Near the Aldwych Theatre

Eating, drinking and sleeping are all sorted within a few minutes of the door.

Restaurants near the Aldwych Theatre

The Delaunay, on the Aldwych corner, opposite the theatre. The pick, and seconds' walk away: a European café-restaurant that is good rather than merely convenient.

Book the early sitting or the late one, not the middle. The Full Haus menu, three courses and a drink at £29.50, is served Monday to Friday, 4:30pm to 6:30pm and 9pm to 10:30pm only. Either side of the show works; between them you are on the full menu.

Café Murano, Tavistock Street, 3 minutes. Angela Hartnett's polished Italian, and the cheapest proper dinner on this list: the set menu is £25 for two courses and £29 for three, served at lunch, from 5pm to 7pm and again after 9pm.

Balthazar, Russell Street, 3 minutes. A big handsome Parisian-style brasserie doing moules frites, steak frites and duck confit. Its prix fixe is £25.50 for two courses and £28.50 for three, Monday to Friday and on Sunday evenings from 5pm.

Jamie Oliver Catherine St, 2 minutes. The reason to book it is that it will feed a group with a fussy eater and a vegetarian in it without an argument. It sits right beside the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Dishoom Covent Garden, Upper St Martin's Lane, 10 minutes. Worth the longer walk, but it does not take small bookings at peak, so go early or go after. The queue at Dishoom always tends to move very quickly, so don't be put off if you see 40 or 50 people in front of you.

Bars and pubs near the Aldwych Theatre

The Coal Hole, on the Strand, 5 minutes. An ornate old pub built into the Savoy buildings in 1904, with a high beamed drinking hall that is worth seeing on its own account. It fills up at theatre o'clock, so get there early.

Christopher's Martini Bar, Wellington Street, 4 minutes. The Martini Bar is the ground-floor room, and it makes a serious Martini with no gimmicks. The grown-up option before a show.

The Delaunay Bar, on the corner, 1 minute. The civilised choice if you only want one before you go in, and the closest drink to the door.

The Lyceum Tavern, on the Strand, 4 minutes. The straightforward pint, with booths at the back if you get there in time.

Hotels near the Aldwych Theatre

The Waldorf Hilton, on the Aldwych itself, 1 minute. The closest full-service hotel to the door, and that is the whole case for it: no cab, no late tube, just a short walk. Edwardian, with a pool.

One Aldwych, directly across the road, 2 minutes. The occasion choice. Five-star, a swimming pool underneath it, and a lobby bar that is a destination in its own right. If the evening is a present to somebody, this is the version of it.

The Strand Palace, 5 minutes. Big, busy and reliable, with enough rooms that there is usually one free when the smaller places are full. The sensible mid-price booking.

The Z Hotel Strand, 7 minutes. Rooms are small and well run, and the location is what you are paying for. Fine when the bed is just somewhere to go after the show.

Travelodge London Covent Garden, 10 Drury Lane, about 8 minutes. The cheapest bed this close to the door, at the top of the same street the theatre stands on. Basic rooms, no extras, and the saving goes on the ticket.

If you have time to fill

Five minutes away, the Covent Garden piazza runs free street performances most afternoons and early evenings, which is a good way to fill a gap before curtain. The performers work for tips alone, so if you do stay and watch, it is worth putting something in the hat. It makes a bigger difference to them than you would think.