If you have tickets for the Royal Opera House or a show nearby, the easiest plan is a proper meal close to the theatre, eaten without one eye on your watch. Our Charing Cross restaurant at 19A Charing Cross Road is a minute from Leicester Square tube and a short walk from Covent Garden, and our Pre-Theatre menu is served from 12pm to 5.30pm every day.
That window is the useful part. It covers lunch before a matinee, a late lunch before an early evening performance and an early dinner before a later curtain. Tell us your curtain time when you book and we will pace the meal to suit.
Why eat at Charing Cross before the opera or a show
Charing Cross Road runs along the western side of Covent Garden, so you can eat with us and then walk to your seat rather than squeezing onto a bus or the tube. The streets around the Piazza, Bow Street and St Martin's Lane are all within easy reach on foot, and the London Coliseum, the Palace Theatre and the Prince Edward Theatre are close by too.
We are open Monday to Sunday from 12:00 to midnight, so if you would rather eat after the final bow, the restaurant is still open. Most of our guests with tickets, though, prefer to eat first and settle into their seats relaxed and well fed.
What the Pre-Theatre menu includes
There are two set menus, both designed around a meal with a deadline. Nothing is complicated to order and everything arrives in a sensible rhythm.
- 2 Course Meal: onion bhajee or chicken tikka to start, followed by a traditional chicken dish with naan and pilau rice.
- 3 Course Special Meal: chicken tikka, samosa or onion bhajee to start, then tikka masala, butter chicken, mango chicken or original masala as the main, with rice and naan included.
If you are torn between the two most popular mains, our guide to butter chicken and tikka masala explains how they differ. Both are rich and gentle rather than fiery, which suits anyone who wants to enjoy the second half without reaching for a glass of water.
Timing it for matinees and early performances
Matinee and early evening start times vary from production to production, so check your ticket before you book. As a rough guide, we suggest the following.
- For a matinee: book from 12pm and allow enough time to eat, settle the bill and walk over without hurrying.
- For an early evening performance: a late lunch or early dinner works well, as long as you are seated and ordering comfortably before the menu finishes at 5.30pm.
- Collecting tickets: if you need to pick up tickets at the box office, add that time to your walk.
The single most helpful thing you can do is tell us your curtain time. It lets our team know when you need your starters, when the mains should follow and when you will want the bill.
Opera nights, ballet and longer evenings
The Royal Opera House is home to The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet, and some productions are long, often with intervals. That makes a good meal beforehand even more worthwhile. A starter, a curry with pilau rice and warm naan will carry you comfortably through to the final act far better than a hurried interval snack.
If you are going as a couple, a table for two before the performance is one of the nicest ways to start the evening. There is a full drinks list, from Cobra and Kingfisher to wines by the glass and cocktails, if you want to raise a toast before the curtain goes up.
Making a day of it
A matinee leaves the evening free, so plenty of guests pair lunch with us, the performance and a wander around the area afterwards. Our guide to the neighbourhood covers what is nearby, and our Charing Cross page has directions, opening hours and the phone number, 020 3091 3500, if you would rather talk your booking through.
Maharaja of India was established in 1960, and pre-theatre guests have always been part of the rhythm of our day. The aim is simple: good food, served at the right pace, so you arrive at your seat on time and in a good mood.
To eat before your performance, book a table for our Pre-Theatre menu at Charing Cross, served 12pm to 5.30pm, and tell us your curtain time when you book.
