There is a particular hour in Soho when the matinee crowd starts to gather. Cabs roll up on Shaftesbury Avenue, queues form outside the box offices, and the restaurants along Old Compton Street fill up with people having one last meal before the curtain rises. The pre-theatre menu at 64 Old Compton Street is built for that hour, with two Italian courses, a glass of house wine or a soft drink, and enough time to eat properly before walking to your theatre seat.
The offer itself is a main course paired with either a starter or a dessert, all for £29.90, served Sunday to Friday between 12pm and 3pm. The dishes are pulled from our regular menu, which means you're choosing the same plates we cook for every other guest in the dining room.
A pre-theatre menu timed for matinees
The menu is served Sunday to Friday between 12pm and 3pm, designed for the matinee crowd in Soho. The hours suit West End shows starting at 2:30pm or 3pm, with enough time to sit down, eat a proper meal, settle the bill, and walk to your seat. The plates that come to your table are the same ones we cook for any other lunch service.
The food at 64
Handmade pasta is rolled in the morning, the pizza dough is left to rise slowly through the day, and the classic Italian tomato sauce we use across the menu is simmered to perfection. The pre-theatre offer is a selection from that same kitchen, with a vegetarian option available in every course. You can see the full list of dishes you can pick from on our menu.
A glass of house wine from Puglia, included
The drink included with the menu is a 125ml glass of house wine, either a Trebbiano white or a Sangiovese red, both from the Terre Allegre vineyard in Puglia. The Trebbiano is a light, crisp white that pairs naturally with the lighter mains and the cooler desserts, and the Sangiovese is a medium-bodied red that works well with the heavier pasta and pizza dishes. If wine isn't your preference, a soft drink is included instead at no extra cost.
A few minutes from the West End
64 Old Compton Street sits in the middle of Soho, on one of the busiest streets in the area. Shaftesbury Avenue and Cambridge Circus, both lined with West End theatres, are a few minutes' walk from our door. The route from table to seat is short and the timing comfortable, with no taxi or tube journeys between the bill and the curtain.
