‹ Before the curtain › West End
Novello Theatre · Aldwych
Dinner before Mamma Mia!
The closest places to the Novello that get you fed and out in about an hour, what to order so the kitchen is fast, and a Book button for the right night. Sit down 90 minutes before curtain.
Sit down at 6pm, pay by 7:05pm, in your seat for the 7:30pm curtain.
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Café Murano Covent Garden
Order fast: Spring lamb spezzatino, or fregola with mussels and clams
Angela Hartnett's relaxed Italian, round the corner from the Lyceum.
Set menu: Two courses £30, three £35, Monday-Saturday 5-7pm
From Hot Dinners' pre-theatre menus, May 2026. Photo like it: cyclonebill, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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The Delaunay
Order fast: The schnitzel
A grand café on Aldwych, steps from the Aldwych and Novello theatres.
Set menu: Three courses and a drink £29.50, all the time
From Hot Dinners' pre-theatre menus, May 2026. Photo like it: Willis Lam, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Joe Allen
Order fast: Baby back ribs or sausages and mash, then New York cheesecake
The London twin of the Broadway canteen, behind a plaque off the Strand. Theatre posters everywhere, made for a quick dinner or a late one.
Photo like it: edseloh, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Spring
Order fast: The scratch menu
The late Skye Gyngell's restaurant at Somerset House. The set menu cooks with surplus produce.
Set menu: Three courses £40, Tuesday-Saturday 5:30-6:15pm
From Hot Dinners' pre-theatre menus, May 2026. Photo like it: JIP, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Toklas
Order fast: The set menu, plus the chips
Off the Strand, with one of the best terraces in the area.
Set menu: Two courses £26, three £29, 5:30-6:30pm
From Hot Dinners' pre-theatre menus, May 2026. Photo like it: Gerda Arendt, CC0.
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Walk times are from the theater's door at an easy pace. Places picked from Hot Dinners' pre-theatre menus and the restaurants' own pages, checked open Oct 29, 2026. Set menus and prices are as the restaurant published them and change; check when you book. Shows from Wikipedia. Something wrong? hello@chefamazing.com. Chef Amazing isn't paid by any restaurant or theater here.
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