11 Dining Spots Near London’s West End to Enjoy Before a Show

Whether you’re a London local or visiting on a trip, you know that there is an endless number of great restaurants to choose from when dining out. If you’re seeing a show on the West End, there are a few neighborhoods to eat in that will still get you to your show with time to spare. Areas like Covent Garden, Soho, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and more hold West End theaters. Now, one thing about London is that there are many different types of cuisines that are represented throughout the city. Whether you love classic British food, authentic Indian, flavorful Thai, delicious French, or fresh seafood, London is a fantastic place to try traditional cuisines from around the world — all in one place.

As someone who has visited London many times, I have firsthand experience at various restaurants that I’d love to share. While keeping my focus on the areas where West End theaters are located, while also keeping an eye out for all of the various types of food that one might want to indulge in, I’ve created a comprehensive list for where you should eat in London before seeing a West End show. Using both my own experience as well as online reviews, you’re bound to find a restaurant that will blow your socks off just as much as the show that you’re about to see will.

Dean Street Townhouse is located in the Soho area of the West End. This restaurant is perfect if you’re hoping to get some classic British dishes but in a more upscale environment. The Dean Street Townhouse is located in a Georgian townhouse that was built back in the 1700s. The interior design makes you feel as if you are inside someone’s lavish London home. There are dark, wood-paneled walls, ornate light fixtures, and interesting artwork, along with modern couches, pillows, and tables that make up the seating arrangements.

This is a great restaurant to visit either before a matinee performance of a show, before an evening performance, or even after the show has finished, as the restaurant stays open fairly late. For the all day menu, you can enjoy various appetizers, mains, desserts, and drinks. Some smaller bites include sausage rolls, scotch egg and piccalilli, and macaroni and cheese. There are great mains that include seafood dishes like monkfish with prawn curry and grilled dover sole. When I visited Dean Street Townhouse, I thoroughly enjoyed the special that was offered — a scallop dish that was covered in a creamed spinach sauce and garnished with peas. There are also some classic British meat dishes, like mince and potatoes, porterhouse steak, and Yorkshire roast chicken. To go along with your meal, you can enjoy a variety of cocktails, as well as wine and spirits.

deanstreettownhouse.com

+44 (0)20 7434-1775

69-71 Dean St, London W1D 3SE, United Kingdom

Cafe Boheme is located in Soho, right off of the popular Charing Cross Road, which leads to many West End theaters. It is a French restaurant that is very moderately priced, so it won’t completely break the bank for a quality meal. With all of the pubs in the area being too crowded to be seated quickly, I saw Cafe Boheme conveniently tucked away with a table free for me to dine. As I checked Google Maps, I was relieved to see that the restaurant had thousands of positive reviews.

Although this restaurant is located in such a busy area of London, it juxtaposed that energy with a quiet, calming atmosphere. At night, it’s dimly lit with light fixtures on the wall, and the decor is very reminiscent of a bar you’d visit in France. On the menu, you can start with some classic French dishes like soupe du jour, steak tartare, or escargot. For a main, you can keep it light with a sandwich or salad — all of which looked delectable going off the tables around me. The main plates are hard to choose from, but I went with the entrecote with frites and béarnaise sauce. It tasted exactly like the steak frites I’ve had in France, and I was fully satisfied with the meal. There was also a great selection of wine to choose from, and the waiter recommended a glass of red that went perfectly with my dish.

cafeboheme.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7734-0623

13 Old Compton St, London W1D 5JQ, United Kingdom

Kiln Soho is right near Piccadilly Circus, which is where many popular streets and of course, West End theaters, all converge. This is a modern Thai-inspired restaurant that is very popular for tourists and locals alike. It has an open kitchen, so you can watch the chefs prepare meals while you immerse yourself in the ambiance of the restaurant. 

The Thai food served at Kiln is specifically influenced by the areas bordering Thailand, including Myanmar, Loas, and Yunnan. The menu even has a warning on it, sharing that many of the dishes can be very spicy, so ask the waiter before ordering. The dishes on the menu are described to be Thailand street food, but you won’t be seeing many traditional Thai dishes. There are meals like Omm of Mussels with Aubergine and Broad Beans, Jungle Curry with Smoked Kippers, Braised Beef Shin Curry, and much more.

