Our Pre-Theatre menu is a short, set menu served from 12pm to 5.30pm every day, built for people with tickets for a West End show and a curtain time to keep. You choose from two set menus, the food arrives in good time, and you walk to the theatre well fed rather than rushed.
Below is exactly what is on it, how the two options compare, and how to time your meal around your performance.
The 2 Course Meal
The 2 Course Meal is the simplest way to eat before a show:
- To start: onion bhajee or chicken tikka.
- To follow: a traditional chicken dish with naan and pilau rice.
Onion bhajee is a crisp onion fritter with aromatic spices, served with chutney. Chicken tikka is marinated in yoghurt and spices and cooked in our tandoor. Either makes a light, quick opener. The main is a proper plate of curry with rice and bread, which is all most people want before sitting through two acts.
The 3 Course Special Meal
The 3 Course Special Meal gives you a little more choice at each stage:
- To start: chicken tikka, samosa or onion bhajee.
- The main: tikka masala, butter chicken, mango chicken or original masala.
- Included: rice and naan.
The mains here are some of the most popular dishes on our full menu. Butter chicken is tender chicken in a rich tomato, butter and cream sauce. Tikka masala is tandoori chicken tikka in a smooth, creamy masala sauce. Mango chicken uses a roasted curry sauce with coconut milk and sweet mango, and original masala is marinated boneless chicken in a subtly spiced house masala. If you cannot decide between the first two, our guide to butter chicken and tikka masala sets out the difference.
2 Course or 3 Course Special: which to choose
- Choose the 2 Course Meal if you want the most straightforward order, or you are eating on a tighter schedule.
- Choose the 3 Course Special Meal if you want to pick your main, prefer one of the richer, creamier dishes, or would like a samosa to start.
- Dining as a pair? You could order one of each, so you both get to try a little of the other.
The Pre-Theatre mains are built around chicken, so if anyone in your party does not eat chicken, have a look at our full menu as well.
How to time your meal before a show
The most important thing you can do is tell us your curtain time when you book. It lets our team plan the pace of your meal: when the starters come out, when the mains follow, and when you will want the bill.
Beyond that, a few simple rules help:
- Work back from the curtain. Allow time for your meal, the walk to the theatre and finding your seat. If you have tickets to collect or a bag to check, add a little more.
- Remember the 5.30pm finish. The Pre-Theatre menu runs until 5.30pm, so plan to be seated and ordering comfortably before then.
- Matinees suit it perfectly. Because the menu starts at 12pm, a lunch before an afternoon performance is easy to arrange.
- Early evening performances work too. A late lunch or early dinner leaves you plenty of time, and you avoid the pre-show rush.
- Order drinks early. If you would like a glass of wine or a cold beer, order it with your starters so it does not hold up the meal.
Where to find us
Our Charing Cross restaurant is at 19A Charing Cross Road, a minute from Leicester Square tube and a short walk from the Palace Theatre, the Prince Edward Theatre and the London Coliseum. The theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue are a short walk away too. We are open every day from 12pm, and our West End page has more on the area.
Maharaja of India was established in 1960, and our restaurant sits right among the theatres, so pre-show diners are a natural part of our day. The idea behind the Pre-Theatre menu is simple: good Indian food, at the right pace, so the evening starts well.
Got tickets? Book a table for our Pre-Theatre menu, served 12pm to 5.30pm daily, and tell us your curtain time when you book.
