Pre-theatre menus. Three words guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of many a discerning London foodie. Often dressed up as Prix Fixe or Chef’s Menus, theatregoers have long been left to choose between disappointingly subpar set menus or the Covent Garden branch of Pizza Express – neither of which is going to get your big night out in the West End off to a great start.

Well, no more. Never ones to let a smart business opportunity pass them by, London’s greatest theatre-adjacent restaurants have spotted a gap in the market and begun offering pre-theatre menus to rival any a la carte fare. The only downside? You’ll be having such a good time you might just miss the first act.

Claridge’s, Mayfair

Claridge’s may be a little further from the bright lights of Shaftesbury Avenue than some others on this list but, it’s Claridge’s, so you can be sure it’s worth the trip. Recently reopened after a major reenvisioning, Claridge’s Restaurant is now offering a lunch and dinner set menu that promises a taste of its fine modern British fare. Begin in classic fashion with Severn & Wye smoked slamon or English asparagus before moving on to mains of Norfolk black chicken and potato fondant or gnocchi with purple sprouting broccoli. For dessert, it’s chocolate souffle tart or gariguette strawberry Eton mess – and you know there’s no bad choice.

Price: £45 for two courses, £55 for three courses

Close to: London Palladium, Piccadilly Theatre, Lyric Theatre

Address: Brook Street, W1K 4HR, claridges.com

Berners Tavern, Fitzrovia

The wittily named Early Berners at Jason Atherton’s Berners Tavern is available for just 90 minutes each day – so be sure to make your booking early. The two- or three-course set menu promises a brilliant choice of dishes from the more extensive a la carte offering, with highlights including house salad with salt beef brisket and poached egg, ray wing schnitzel with fennel and citrus salad, and a British cheese board. If you’ve yet to try Atherton’s much-lauded fare, make a beeline for this great value menu.

Price: £29.50 for two courses, £35 for three courses

Close to: London Palladium, Dominion Theatre, Soho Theatre

Address: 10 Berners Street, W1T 3NP, bernerstavern.com

Sola, Soho

Michelin-starred Sola is a tasting menu only spot acclaimed for its celebration of Californian cooking. Given the no-choice concept, creating a delectable pre-theatre set menu must have been a doddle for chef-patron Victor Garvey – and he's certainly delivered the goods. Served across five courses, begin with a series of snacks including lox with wasabi, suckling pig with jasmine, and devilled egg before moving on to langoustine hot pot, wagyu with Kalamata praline, hamachi poke, and pear with truffle, vanilla and almond. A seriosuly impressive start to your night out.

Price: £59 per person, wine pairings from £75

Close to: London Palladium, Sondheim Theatre, Soho Theatre, Prince Edward Theatre

Address: 64 Dean Street, W1D 4QQ, solasoho.com

Cafe Kitty, Soho

Deeply embedded in Theatreland thanks to its location beneath Underbelly Boulevard, a theatre created by the producers of Cabaret, Cafe Kitty is the latest outpost from the highly-praised Kitty Fisher's Group. Its concise prix-fixe is a celebration of the restaurant's induglent but sophisticated take on modern British cuisine and features must-tries including ham and cheese croquettes, barbecued aubergine, and sea bass with chilli and garlic butter, served with your choice of indulgent sides.

Price: £24 for two courses, £29 for three courses

Close to: London Palladium, Sondheim Theatre, Soho Theatre, Prince Edward Theatre

Address: 6 Walker's Court, W1F 0BT, cafekitty.co.uk

Norma, Fitzrovia

This upscale Sicilian restaurant located in a pretty three-storey townhouse on Charlotte Street delivers old-school Italian hospitality in spades and is guaranteed to put you in a good mood for the evening's entertainment. Its pre-theatre menu, which is available Monday to Saturday, is a lesson in refined classics just like Nonna used to make. Think: focaccia and olives for snacking followed by chickpea panelle, beef ragu, and Aeolian summer salad.

Price: £20 for two courses

Close to: Dominion Theatre, The Shaftesbury Theatre, London Palladium

Address: 8 Charlotte Street, W1T 2LS, normalondon.com

Penelope's, Covent Garden

Tucked away under one of Covent Garden's newest hotels, Amano, Penelope's draws on the cuisines of Spain and Israel to serve up delectable dishes with a side order of raucous fun. Offering seriously good cocktails and DJs every weekend, stop in before the show for dinner and return for a nightcap that may well extend into the wee hours after. The pre-theatre menu is bursting with Mediterranean-inflected comfort foods, such as iberico pork with sobrasada, chicken shawarma and baklava cheesecake, so make sure you leave plenty of room.

