Trying out the midday theatre menu deal at 64 Old Compton Street

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Inside 64 Old Compton Street

What can you tell us about 64 Old Compton Street?

This is one of three restaurants from Soho restaurateur Nima Safei, who also runs 40 Dean Street and, just down the road from this one, 27 Old Compton Street. This family-run restaurant on a busy Soho street has a strong menu of fresh, classic Italian dishes. It's great value too (the portions are huge!), particularly with their recently introduced midday theatre menu deal. 

Where is it?

The name should give that away, and if you're going by tube, Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square are your best bets. 

So what's this theatre menu deal?

On offer from noon to 3pm every day (perfectly timed and situated for Theatreland matinees), the menu is £29.90 for two courses and a glass of wine. 

And what's on the menu?

Short and to the point it features some of the classic dishes the restaurant is known for, so it's a collection of traditional Italian recipes, with some of 64 Old Compton Street's spin on them. Here's what we had when we visited:

Wild mushroom arancini with truffle and smoked mozzarella - with a perfect level of cheesy gooeyness when you pull them apart. 

Bruschetta and pesto, absolutely piled high with tomatoes

Spaghetti with classic homemade beef and pork meatballs, plus the addition of a cloud of Parmesan at the table. 

Funghi and prosciutto pizza with rocket and truffle oil - an absolutely huge pizza this was notably very generous with the prosciutto

Chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream and raspberries - surprisingly light for such a rich dessert

Pistachio tiramisu - also very much on the light side, a highly recommended twist on a classic.

Anything else to mention?

There's a lot more to choose from, like garlic bread with mozzarella, the vegetarian penne arrabbiata and a panna cotta with mixed berries. Of course, if you also fancy ordering something from the main à la carte menu too, go for it (their fried squid is fantastic). 

It's also a good place for groups to meet - there were several there when we dined - and we have to say that the air conditioning is very effective. 

What about the drink?

The theatre menu comes with a 125ml glass of wine, and on our visit the choices were either a Trebbiano or a Sangiovese, both from Puglia (with a soft drink available if you prefer). If you fancy getting more, bottles here start at an extremely reasonable £27. And we'd absolutely recommend one of their cocktails:

Their Blood Orange Martini (£13) and a 64 Compton St Picante (£13) - both strongly recommended. 

I'm sold. When is this available?

If you fancy getting the above for yourselves, the theatre deal is running every day except Saturday, from 12-3pm. If you're heading to a matinee, you should definitely be thinking about this before you roll up to the theatre.