Customers on Google Maps seem to be incredibly pleased with their experiences at Kiln. One customer shared that it was the best dining experience that they’ve ever had and that getting to watch the chefs cook the meal added to the overall experience. Other customers noted that the food is always fresh and the flavors in many of the dishes are bold and interesting. One thing to note is that the restaurant only takes walk-ins, so be sure to get there with ample time in order to arrive on time for your show.

kilnsoho.com

58 Brewer St, London W1F 9TL, United Kingdom

The origin of fish and chips stems back to England, so when in London, you definitely need to have some. Hobson’s Fish & Chips is a great choice to scratch that craving. There are two locations around the West End — Soho and Charing Cross. Both West End locations are near several theaters, so choose the one closest to where you’ll be seeing a show. Although Hobson’s is a sit-down restaurant, the service is fairly quick. If you’re in a time crunch, or aren’t in the mood to sit through a full-serviced meal, this is a solid option.

According to Hobson’s, the restaurant gets fresh fish delivered every single day. The staff hand peels and cuts the chips, which are from British home grown potatoes. The fish and chips are prepared in a traditional way, using vegetable oil, which gives the fish that extra crunchy texture. As someone who eats gluten free, I was excited to try Hobson’s, as it offers an entirely gluten-free menu as well. 

I visited the Charing Cross location with a friend who lives in London and didn’t need to try the gluten-free option. He shared that he loved how large the fish serving was, how thick and crunchy the breading was, and how the malt vinegar went perfectly with the natural flavorings. My gluten-free version looked almost identical to my friend’s, and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. It was the perfect quick meal to grab before I saw a matinee.

hobsonsfishandchips.com

Multiple locations

Punjab Restaurant is located in Covent Garden, along the quaint windy roads where West End theater pop up left and right. This restaurant serves Indian cuisine, specifically Punjabi, which is the food that is eaten in the northern part of India. Punjab restaurant is actually the oldest Indian restaurant that serves Punjabi cuisine in the U.K. It’s been open since 1946 and is still thriving today.

I visited Punjab restaurant with my friend, who is originally from Punjab in India but now resides in London. He was apprehensive at first, because he wasn’t sure that the cuisine would live up to what he is used to from home. However, once we received our dishes, he excitedly shared to me that this is exactly what you would receive at a restaurant in Punjab, India itself. He said that the balance of flavors was absolutely perfect and the consistency of the sauces were spot on.

We ordered three dishes to share — the lamb korma, paneer butter masala (cottage cheese based), and acharri murgha (chicken based). They were all very different from one another, which was exciting to get to experience all of the different flavors. I would definitely recommend getting more than one dish per person when ordering. With the meats cooked perfectly and the flavors of the sauces tasting like absolute heaven, I will dream of coming back to this restaurant.

punjab.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7836-9787

80 Neal St, London WC2H 9PA, United Kingdom

If you are looking for an immersive, beautiful restaurant to visit before seeing a West End show, Clos Maggiore is the restaurant for you. It’s an upscale French cuisine restaurant that is located in the heart of Covent Garden. As you step inside, you will be instantly transported to a flower filled oasis. The ceiling is covered with vines and white flowers, creating a soft and romantic atmosphere. At night, the flowers have lights strewn throughout that add to the ambiance as well. With white tablecloths and comfortable leather chairs to sit in, you will definitely feel taken care of while dining here.

The food is inspired by modern European cuisine, and there are a few different menus available. If you are visiting for lunch, it is a prefixed menu where you choose either two or three courses with a glass of bubbles or a non-alcoholic cocktail included. They also offer a pre-theater set menu, which includes the same as the lunch menu does but for a fixed price. You can also choose to dine with the à la carte menu if you aren’t interested in a prefixed one.

Each menu features various dishes, and some overlap with each other. Some of the standouts include steak tartare, classic onion soup, grilled Sutton Hoo chicken, and Tamworth pork lacquered with Moroccan lemon and honey. Many guests on Google Maps share that the food is fresh, served beautifully, tastes incredible, and that the restaurant is incredibly romantic.

closmaggiore.com

+44 (0)20 4580-1174

33 King St, London WC2E 8JD, United Kingdom

The Masala Zone has three locations around the West End — Soho, Covent Garden, and Piccadilly Circus. This is an Indian restaurant, and the website shares, “Our food is uniquely from the true sources of Indian food — the gourmet homes and street stalls across India’s regions.” I have dined here before, and I enjoyed how immersive the restaurant is in both decor and through the service from the staff. It feels like a more upscale dining experience, and it reminded me of when I dined at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, India.

I visited the Covent Garden location, where the decor is filled with ornate lighting fixtures, brightly colored curtains and tapestries, along with gold and silver accents. The decor created a fun and lively atmosphere, and the waiters matched that energy as well. They were incredibly helpful with navigating the menu and led me to make the right choice for what to order. On the menu, you can choose to order your own main dish, or you can opt for a “grazing selection,” which allows you to get five to seven different dishes in smaller portions that are meant to be shared with at least two people.

