London has a world-class theatre scene, and fabulous local restaurants with quick, tasty and affordable pre-theatre set menus for an early dinner before curtain up.
Now, while we would obviously recommend attending any of London’s theatres if you get a chance, guess what? You don’t have to be going to the theatre to take advantage of the local restaurants’ prix fixe, or fixed price, pre-theatre deals; as long as you’re happy with dining a little earlier than usual, you can grab some serious bargains.
And while we’re on the topic of bargains, if you haven’t booked tickets yet, see our article on how to get cheap theatre tickets in London.
N.B. The listings below are for the fixed price offerings. Do note the times they are available as some have a limited Cheapo window of opportunity.
Soho
Blacklock Soho
Good for hungry meat-lovers
A chop house, in the classic London tradition; there’s not a traditional pre-theatre menu but the ‘All In’ is one of London’s best bargain feeds. Check out the selection of cocktails from £8.00 – and if you have a sudden craving for a burger, Blacklock had a ‘secret’ off-menu one that was so popular it is now featured proudly. Lunchtime menu also available.
Sample Menu: Egg & anchovy bites; Beef, pork & lamb skinny chops on charcoal-grilled flatbreads; Beef dripping chips
Price: ‘All In’ sharing menu for 2 people or more: £27.00 per person
Veg options: None, a la carte only
Available: Monday-Friday 12pm-3pm and 5pm-11pm; Saturday 12pm-11pm; Sunday 11.45am-8pm
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Book here
Norma
Good for Southern Italian/Moorish food with bold flavours
This relaxed but stylish restaurant skirts the very edge of Soho as it nudges into Fitzrovia, but is handy for theatres such as The Dominion and The Shaftesbury. Expect seasonal menus with a regional focus and some really accomplished cooking. Lunchtime menu also available.
Sample Menu: Sicilian caponata or tuna tartare with green chilli, tomato, chives and balsamic; Rigatoni, beef ragu, grana padano or Charred mackerel, pilacca, garlic aioli, sumac
Price: 2 courses £20.00
Veg options: Yes
Available: Monday-Friday 5pm-6.30pm
Nearest Tube: Goodge Street
Book here
Blanchette
Good for a touch of French flair
French bistro restaurant with a sharing plates menu from snacks to larger dishes with an interesting section of cheese and honey pairings. Given that main courses here come in around the £20.00 mark, this is a great Cheapo hack. Lunchtime menu also available.
Sample Menu: Sea bream tartare; Moules marinière; Passion fruit vacherin
Price: 2 courses £19.50, 3 courses £23.00
Veg options: None, a la carte only
Available: Monday-Saturday 12pm-3pm and 5pm-6pm
Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus
Book here
Fatt Pundit
Good for foodies
Cool Indo-Chinese restaurant with a sister site in Covent Garden, much loved by the hard-to-impress London foodie scene, with a relaxed vibe and great flavours.
Sample Menu: Chicken or kid goat momos; Bombay chilly prawns; Szechuan honey duck with burnt ginger rice; Snowflake Gelato sizzling brownie to share
Price: 2 courses £33.50, 3 courses £37.00
Veg options: None, a la carte only
Available: Monday-Friday 4:45pm-5.30pm
Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus
Book here
Hawksmoor (Air Street)
Good for top-quality steak
Theatre-friendly site of this consistently excellent restaurant group, undoubtedly one of the best places in London to eat steak (they are also famously lovely to their staff, which makes me happy to give them my hard-earned dosh). Talking of steak, you can upgrade your main course to a 35-day aged rump or fillet tail for an extra £11.00. Lunchtime menu also available.
Sample Menu: Potted beef & bacon with Yorkshires; Steak frites; Sticky toffee sundae
Price: 2 courses £30.00, 3 courses: £35.00
Veg options: Yes
Available: Monday-Friday 12pm-3.30pm
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Book here
Bocca di Luppo
Good for an elegant lighter bite
Award-winning Italian restaurant from chef Jacob Kenedy with unusual dishes from across all twenty regions of Italy on a daily changing menu. This is also a post-theatre favourite as it is open until midnight, and they have recently changed the set menu timing to start at lunchtime.
Sample Menu: Sea bream; Rigatoni with ricotta, basil, lemon & nutmeg; Bacio gelato – chocolate & hazelnut
Price: £18.00 for starter & main, + £7.00 to add dessert
Veg options: None, a la carte only
Available: Monday-Friday 12pm-6.30pm
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Book here
Brasserie Zedel
Good for impressive surroundings
French Brasserie. Not quite as good under the new management we feel, but part of the fun of meeting friends at Brasserie Zedel is that the entrance is a very modest cafe; once you descend the staircase you enter a glamorous Art Deco 1930s time warp. Go for the good value two-course Prixe Fixe menu.
