Dinner and a show – it’s a classic combination – but not a particularly cheap one most of the time. Luckily we’ve rounded up the best places to find pre and post-theatre menus. Whether you fancy fine dining at temples of gastronomy like Koffman’s and Gymkhana for a fraction of the price, or you’re looking for some cheap ‘n’ cheerful brasserie fare in Covent Garden we’ve got it covered. So if you’re off to see a play, a musical, a comedy night, or you just want to enjoy an early or late dinner, let Harden’s be your guide to the West End’s best evening set menus…
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon WC2
Mon-Fri, 5.30-6 pm: 3 courses £38/£59 with matching wines.
4 courses £43/£68 with matching wines.
“Delightful and meticulous” delicacies – eaten on high stools, many beside the open kitchen – help justify the vertiginous prices (the “steal of a set lunch” aside) at this “glamorous” Covent Garden outpost of the Parisian über-chef; as the formula dates, though, reporters find the place increasingly “overrated”.
Pre theatre available 5.30-7 pm. Post theatre available from 10-10.45 pm.
3 courses £35 pp with coffee and petit fours.
“High-end Indian food cooked to perfection” and “incredibly helpful” staff help win rave reports for this “extremely civilised” and “classy” Mayfair stalwart; if there is a reservation, it’s the basement setting.
Mon-Sat, 5.30-6.30 pm: 2 courses £29. 3 courses £35
Duo of pairing wines £16, additional dessert pairing wine £6
“Atul Kochhar is a master of spicing” and “continues to delight with the innovative interpretation of Indian cuisine”, at his “slick and showy” Mayfair operation; its ratings slipped a notch this year though – perhaps there’s just more competition than once there was?
Mon-Sun, 6-6.30 pm: 3 courses £28.
“Masterful chef” Pierre Koffmann – the man who made La Tante Claire London’s best restaurant of the ’90s – is truly back with a vengeance at this Knightsbridge venue, though nowadays his “faultless” Gallic gastronomy seems more “gutsy” than of old; the deep-basement setting, though, will never truly sparkle.
Mon-Fri, 6-6.45 pm: 3 courses £29.50.
“Much improved” since the recent refurbishment, this “relaxed but classy” Mayfair spot is a “good but pricey” fixture, where the food is “reliably interesting”, and whose “clubby, wood-panelled intimacy” suits business in particular.
Mon-Fri, 6-7 pm: 2 courses £24. 3 courses £29
“Colours, tastes and textures are beautifully combined” to create “exciting and delicious” dishes, at Pied à Terre’s Marylebone offshoot; shame about the interior, though – critics say it has “all the ambience of a railway café”.
Mon-Sun, pre-theatre menu 5-6.30 pm. Post-theatre menu: 10.15 pm-midnight.
2 courses £19.75. 3 courses £24.25.
“Like Ol’ Man River, just keeps rolling along!” – this “understated” ’80s brasserie, behind The Ritz, “always make you feel like a million dollars”; its “robust” comfort food “won’t let you down”, but it’s not as dazzling as it once was – the “people-watching” is the more reliable sparkler.
Mon-Thu, 5.30-6.30 pm, Fri & Sat 5.30-6 pm.
4 courses £35 (£65 with wine pairing).
Straight into the super-league of London’s nouvelle Indians, this “unstuffy” yearling, near The Ritz, offers a “sensationally subtle” cuisine, including some “wonderfully original game and other dishes” – it’s “worth the hassle to get a table”.
Mon-Sun, pre-theatre 5.30-6.15 pm. Post-theatre 9.30-10.45 pm, Monday to Sunday.
2 courses £22. 3 courses £27.
“Great hearty British food” – majoring in “meat, meat and more meat, plus a little fish” – makes this “fantastic and buzzy” gastroboozer a very popular City standby, even if at times it’s “so noisy it’s impossible to chat”.
Mon-Sat, 5.30-7 pm: 2 courses £18.50. 3 courses £22.50.
“So good my eastern European wife got homesick!”; this “beautiful and airy” (but sometimes “very noisy”) former warehouse, in Borough, offers some “stylishly executed” (mainly) Polish fare; beware the vodkas though – “they’ve crushed many an after-work drinker”.
Mon-Sat, 5.30-6.45 pm: 2 courses £16.50. 3 courses £22.50.
Maurizio Morelli’s “subtle” venture remains “one of the best Italians in central London”; it stars “terrific” Roman cooking (“magnificent ravioli”), “courteous and respectful” service, and a wine list “that’s an attraction in itself”.
Available for pre-theatre 5.30-7 pm. Post-theatre 10-11 pm.
3 courses with a glass of prosecco £30.
The “opulent” setting may be “amazing”, but this Italian dining room, near Trafalgar Square, has put in a mixed performance since its launch a few years ago; of late, however, it has begun to garner more praise, especially for the “excellent-value” set lunch, and “charming” service too.
Mon-Sun, pre theatre 5-7pm. Post theatre 10 pm-midnight.
“Unpretentious, and reasonably-priced for Covent Garden” – this “reliable” basement Italian restaurant may give little hint nowadays of its fashionable past, but it’s a “friendly” sort of place, and still with a fan club among reporters, especially pre- or post-Royal Opera House.
Mon-Sat, 5.30-6.30 pm: 2 courses £19.50. 3 courses £23.50.
“Who can resist a date with Nelson?” – the “stunning view” from this top-floor dining room in the heart of the West End is its particular attraction; fans are “pleasantly surprised” by the cooking too, though the less starry-eyed can find it “uninspiring”.
Mon-Sat, 5-7 pm: 2 courses £16.50. 3 courses £19.95.
“Lots to look at while you dine” – and “fantastic entertainment” – justify a trip to this flamboyant operatic-themed Covent Garden haunt; without the opera, though, the whole experience would be eminently “forgettable”.
Mon-Sat, pre theatre, midday-7 pm. Post-theatre 10-11 pm.
2 courses £14.95. 3 courses £17.95.
Despite its clichéd looks, this Covent Garden brasserie “does what it says on the tin” – “not bad food, reasonable prices, quick service and a buzzing atmosphere”; “try to sit on the first floor if you can”.
Pre-theatre available noon-6.30 pm and post-theatre 10-10.30 pm.
2 courses £13.50, 3 courses £16.45.
A veteran Covent Garden wine bar, offering “authentic” French staples at “quite sensible prices”, which fans proclaim a “fabulous oasis”… but “it’s the atmosphere downstairs, especially when there is live music, that sets the place apart”.
Mon-Sat, pre-theatre 5.45-7 pm. Post-theatre 10-11.15 pm.
2 courses £15.95, 3 courses £17.95, with a complimentary tea or coffee.
“Nothing really changed since our first visit in the ’60s!” – Covent Garden’s “stalwart” Gallic bistro (in fact, much expanded over the years) is a “romantic” old favourite, with top-value menus at lunch and pre-theatre; the food? – “never surprising, always reliable”.
Mon-Sat, 5.30-6.30 pm, 3 courses £23.
With its “unusual and exciting” cooking, and “charming” and “attentive” service too, this somewhat overlooked Covent Garden outpost of a Delhi-based group is well worth seeking out.
Pre-theatre available until 6 pm. 3 courses with tea or coffee £12.
A “haven”, an “oasis”, “the best Chinese in Soho”… Christine Yau’s “effortlessly pleasing” corner “stalwart” has been “consistent for years” – “maitre d’ William is the host with the most”, and “the food always hits the mark”.
