Restaurants, Bars and Hotels Near the Gillian Lynne Theatre
Now playing: My Neighbour Totoro From £18 Book tickets
Drury Lane sits between Covent Garden and Holborn, so the restaurants near the Gillian Lynne Theatre run from a bakery four minutes from the door to everything the Covent Garden piazza has eight minutes away. These are the ones we send people to.
Totoro goes up at 7pm rather than the usual 7:30pm, which is half an hour earlier than most pre-theatre bookings assume. Book your table for around 5:15pm and say you're going to the theatre.
Eat
- Opera Tavern, Catherine Street, about six minutes. Tapas, and small plates are the right shape of meal when you have to be in your seat by half past six. It sits directly opposite Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- Ole & Steen, Strand, about eight minutes. A Danish bakery that's open from breakfast, which makes it a matinee answer rather than an evening one. Cheap, fast, and nobody minds a child in it
- Balthazar, Russell Street, about six minutes. A big French brasserie serving all day, seven days, so it takes a booking at an awkward hour without making a fuss. The one to pick when there is a mix of ages at the table
- Ivy Market Grill, Henrietta Street, about eight minutes. On the piazza, open all day, and the safe answer when the table cannot agree. Cheaper than the Ivy people mean when they say the Ivy
Drink
- The Piano Works Covent Garden is on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street, in the same block as the theatre. A band plays whatever the room shouts at it and people dance. It's open Wednesday to Saturday only. Do not plan a pre-show drink here, because there is no such thing as a quick one
- Lamb and Flag, Rose Street, about seven minutes. The oldest pub in Covent Garden, trading since 1772
- The Wellington, Strand, about eight minutes. A 1903 interior, recently refurbished
Stay
- Middle Eight, Great Queen Street, about three minutes. Near enough that you can drop your bags and still make a 7pm curtain, which is the whole reason to book it. 180 rooms, on the ground the Kingsway Hall stood on
- ME London, Strand, about eight minutes. Big, modern and busy, with a rooftop bar, and it sits between this theatre and half a dozen others
- The Z Hotel Soho, Moor Street, about nine minutes. A bed near the theatre for less than the hotels closer in
Nearby FAQs
Which restaurants near the Gillian Lynne Theatre suit a pre-show meal?
Opera Tavern on Catherine Street for tapas that arrive fast, Balthazar on Russell Street if there is a mixed table to feed, and the Ivy Market Grill on Henrietta Street if nobody can agree. Book for around 5:15pm, because Totoro starts at 7pm rather than 7:30pm.
Are there pubs near the Gillian Lynne Theatre?
The Lamb and Flag on Rose Street, about seven minutes, has been a pub since 1772. The Wellington on the Strand, about eight, has a 1903 interior. The Piano Works, in the same block as this theatre, is a live-music bar rather than a pub, open Wednesday to Saturday, and it is loud enough that it is a plan for after the show.
Where should I stay near the Gillian Lynne Theatre?
For the shortest walk back, three minutes, book Middle Eight. For a bigger hotel with other theatres in reach, ME London on the Strand at about eight. For a cheaper night so more of the budget goes on seats, the Z Hotel Soho on Moor Street at about nine.