Sample Menu: Prix-Fixe: Creamed leek & potato soup; Chopped steak frites with peppercorn sauce; Chocolate and caramel tart. Formule: Celeriac salad; Red wine braised chicken; Lemon meringue tart.
Price: There are two set menus available – Prix-Fixe, 2 courses £16.95, 3 courses £19.75 and Formule, 3 courses and a glass of wine £27.95
Veg options: None – a la carte only
Available: All day
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Book here
Gunpowder (Soho)
Good for a modern spice hit
Modern Indian Restaurant. This has an upmarket dining vibe with a selection of small plates, so put all thoughts of Friday night curries out of your head; the dessert wouldn’t look out of place in a French patisserie window. Lunchtime menu also available.
Sample Menu: Gunpowder chaat, Norfolk potatoes; Bengali beetroot croquettes; Tandoori chicken chop; Egg curry Masala; Grilled summer pumpkin; Kale, bhuna aubergine with goat’s cheese salad
Price: 6 courses £29.00pp; minimum 2 people, maximum 4 people
Veg options: No
Available: Monday-Saturday 5.30pm-6.30pm
Nearest Tube: Tottenham Court Road
Book here
Cheapo Top Tip: Combine your pre-theatre dining with some sightseeing and grab a bite in London’s Chinatown – check out our useful guide here.
Covent Garden
Cafe Murano
Good for a touch of class
Upmarket but relaxed Italian restaurant from renowned chef Angela Hartnett OBE, with a focus on seasonal dishes. Lunchtime menu also available.
Sample Menu: Winter minestrone & seven-seeded focaccia; Grilled chicken breast, citrus braised fennel; Hazelnut meringue, chocolate ice cream
Price: 2 courses £27.00, 3 courses £32.00
Veg options: None, a la carte only
Available: Monday-Saturday 12-3pm and 5-7pm
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden
Book here
Penelope’s
Good for a comfortable, sophisticated supper
Velvet banquettes, dark wood and dramatic lighting set the tone in this stylish Israeli/Spanish fusion restaurant; as it’s part of the Amano hotel group, there is also a bar worth heading back to.
Sample Menu: Roasted Israeli aubergine with pico de gallo, date, tahini and soy; Chicken shawarma, amba marinade, ancient grain mujadara; Baklava cheesecake with pistachio and honey syrup
Price: 2 courses £28.00, 3 courses £32.00
Veg options: Yes
Available: Tuesday-Saturday 5-6pm
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden
Book here
Cora Pearl
Good for a modern take on British comfort food
British restaurant named after a nineteenth-century courtesan; foodie favourite known for serving comfort food done very, very well. Don’t leave without trying the legendary chips. Note the brief pre-theatre dinner window of 5pm-6:15pm.
Sample Menu: Parsnip soup and garlic croutons; Sirloin steak & Café de Paris butter; Chocolate cremeux & praline
Price: 2 courses £32.00, 3 courses £35.00
Veg options: Yes
Available: Tuesday-Saturday 5pm-6:15pm
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden
Book here
The Delaunay
Good for traditional, classic vibes
European cafe & restaurant in the old tradition, The Delauny offers a Full Haus set menu. They also have a Menu Rapide with your choice of tarte flambée, a glass of wine or beer and a tea or coffee for £18.50.
Sample Menu: Monkfish tartare; Grilled spatchcock chicken with salsa verde; Black Forest gateau
Price: 3 courses and a drink for £29.50
Veg options: Yes
Available: Monday-Friday 3.30pm-5pm
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden or Temple
Book here
Spring
Good for sustainable, high-end cooking
Skye Gyngell’s seasonal British restaurant in a gorgeous 19th century drawing room in Somerset House serves an inventive ‘Scratch’ no-waste menu, with simple but delicious dishes from produce that would otherwise be thrown away. This is several levels up from the tired veg in the back of your fridge drawer though – think bisque made from fish trimmings or surplus fruit used to make an apricot and almond tart.
It’s an affordable way to eat in a highly-regarded restaurant (most à la carte main courses cost more than this whole menu) but not for picky eaters; the Scratch menu is only devised on the day and there are no choices, just one option for each course.
Sample Menu: Golden Turnip Soup with Greens; Grilled monkfish with slow cooked fennel and peas, crab sauce and crispy cauliflower leaves; Ice cream with caramel & candied citrus
Price: 3 courses £30.00
Veg options: None – a la carte only
Available: Tuesday-Saturday 5:30pm-6:30pm
Nearest Tube: Temple
Book here
Tutton’s
Good for experiencing the buzz of Covent Garden piazza
Old-school British brasserie right on Covent Garden piazza with both indoor and outdoor terrace seating, serving up the classics. Post-theatre dining also available. NB: this menu is not available during December. Card/contactless payments only.