Price: £28 for two courses, £32 for three courses

Close to: Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Aldwych Theatre, Novello Theatre, Royal Opera House

Address: 34-43 Russell Street, WC2B 5HA, amanogroup.de

Sussex, Soho

This elegant Soho brasserie helmed by chef Oliver Gladwin put the emphasis on seasonal produce, game and ingredients that represent the best of Britain. Its pre-theatre menu is an interesting one, designed for two to share and based entirely around a centrepiece beef Wellington served with roast potatoes and seasonal greens. Accompanied by a pre-starter of mushroom marmite eclair, starters of cured trout or cured meats and pickles, plus a seasonal dessert, at £48 per person, it's excellent value too.

Price: £48 per person

Close to: Prince Edward Theatre, Soho Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Sondheim Theatre

Address: 63-64 Frith Street, W1D 3JW, sussex-restaurant.com

Pivot, Covent Garden

With a prime position overlooking Covent Garden piazza, there are few restaurants that boast such close proximity to Theatreland – and great food to boot. Chef Mark Greenaway is behind the pots and pans, cooking up wholesome classics guaranteed to satiate the appetites of diners aged 9 to 90. The pre-theatre here is one of the most extensive on this list, available as a three-course set menu (come hungry) with or without a carafe of wine per person. There's also plenty of choice at each course: having to decide whether you'll have the chicken and hazelnut terrine or the broad bean and pea salad, the chicken with mushroom and tarragon cream sauce or the roast cod, truly is the definition of a champagne problem.

Price: £48 for three courses with wine, £35 for three courses without wine

Close to: Vaudeville Theatre, Adelphi Theatre, Lyceum Theatre

Address: 3 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8LU, 3henrietta.com

The Dining Room at The Goring, Belgravia

If you're heading to one of Victoria's many theatres, there are few better places to treat yourself to a truly slap-up meal than The Dining Room at The Goring. Recently reopened after a major refurbishment, its newly-launched pre-theatre menu is a masterclass in how to offer refined fare without the hefty price tag. Devised as a choice of three starters, three mains, and a handful of desserts, with an array of supplemental sides, ease into the restaurant's plush surrounds as you choose from the likes of acquerello risotto, native lobster omelette, dry-aged Aylesbury duck, and rhubarb and lemon shortbread tartlet.

Price: £80 for three courses 

Close to: Victoria Palace Theatre, The Other Palace Theatre, Apollo Victoria Theatre

Address: 15 Beeston Place, SW1W 0JW, thegoring.com

Sushisamba, Covent Garden

You’d think it would be difficult to top the views at London’s original Sushisamba in the City’s Heron Tower, yet the panorama on offer at the Covent Garden outpost of the Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion restaurant comes close. Enjoying a rooftop spot that runs the entire east side of the Grade II-listed Market Building (the glass-domed structure in Covent Garden’s main courtyard), the Eric Parry-designed restaurant overlooks the market’s historic Piazza, the Royal Opera House and Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Nab a table during a dusky-pink sunset and you’re in for a real treat.

Inside, Sushisamba Covent Garden is even more impressive than its sister restaurant in the Square Mile. A riot of bright colours, overhanging foliage, velvet booths, striking lighting and statement black-and-white floor tiles make this one of London’s most dazzlingly-designed restaurants. The pre- and post-theatre menu is served Monday to Friday from 12pm until 6pm and 10pm until close. Favourites that make it over from the main menu include ribeye anticuchos, tuna ceviche, veggie samba rolls, poussin teriyaki and robata miso-glazed salmon.

Price: £36 for three courses 

Close to: Apollo Theatre, Savoy Theatre, Adelphi Theatre, Lyceum Theatre 

Address: 35 The Market, WC2E, sushisamba.com

Cafe Murano, Covent Garden

Tucked away on a quiet(ish) street just off the main Covent Garden square, this smart Italian eatery from lauded chef Angela Hartnett hits that sweet spot of sophisticated eating in central London that feels neither touristy nor extravagantly priced. This is particularly true of its extremely reasonable lunch and pre-theatre set menu, which will see just £30 buy three courses of some of the most authentic Italian cuisine in the capital. Choose from delicacies including tuna carpaccio, sea bream with Sicilian caponata, and a delightful dolce of plum and almond tart with fior di latte ice cream. Not on the set menu (but well worth making a return booking for) is Cafe Murano's signature, and utterly decadent, gnocchi with girolles and summer truffle.

