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We've already told you where to get the best set lunch deals in London - but another way to eat well at a bargain price is through the humble theatre menu. Available for a short period pre (and sometimes post) the curtain going up, these menus offer great value at some of London's top dining destinations. We've kept our choice centred around London's main theatre districts.
West End
These restaurants are perfect for all the theatres in the centre of town including those along Shaftesbury Avenue, through into Drury Lane and along Aldwych.
Manzi's
1 Bateman's Buildings, Soho, London W1D 3EN
This huge seafood restaurant in Soho comes from the same group that owns The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel. It has a dramatic look and the bar's great too.
Offer: Two courses £19.50, three courses £24.50
Available: Mon to Fri until 6.30pm
Fallow
St James - 2 St James’s Market, London SW1Y 4RP
This hot St James restaurant is big on sustainability, everything is super seasonal and focuses mainly on British and Irish produce. The mushroom parfait is a must-have if it's available.
Offer: Three courses for £46
Available: Mon to Fri 5-6pm
Nomad
Covent Garden - 28 Bow St, London WC2E 7AT
Boutique US hotel group NoMad came to London and took over an old magistrates court, giving it one of the most impressive-looking dining rooms in town.
Offer: Two courses for £45
Available: Pre-theatre only
STK
336-337 Strand, London WC2R 1HA
This steak restaurant can be a little more lively than some. There will definitely be some steak on the set menu here, and you might also get the option for a cheeseburger.
Offer: Two courses £28, three courses £34
Available: Pre-theatre
Mildreds
Covent Garden - 79 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4AA
If you're looking for a plant-based/vegan option before heading to the theatre, this outpost of Mildreds is a good bet, with options like amba chick’n kebabs and spinach gyoza on the menu.
Offer: Two courses for £24, or three for £32
Available: Mon to Fri 3pm - 7pm
Balthazar
4-6 Russell Street, London WC2B 5HZ
Originating in New York, the London Balthazar is a popular Covent Garden destination. Expect brasserie-style food in an impressive dining room.
Offer: Two courses £24.50, three courses £27.95
Available: Mon - Fri 11am - 7pm
Bocca di Lupo
12 Archer St, Soho, London W1D 7BB
Jacob Kenedy's longstanding Soho spot is a top place for seasonal Italian food. Best place to perch? Up at the counter.
Offer: £15 for starter and main, add £5 for dessert and coffee.
Available: Monday to Friday until 6.30pm
Brasserie Zedel
20 Sherwood Street, London W1F 7ED
This huge basement restaurant in the heart of Piccadilly is surprisingly affordable for such a central and lavish restaurant. The prix fixe isn't strictly a theatre menu, but still represents a great deal - and it's available all day.
Offer: Two courses £16.95, three courses £19.75.
Available: All-day, every day.
Cafe Murano
36 Tavistock Street, London WC2E 7PB
This is Angela Hartnett's more casual offering. It serves regionally focused Italian dishes in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.
Offer: Two courses for £25, three for £30.
Available: Monday - Saturday from 5pm-7pm
Clos Maggiore
33 King St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8JD
Clos Maggiore is often touted as one of the most romantic restaurants in London and is blessed with a fantastic-looking (and heated) courtyard. Expect a classic French menu and a huge wine list too.
Offer: Two courses (with fizz) for £32.50, three with fizz for £39.50
Available: Mon - Friday, 5-6pm
Cora Pearl
30 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8NA
This restaurant comes from the same people behind Kitty Fisher's. Expect a modern European menu - and maybe get their famed cheese toastie as an added extra. They'll even ask you what time curtain up for your show is to make sure you don't miss it.
Offer: Two courses for £26, three courses for £30.
Available: 5.30pm - 6.15pm
The Delaunay
55 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BB
One of the ever-reliable Wolseley Hospitality Group restaurants, this is extremely handy for a pre or post-theatre visit, with a classic central-European menu on offer.
Offer: Two courses £29.75, three courses £34.75
Available: The prix fixe is on all the time
Frenchie
16 Henrietta St, Covent Garden London WC2E 8QH
This is the London outpost of the popular Parisian restaurant. Expect a French/European menu, specifically using local British ingredients.
Offer: Two courses for £29 or three courses for £34
Available: Mon to Sat, 5.30-6pm.
Hawksmoor Air Street & Hawksmoor Seven Dials
5a Air Street, London, W1J 0AD and 11 Langley Street, London WC2H 9JG
Hawksmoor's two central steak emporiums aren't usually considered the most affordable affairs, but their express menu does give you a taste of Hawksmoor at a very good price, leaving you more to spend on their cocktails...
Offer: Two courses £27, three courses £31
Available: Air St: Mon-Sat 5pm-6.30pm, Seven Dials: 5-6.30pm and 9pm.
Ivy Market Grill
1 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PS
A spin-off of the London institution, The Ivy, this Covent Garden spot serves up all the usual brasserie fare. Their weekday set menu is the option to go for when looking for a pre or post-theatre deal.
Offer: Two courses £18.95, three courses £23.95.
Available: Mon-Wed till 10pm, Thurs/Fri till 6.15pm.
