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Post by firefingers on May 27, 2016 9:36:42 GMT
After seeing Leicester Curve's brownies mentioned in another thread, it got me thinking about theatre food.
My fav are the nachos at Southwark Playhouse, and having done a show there in the last year I get 20% off too. The Gatehouse pub below Upstairs at The Gatehouse used to good for a quick, cheap bite, being a Weatherspoon's,but has been bought out and is now the most expensive pub in Highgate!
What other theatre Food recommendations do people have, and what should be avoided?
(Please don't turn this thread into a discussion on the problems with eating in the auditorium, that's been done to death.)
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 10:11:31 GMT
I rather like the Menier Chocolate Factory which has some great meal deal tickets. Always found the food good and I like the restaurant.
I know a lot of people don't like the arrangement of people walking through to get to the theatre but I only ever go for pre-matinee lunch so not been a problem for me.
Also rather like the Park Theatre for a pre-matinee snack - lovely cakes and comfortable tables upstairs to read a book if you are early.
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Post by theatre-turtle on May 27, 2016 10:24:27 GMT
I like the cakes and snacks from the coffee shop at the national
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 10:24:37 GMT
You could do a lot worse at the Royal Court than a sausage roll and a pot of tea. There's also good cakes and things at the Globe, next to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. (I'm sure the Swan is fine too, but I'm also sure the Swan is fairly pricey so I've never eaten in there, only had drinks.)
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Post by londonmzfitz on May 27, 2016 10:26:33 GMT
Menier Chocolate Factory vote for me, had a really lovely lunch there for my birthday in February.
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Post by theatremadness on May 27, 2016 10:37:03 GMT
I've always had some yummy snacks at the Union - hope the café is still a part of the new building!
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Post by partytentdown on May 27, 2016 10:50:05 GMT
The Globe does a great brownie. The NT has recently started selling these little packs of fudge in different flavours. About a billion calories but MY WORD they are delicious. The Southwark Playhouse meal deal is good - a freshly made wrap/sandwich, salad and a glass of wine (or soft drink, whatever that is) for £7. Royal Court used to famously do the best chips in London but haven't sampled those for many years.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 11:15:38 GMT
The Union Cafe is glorious (and cheap!) and another vote for the Chocolate Factory, had a lovely meal for Mum's 70th before Funny Girl in Feb there.
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Post by DuchessConstance on May 27, 2016 11:19:18 GMT
I don't know if it's to do with being outside and cold but the Globe's hot chocolate is always delicious.
The NT do (did?) an amazing tiffin slice thing.
The Bee (Wetherspoons) 30 seconds walk from the RSC, probably the cheapest food in Stratford UA.
The Court once let us "steal" someone else's burger!
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 11:21:34 GMT
Queueing for returns for Jerusalem at the Royal Court, we were presented with a plate loaded with complimentary cakes, and a sweet "We don't always do this."
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Post by jaqs on May 27, 2016 12:07:49 GMT
You could do a lot worse at the Royal Court than a sausage roll and a pot of tea. There's also good cakes and things at the Globe, next to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. (I'm sure the Swan is fine too, but I'm also sure the Swan is fairly pricey so I've never eaten in there, only had drinks.) Used to work almost next door so used the swan frequently, the burgers are pretty good. |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 12:20:22 GMT
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Post by Phantom of London on May 27, 2016 12:52:47 GMT
Which brings me on neatly that the Food Standard Agency do a sterling job and give anywhere that handles food marks out of 0-5, where 0 being terrible and 5 being excellent, you may have seen their green sticker with a rating on it in shop doorways, however in England this isn't mandatory, but in Wales it is. I think this system is excellent, as it gets the vendor to raise their standards and introduces market forces to close poor places down, food establishments that score below 2 go into special measures.
Also places that score highly can charge a little bit more and this system urges properitors to update their equipment, so puts money in the economy.
I will go into places that score 3 and above, but prefer 4/5 if I can.
As I said I think this system is nearly brilliant in every way, I think in England it should be mandatory that the rating be shown on entrances, just like Wales.
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Post by n1david on May 27, 2016 13:17:02 GMT
As I said I think this system is nearly brilliant in every way, I think in England it should be mandatory that the rating be shown on entrances, just like Wales. Agreed, but there's a natty little smartphone app which will give you the scores of local establishments which is very handy... |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 13:20:34 GMT
Talking of Wales the Sherman have redeveloped their cafe service in recent years partnering with a local business 'Foxy's Kitchen' and they do some nice food. They also do a nice 'Play pie and pint' night as well.
