Covent Garden or Soho for pre-theatre: where to eat
Covent Garden or Soho for pre-theatre? Eight set menus near West End theatres, from £17 at Lina Stores Soho to £40 at Chotto Matte, with days and times.
Both work for a West End show, so choose by the kind of meal you want. In Soho, The Palomar serves three courses for £28, Monday to Friday, 5pm to 6pm, and Manzi's has three courses for £29.50 from 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. In Covent Garden, Gaucho Covent Garden runs two or three courses for £18.95 to £20.95, Monday to Saturday, until 6.30pm, a minute from Covent Garden station.
Last verified 15 October 2026. Prices and hours come from each restaurant’s own published menu and are refreshed nightly against the catalogue.
Named on this page
All Set London lists 8 lunch set menus in London and names Chotto Matte for the lowest price (from £14.95), Bill's Soho for the most Google reviews (13,652), Manzi's for serving every day of the week and The Palomar for the one Michelin Guide listing (Bib Gourmand).
- Prices start at
- Chotto Matte lists the lowest price here, 3 to 7 courses for £14.95, served Mon to Fri.
- Most reviewed
- Bill's Soho has the most Google reviews of anywhere on this page, 13,652 at 4.6, on a £18.95 to £22.95 set menu.
- Served all week
- Manzi's is the only one here running its set menu Tue to Sun, at £16 to £20.
- In the Michelin Guide
- The Palomar is the one kitchen here in the Michelin Guide (Bib Gourmand), serving £28.
At a glance
Restaurants in the Michelin Guide come first, then the rest by headline price from lowest to highest.
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Price | Courses | Days | Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Palomar Bib Gourmand | Jerusalem / Mediterranean | £28 | 3 courses | Mon to Fri | Lunch 12pm to 2.30pm |
| Chotto Matte | Japanese-Peruvian | £14.95 | 3-7 courses | Mon to Fri | Express Lunch 12pm to 5pm |
| Manzi's | Seafood / Italian | £16 to £20 | 2-3 courses | Tue to Sun | Lunch 12pm to 5pm |
| Lina Stores Soho | Italian | £17 to £20 | 2-3 courses | Mon to Fri | Lunch Mon to Thu 12pm to 2.15pm, Fri 12pm to 5pm |
| Bocca di Lupo | Regional Italian | £18 to £26 | 2-3 courses | Mon to Fri | Lunch & Pre-Theatre | 12pm to 6.30pm |
| Gaucho Covent Garden | Latin American | £18.95 to £20.95 | 2-3 courses | Mon to Sat | Lunch & Pre-Theatre 12pm to 6.30pm |
| Bill's Soho | British | £18.95 to £22.95 | 2-3 courses | Mon to Fri | Lunch 11.30am to 4pm |
| Bill's Covent Garden | British | £18.95 to £22.95 | 2-3 courses | Mon to Fri | Lunch 11.30am to 4pm |
01 | The Palomar
Soho | Jerusalem / Mediterranean | Bib Gourmand
£28, 3 courses, Mon to Fri, Lunch 12pm to 2.30pm.
Book the bar at The Palomar: The Infatuation writes that "almost all of this fun happens at the bar", and from a stool you watch the chefs send out baby cucumbers with green tahini and crispy chilli. The bread is baked in house every day. The pre-theatre set is three courses £28, Mon to Fri, 5pm to 6pm.
02 | Chotto Matte
Soho | Japanese-Peruvian
£14.95, 3-7 courses, Mon to Fri, Express Lunch 12pm to 5pm.
A robata grill and an Itamae sushi counter share the kitchen at Chotto Matte, where Japanese and Peruvian cooking meet as Nikkei food. Upstairs, a summer refresh added a lounge bar under a large neon wall installation. Pre-theatre is three to seven courses £40, Mon to Fri, 5pm to 6.30pm.
03 | Manzi's
Soho | Seafood / Italian
£16 to £20, 2-3 courses, Tue to Sun, Lunch 12pm to 5pm.
The Infatuation writes that "human-sized mermaids prop up the bar" at Manzi's, the revival of a classic seafood restaurant that once stood near Leicester Square. Its new home is down Bateman's Buildings, a small alleyway off Soho Square, in a fantastic art deco dining room. The Evening Theatre Menu: three courses £29.50, Tue to Sun, From 5pm.
04 | Lina Stores Soho
Soho | Italian
£17 to £20, 2-3 courses, Mon to Fri, Lunch Mon to Thu 12pm to 2.15pm, Fri 12pm to 5pm.