Margot
45 Great Queen St, London WC2B 5AA
This high-end Italian restaurant in Covent Garden has a strong focus on service and it's one of the smartest Italian restaurants in the area.
Offer: Two courses for £39, three courses for £43.
Available: Tues to Sat 5-6.30pm
NOPI
21-22 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NE
One of Yotam Ottolenghi's two main central London restaurants, it focuses on sharing dishes of Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine.
Offer: Five dishes to share, £35 per person, £51with wine
Available: Mon - Fri - 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Social Eating House
58 Poland St, London W1F 7NR
This is Jason Atherton's Soho restaurant and is billed as a contemporary bistro. The bar here is well worth a look as is opting for the cocktail-included theatre menu given their strengths in that department.
Offer: Two courses 329.50, three courses £35 (£43 with cocktail)
Available: Tues – Fri 5.45pm - 6.30pm
Spring
Somerset House, New Wing, Lancaster Place, London WC2R 1LA
This is Skye Gyngell's restaurant at Somerset House where there's a strong focus on sustainability. The set menu is a "scratch" menu that specifically makes use of ‘waste’ produce.
Offer: Three courses - £30
Available: Tues-Sat 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Sushisamba Covent Garden
The Opera Terrace Covent Garden, The Piazza, London WC2E 8RF
It may not have the view of the City original, but this Sushisamba is in an impressive central Covent Garden position. Here, the food is a mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine.
Offer: Three courses £36
Available: Monday – Friday, 12pm - 6pm and after 10pm
Wiltons
55 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6LX
One of London's oldest and most prestigious restaurants, the seasonal menu here may be one of the pricier theatre menus but it does have an option of half a dozen oysters to start.
Offer: Two courses £39.95, three courses £47.95
Available: Mon - Sat 5.30pm - 7pm
Victoria
Heading to a production at the Victoria Palace or Apollo Victoria? Here's where to eat pre and post-performance.
The Palm House
150 Victoria St, Westminster, London SW1E 5LB
Part of the big Nova complex, this is a lively place that's particularly good for groups and very close to the theatres near here.
Offer: Two courses £23.50, three courses £29.50.
Available: Mon-Fri 5pm - 8pm.
Lorne
76 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1DE
This restaurant in Victoria has an ex-sommelier from River Cafe and a chef from Brawn, so expect a particularly good wine list and a modern British seasonal menu to match with it.
Offer: Two courses £29, three courses £34.
Available: Tues-Sat 5.30pm - 6.15pm
Rail House Victoria
8 Sir Simon Milton Sq, London SW1E 5DJ
The Victoria sibling to the Riding House Cafe, this is a contemporary brasserie focusing on Modern European and Asian dishes. There's an extensive counter dining area, so well worth popping in, even if you haven't booked.
Offer: Three courses £28
Available: Mon-Sat 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Stoke House
81 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0AJ
Nova Victoria spot Stoke House is all about the meat which is cooked in the wood fire smoker, but there’s also an in-house salad wall.
Offer: Two courses for £20, three for £25
Available: Mon-Sat, 3pm-7pm
South Bank
For all the theatres and performance spaces ranged along the South Bank, these are the handiest restaurants for theatre dinners.
Lasdun
National Theatre, Upper Ground, London SE1 9PXAddress
The people behind Hackney's hugely popular pub, The Marksman run this restaurant in The National Theatre, making good use of the Brutalist architecture while serving up a brasserie-style menu that features many of the hits from their pub, including a truly great pie.
Offer: Two courses £32, three courses £38
Available: TBC
Skylon
Belvedere Rd, Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 8XX
This D&D restaurant on the river is part of the Royal Festival Hall and has huge windows giving a very impressive view of the Thames. That's paired with a modern European menu.
Offer: Two courses £30, three courses £35
Available: Wed-Sat. Until 6.30pm and 9pm - 10pm
Tower Bridge
Booked in to see a performance at the Bridge Theatre? Here's where to eat close by.
The Coal Shed
One Tower Bridge, 4 Crown Square, London SE1 2RZ
Originally from Brighton, this restaurant is mainly about steak and grilled food and even the set menu has a steak option available.
Offer: Two courses £26
Available: Mon-Sat 5pm - 6.30pm
Gunpowder
One Tower Bridge, 4 Crown Square, London SE1 2SE
Gunpowder is an Indian restaurant that bills itself as "celebrating traditional family recipes with a modern twist" with lots of small plates available.
Offer: Two courses £22, three courses £25
Available: Mon-Sat 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Ivy Tower Bridge
One Tower Bridge, Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 2AA
The closest restaurant to The Bridge Theatre (it's right next door), this puts the Ivy's modern brasserie offering right in front of Tower Bridge.
Offer: Two courses £18.95, three courses £23.95
Available: Mon-Wed until 10pm, Thurs-Fri until 6.30pm
Le Pont de la Tour
The Butlers Wharf Building, 36d Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE
Just a short walk from The Bridge Theatre, this longstanding restaurant has spectacular terrace views of Tower Bridge and features a modern French menu.
Offer: Two courses £30, three courses £35 including a glass of Mirabeau rose
Available: Every day 5.30pm - 7pm
Also see - set lunch deals
Going to a matinee? Here's how you can save money on lunch
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