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Post by Jon on May 27, 2016 17:39:35 GMT
Does anyone know who were the first arts venue to have a cafe or restaurant, I assume it would be the National or the ROH, having a restaurant or cafe does seem to important for making revenue, the National has 6 in total plus the Understudy bar and most of the new theatres built in the last five to ten years like the Park, St James etc have a cafe or restaurant, I wonder if Nimax's new theatre which opens in 2020 will have a cafe or restaurant, that would give it a huge advantage over other West End theatres which can't make huge alterations due to their listed status.
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Post by lynette on May 27, 2016 18:56:46 GMT
You could do a lot worse at the Royal Court than a sausage roll and a pot of tea. There's also good cakes and things at the Globe, next to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. (I'm sure the Swan is fine too, but I'm also sure the Swan is fairly pricey so I've never eaten in there, only had drinks.) The Swan is pricey and very very noisy and has weird little stools to sit on unless you can bag a nice comfy booth. But the food is quite tasty. The restaurant upstairs is actually very nice. You have to book and there is a pre theatre menu with enough choice for meat, no meat, fish people. But the service is weak. And it can be chilly in the winter. But the views from the windows are lovely especially on a pleasant summer evening. The food in the courtyard there always looks v nice but I haven't eaten it yet. They do sell nice snacks but then they stopped selling the chocolate covered Brazil nuts. Huh. There is a cafe on the ground floor which sells soup etc but I've never found it a convivial place to sit. |
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Post by joem on May 28, 2016 22:14:40 GMT
Don't often eat at theatres but the RSC restaurant at Stratford is very good and the Old Vic does good honest food.
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Post by lynette on May 29, 2016 10:38:30 GMT
Don't often eat at theatres but the RSC restaurant at Stratford is very good and the Old Vic does good honest food. There are so many food outlets in Strarford the theatre had to come up with some thing good to compete. So they installed a too small uncomfortable and run of the mill sandwich and cakes you see everywhere in the ground floor foyer. Then they put the more expensive restaurant on the top, very nice, weak service and ok food. Good views. You have to book. Allow plenty of time before a show. Opposite the theatre is a Carluccio, again book and a fish and chip shop! |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2016 10:43:50 GMT
Yes, Lynette, but they're trying to make The Other Place cafe a daytime hangout, and the Swan bar has also been rebooted as part of the recent Memorial Theatre wing restoration, ready for the opening of the permanent exhibition there later this month.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2016 10:52:22 GMT
At Bristol Old Vic's 250th Birthday Weekend yesterday, Mike Shepherd of Kneehigh spoke several times of the importance of "delicious food" in awakening people to open up to creativity, giving specific examples from his time as a maverick teacher in the 1960s or 1970s and in the present at Kneehigh's Asylum in Cornwall.
He also gleefully told of his teenage experience in Mevagissey, after espying his neighbour decapitate three of her geese, of returning after dark and burning down the neighbour's geese shed on the stroke of midnight, killing all the geese, which he cited as a seminal moment that inspired his life as a theatremaker.
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Post by joem on May 29, 2016 11:01:57 GMT
Don't often eat at theatres but the RSC restaurant at Stratford is very good and the Old Vic does good honest food. There are so many food outlets in Strarford the theatre had to come up with some thing good to compete. So they installed a too small uncomfortable and run of the mill sandwich and cakes you see everywhere in the ground floor foyer. Then they put the more expensive restaurant on the top, very nice, weak service and ok food. Good views. You have to book. Allow plenty of time before a show. Opposite the theatre is a Carluccio, again book and a fish and chip shop! As a foodie the only really good restaurant I've ever found in Stratford is Hussains, on Chapel Street. As for the rest, all is but toys. Adequate, but unexciting. So I've welcome the RSC's upgrade. |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2016 11:31:07 GMT
Didn't eat there but the new grill menu at the Lyric Hammersmith looked pretty good
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Post by kathryn on May 29, 2016 12:00:08 GMT
On Friday night I discovered the NT pizza van outside The Understudy. Had somehow always missed it before. It was a huge improvement on the usual Kitchen menu, which always seems to be poorly executed. You can't really mess up pizza!
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2016 14:36:22 GMT
DO NOT GO TO THE FISH SHOP OVER THE ROAD FROM THE RSC. Shocking service, mediocre fish, adequate chips, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. If you want a cheap eat in Stratford, stick to the Wetherspoon's, but do yourself a favour and avoid that horrible fish shop.
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