The menu contains many dishes that people who regularly eat Indian cuisine will recognize — dishes like chicken Mangalore, butter chicken, Goa fish curry, green vegetarian biryani, and more. I went with the butter chicken and every aspect of the dish was utter perfection.

masalazone.com

Multiple locations

The Blaclock is a chophouse that has two locations in the West End area, including one in Soho and one in Covent Garden. Depending on the theater that your show is playing at, one of these two locations will most likely work out to be a walkable distance to the show. Each location has a different style of decor and feel, but both have warm and inviting atmospheres with a modern twist.

One thing that you may immediately notice about the Blacklock is that the prices are fairly low for what you would expect from a steakhouse. The menu isn’t overwhelmingly large, but it does provide a great amount of variety. There are burgers and over 12 different cuts of steaks to choose from, as well as sides and sauces. The steaks, for example, are available at an incredibly decent price. For instance, the sirloin is priced at 20 pounds, while the filet is 22. In comparison, other steakhouses in the area are serving these cuts of steak for about 10 to 25 pounds more.

With the great prices, one might wonder if the quality of the steaks could possibly be that great. Well, according to reviews on Google Maps, customers have endless positive comments about their experience at Blaclock. With sentiments like the beef being cooked to perfection with a tender and soft bite, to admiration for the way the food was presented, it seems like Blacklock is a win all around.

theblacklock.com

Multiple locations

If you’re looking for an upscale seafood dining experience, J Sheekey could be the spot for you. This restaurant is located in Covent Garden by Leicester Square — its practically right in the center of where all of the West End theaters are scattered about. It’s a fine dining establishment, so expect to dress the part. If you visit on a Sunday afternoon, you will get to experience a live jazz band that will accompany you during your meal.

Inside at J Sheekey, there are white tablecloths spread across the tables, photos of old film stars on the wall, and a beautiful horseshoe bar in the center of the restaurant. When you receive the menu, you’ll be able to decide between ordering à la carte or from a fixed menu. The fixed menu is available between 12 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. and after 9:30 p.m. daily; however, on Sundays it’s available for the entire day. With this menu, you can choose between two or three courses, and it also comes with a wine pairing.

There are many classic seafood dishes offered on the à la carte menu, like oysters and caviar to start with, various shellfish options for appetizers, and delicious main courses. The main courses feature dishes like a grilled Dover sole, J Sheekey’s fish pie, miso salmon, lobster thermidor, roast mixed shellfish, and more. You will also find side dishes like potatoes, spinach, and roasted English carrots to round out your meal.

j-sheekey.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7240-2565

28-32 St Martin’s Ct, London WC2N 4AL, United Kingdom

There are many places to get afternoon tea in London; however, I highly recommend Sketch. Afternoon tea is perfect to have right before a matinee, as it’ll get you caffeinated up for the show but nice and full from the endless amounts of sandwiches and treats. It’s located at the edge of Mayfair, near Soho, steps away from Oxford Circus.

Sketch has a few different dining rooms within its building, and all of them serve a different purpose. The Gallery, however, is where you’ll go to get afternoon tea. I visited the Gallery, and it was one of my favorite dining experiences that I’ve ever had. The entire room is a beautiful shade of pink during my visit — they have since updated to golden-yellow — and there was a string quartet who played while I enjoyed my meal. The restaurant was able to provide a gluten-free menu, which was wonderful. The finger sandwiches were absolutely delicious, and I was able to ask for more of my favorite, which for me was the smoked salmon. After sandwiches, you get to indulge in a variety of cakes, pastries, and scones. I’ve never had a gluten-free scone that tasted so delicious in my entire life. As for the tea, there were endless options to choose from, and the staff kept refilling my pot as often as they could. It was an absolutely wonderful experience from the ambiance, to the service, and the food itself.

sketch.london

9 Conduit St, London W1S 2XG, United Kingdom

When looking at places to eat around London’s West End, I considered many different neighborhoods that are in close proximity to West End Theatres. Since this area is quite spread out, I made sure to include options that will cover the entire region — that way, you will have at least one option that will be walking distance to the theatre that your show is playing at. I also wanted to include a variety of cuisines, as London is a cultural hub with people from all over the world who have settled and opened restaurants in the city over the years.  

To make sure that these restaurants actually belong in this list, I used my own experience mixed with reviews from Google Maps. For restaurants that I haven’t been to myself, I only included options that had at least a four star rating with over 1,000 reviews. Ultimately, this list provides a wide range of restaurant options in both location, style, and cuisine that come highly recommended by myself, as well as other customers.