Sample Menu: Beetroot and gin cured salmon; Wild mushroom & marsala risotto; Vanilla crème brûlée
Price: 2 courses £23.95, 3 courses £27.95
Veg options: Yes
Available: Monday-Wednesday 12pm-close, Thursday-Friday 2pm-6.30pm and 9pm-close.
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden or Charing Cross
Book here
Balthazar
Good for familiar French classics
A French brasserie with a set menu that runs from lunch through to mid-evening, this is a good option for matinee lunches as well as pre-theatre suppers. New Yorkers should find enough of the well-known original to feel at home.
Sample Menu: Confit chicken and ham terrine; Beef bourguignon, pomme puree, carrots, baby onions, mushrooms and pancetta; Crème brûlée
Price: 2 courses £27.50, 3 courses £29.50
Veg options: Yes
Available: Monday-Friday 11pm-7pm
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden
Book here
Flesh & Buns
Good for hanging out and/or meeting up with a group
Japanese izakaya inspired, i.e. drinks and small plates – sushi, sashimi, robata grill options and the famous bao buns. The offer includes one maki (sushi roll wrapped in nori), one yaki (one portion is two robata-grilled skewers), and a portion of two bao. Their indulgent desserts start from £8.70 on the a la carte menu, but you can add one to your Sunakku set meal for a fiver; alternatively, swap it for a side of beef fat potato chips or a glass of sparkling sake.
Sample Menu:
Salmon & avocado maki; Piglet yaki; Crispy duck leg with plum sauce, beetroot pickle & cucumber pickle, with two bao buns. Add a S’more (strawberry marshmallows, almond chocolate, graham crackers) for £5.
Price: £30
Veg options: Yes
Available: Monday-Sunday before 6.45pm
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden
Book here
There’s also a Hawksmoor in Covent Garden – Hawksmoor Seven Dials – with the same offer as the Soho site above.
Waterloo
Tas at The Cut
Good for fresh and tasty sharing plates
Anatolian Turkish restaurant dishing up both hot and cold meze, sharing plates and freshly-baked pide bread, with a good choice for vegetarians and vegans. There are a number of set menus that would work as a pre-theatre meal, depending upon how hungry you are and how much time you have; we’ve gone for the lighter version, to avoid you nodding off during the show.
Sample Menu: The Renk Meze Menu is a set group of ten meze including houmous topped with sautéed lamb, tzatziki, borek and falafel, served with pide. The Sahan Menu is a two-course starter and main set menu; think a feta salad followed by a grilled chicken shish, or red lentil soup with lamb meatballs in tomato sauce.
Cheapo Top Tip: Show your theatre tickets to bag a 10% discount.
Price: Both menus are a happily affordable £23.50 per person – or just £21.50 for the vegan option.
Veg options: Yes
Available: All day
Nearest Tube: Waterloo or Southwark
Book here
Paladar
Good for vibrant flavours and friendly service
A Latin American restaurant and wine bar, this fabulous little gem is hidden off the beaten tourist track just moments from the Old Vic and less than a ten-minute walk from Waterloo and the South Bank. For those in the know there is a lovely outdoor terrace, although the interior is also pretty cool; great cocktails, fairy lights, friendly service, plus the art on the wall is for sale.
As a bonus for anyone who doesn’t eat gluten, the food menu is predominantly gluten-free. Lunchtime menu also available.
Sample Menu: Crispy pork belly, arepa, guacamole, agave sriracha chilli sauce reduction; Seared prawns, Colombian Pacific coast salsa, plantain toston, suero costeño; Purple corn churros, coffee dulce de leche & chilli chocolate sauce
Price: 2 courses £26.50, 3 courses £29.50
Veg options: Yes
Available: Monday-Friday, 5pm-5.55pm
Nearest Tube: Elephant and Castle
Book here
Meson Don Felipe
Good for classic tapas and generous portions
Family-run Spanish tapas bar just minutes from the Old and Young Vic theatres and about 10 minutes from the National on the South Bank. Although there is no specific pre-theatre menu, it is a a much-loved local restaurant and a great place to grab a quick, delicious bite. The advantage of tapas is that you can decide on the size and length of your meal, depending on curtain-up time.
Sample Menu:
All your favourites: patatas bravas, pan con tomate, Iberico ham croquetas, paella, garlic prawns, tortilla. Portions are on the generous side, so you might want to order in batches; several of the wines are under £35.00 a bottle.
Price: Tapas dishes average around £8.50 each
Veg options: Yes
Available: All day
Nearest Tube: Waterloo or Southwark
Book here
While we do our best to ensure it is correct, information is subject to change. This article was originally published in Jan 24, 2022. Last updated in December 2024.
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