chilli butter turbot and peking duck with seared foie gras and plum sauce.
70 Wilton Road, Pimlico, SW1V 1DE
Visit AWong.co.uk
BEST ALONG THE RIVER
No. Fifty Cheyne
The old Cheyne Walk Brasserie was reborn as No. Fifty Cheyne a few years ago. Owner Sally Greene lives nearby, so it’s little wonder she’s made absolutely certain her neighbourhood restaurant is a gem. Arrive early to make best use of the ruby red Cocktail Bar before heading down to the ground-floor restaurant for a pre-theatre meal with views of the Thames. Roasted Orkney scallop with sage and bacon or steak tartare with bloody mary sauce gets our vote for starters, while main courses include dishes from the grill plus Cornish hake and fennel ragout, and roasted cep and pearl barley risotto. This is a great spot if you’re heading to the Royal Court or Chelsea Theatre.
50 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, SW3 5LR
Visit FiftyCheyne.com
Swan At The Globe
For great riverside views, Swan at the Globe is an elegant restaurant set over three floors in an adjoining building of the historic playhouse. Guests can enjoy cocktails at the bar before sitting in the main dining room when the theatre is open during the spring and summer months. The pre-theatre menu showcases the best of British produce with seasonal dishes like ham hock terrine on sourdough toast, Welsh lamb with spring vegetables and wild garlic, and bakewell tart with crème fraiche.
21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, SE1 9DT
Visit SwanLondon.co.uk
Gunpowder
With three sites across London, Gunpowder is where those in the know go for a great curry. Head to the Soho restaurant if you’re going to a West End show, otherwise make a beeline for Gunpowder Tower Bridge which is in walking distance of Bridge Theatre, Unicorn Theatre and Southwark Playhouse. The pre-theatre menu costs just £23 for three courses, which are served in the atmospherically lit dining room to the sound of Bollywood music. Dishes currently include Bengali beetroot croquettes; tandoori chicken; duck leg with andhra sambal and parsnips; and a triple chocolate brownie.
4 Duchess Walk, Tower Bridge, SE1 2SD
Visit GunpowderRestaurants.com
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