Lina Stores Soho on Greek Street was the first restaurant from a deli that has traded on Brewer Street since 1944, and the pasta is made by hand over two floors. The set pairs antipasto with pasta, or pasta with dolce: two or three courses £17 to £20, Mon to Fri, Mon to Thu 12pm to 2.15pm, Fri 12pm to 5pm.
05 | Bocca di Lupo
Soho | Regional Italian
£18 to £26, 2-3 courses, Mon to Fri, Lunch & Pre-Theatre | 12pm to 6.30pm.
Twenty regions of Italy come through the kitchen at Bocca di Lupo, open since 2008, and the seat to ask for is the marble counter overlooking the open stoves. The kitchen chooses the seasonal set: two or three courses £18 to £26, Mon to Fri, 12pm to 6.30pm. The Infatuation finishes with gelato from the sibling gelateria across the road.
06 | Gaucho Covent Garden
Covent Garden | Latin American
£18.95 to £20.95, 2-3 courses, Mon to Sat, Lunch & Pre-Theatre 12pm to 6.30pm.
Red velvet curtains and brass hang over the parrilla at Gaucho Covent Garden, a James Street site Hot Dinners described as reimagined "in a 1930s style with plenty of art deco touches." The menu runs from squid chicharrón to a dulce de leche pancake, two or three courses £18.95 to £20.95, Mon to Sat, 12pm to 6.30pm.
07 | Bill's Soho
Soho | British
£18.95 to £22.95, 2-3 courses, Mon to Fri, Lunch 11.30am to 4pm.
Fried halloumi arrives under chilli honey and nigella seeds at Bill's Soho on Brewer Street, a short walk from the Palladium and the Palace. Pre-theatre: two or three courses £24.95 to £29.95, Daily, 4pm to close.
08 | Bill's Covent Garden
Covent Garden | British
£18.95 to £22.95, 2-3 courses, Mon to Fri, Lunch 11.30am to 4pm.
Bill's Covent Garden sets its tables in St Martin's Courtyard, a few steps off the piazza. Smoky soy and chilli glazed pork belly with coconut rice and smacked miso cucumbers anchors the evening menu. Pre-theatre is two or three courses £24.95 to £29.95, Daily, 4pm to close.
Soho puts the kitchen in front of you
Soho's pre-theatre tables lean towards counters. At The Palomar and Bocca di Lupo the seat to ask for faces the cooks, and at Chotto Matte the grill and the sushi counter are part of the evening.
The streets are part of it too. Manzi's sits down an alleyway off Soho Square, and Lina Stores Soho is a few streets from the Brewer Street deli where the business began. Both are a four-minute walk from Tottenham Court Road station.
For the wider picture, the West End pre-theatre guide covers every listing, and every set menu guide has the rest.
Covent Garden keeps the piazza a few steps away
Covent Garden's case is the short walk. Gaucho Covent Garden is a minute from Covent Garden station, and Bill's Covent Garden is three minutes from both Covent Garden and Leicester Square. Gaucho's set runs until 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday.
Bill's Soho makes the same case from Brewer Street, with the Palladium and the Palace a short walk away. Both Bill's restaurants start pre-theatre at 4pm every day, and Pre-theatre set menus in London gathers more across the city. New to the format? What is a set menu? explains how a fixed price works.
Questions people ask
Should I eat in Covent Garden or Soho before a show?
Soho leans towards counters and open kitchens, at The Palomar, Bocca di Lupo and Chotto Matte. Covent Garden keeps you close to the station and the piazza, with Gaucho Covent Garden a minute from Covent Garden station. Choose by the kind of meal you want.
What time do pre-theatre menus start in Soho and Covent Garden?
Bill's Soho and Bill's Covent Garden start pre-theatre at 4pm every day. The Palomar runs its set from 5pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and Manzi's serves from 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Chotto Matte, Bocca di Lupo and Gaucho Covent Garden run until 6.30pm.
Which pre-theatre menus in Soho and Covent Garden run on a Sunday?
Manzi's serves three courses for £29.50 from 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Bill's Soho and Bill's Covent Garden run pre-theatre daily from 4pm, at two or three courses for £24.95 to £29.95.
How much is a pre-theatre set menu in Soho?
At The Palomar it is three courses for £28, and at Manzi's three courses for £29.50. Chotto Matte's pre-theatre is three to seven courses for £40. Bocca di Lupo's set is two or three courses for £18 to £26.
Which pre-theatre menus are near Covent Garden station?
Gaucho Covent Garden is a one-minute walk from Covent Garden station, with two or three courses for £18.95 to £20.95, Monday to Saturday. Bill's Covent Garden is a three-minute walk away in St Martin's Courtyard, with pre-theatre from 4pm daily.