Price: £25 for two courses, £30 for three courses

Close to: Royal Opera House, Aldwych Theatre, Fortune Theatre, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Address: 36 Tavistock Street, WC2E, cafemurano.co.uk

Nopi, Soho

Long praised for its innovative approach to restaurant dining – which popularised the use of communal tables and focuses on bold flavours and shared plates – it’s no surprise that Ottolenghi’s take on the pre-theatre menu at Nopi is a little unconventional. Instead of being priced by course, the menu offers a selection of small sharing plates with dishes made larger or smaller depending on the number of diners. Highlights include roasted aubergine with tahini yoghurt, sour cherry molasses and spiced pumpkin seeds, and baked cod with spiced red pepper and peanuts. This is also one of the few pre-theatre menus in London to come with a paired wine flight – which is well worth the extra expense.

Price: £35 per person, £51.80 including wine

Close to: Sondheim Theatre, Gielgud Theatre, Piccadilly Theatre, London Palladium

Address: 21-22 Warwick Street, W1B, ottolenghi.co.uk

Dear Jackie, Soho

This flamboyant Italian in the heart of Soho is the ideal place for a pre-show show. Opulent interiors and unbridled glamour mix with a decadant array of pasta dishes, Italian classics and fine wines. Offered in two- or three-course options, the pre-theatre menu at Dear Jackie promises a parade of elegant plates including seabass crudo, burrata with Sicilian caponata, orrechiette with courgette, and pork collar with roasted peach. And trust us when we say it's worth upgrading to try the tiramisu. Buon appetito!

Price: £28 for two courses, £34 for three courses

Close to: Sondheim Theatre, Piccadilly Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Soho Theatre

Address: 20 Broadwick Street, W1F 8HT, broadwicksoho.com

The Delaunay, Covent Garden

Taking its cues from the historic cafes of Europe, The Delaunay is a grand all-day restaurant from the Wolseley Hospitality Group. Located practically next door to a clutch of the West End’s most popular shows, The Delaunay has taken its pre-theatre offering one step further and teamed up with a host of theatres to offer discounted dinner-and-a-show packages. Current partnerships include Cabaret, Hadestown and Kiss Me Kate, while the food offering is of the time-honoured classics variety, featuring the likes of oak smoked salmon, spatchcock chicken with salsa verde, and Bavarian chocolate mousse.

Price: Two courses for £29.75, three courses for £34.75

Close to: Royal Opera House, Aldwych Theatre, Fortune Theatre, Gillian Lynne Theatre

Address: 55 Aldwych, WC2B, thedelaunay.com

Bocca di Lupo, Soho

Founded by Jacob Kenedy and Victor Hugo in 2008, there are few more appetising places for dinner before Les Misérables (showing at the Sondheim Theatre just down the road) than Bocca di Lupo. This buzzy Italian restaurant, which focuses on authentic, hearty regional fare, offers a no-choice theatre menu until 6.30pm every weekday, treating guests to a starter and main for an astonishing £18 (dessert and espresso can be added for an extra £7). The menu is seasonal but currently features insalata mista, fusilli with peperonata, black olive and pecorino, and cannoli stuffed with sheep ricotta, chcolate and pistachio.

Price: £18 (£7 supplement for dessert and coffee)

Close to: Lyric Theatre, Gielgud Theatre, Sondheim Theatre

Address: 12 Archer Street, W1D, boccadilupo.com

Hawksmoor, Soho and Covent Garden

Avert your eyes from the Piccadilly Circus branch of the Aberdeen Angus Steak House and instead set a course for the far better Hawksmoor steak chain, which has restaurants conveniently located for theatregoers on Air Street in Soho and Seven Dials in Covent Garden. The Express Menu, which is available from 12-3pm, 5-6.30pm and after 9pm from Monday to Saturday, is essentially a list of the restaurant’s greatest hits, including its potted beef and bacon with Yorkshire puddings to start, 35 day-aged rump steak for main, and sticky toffee sundae for dessert.

Price: Two courses for £29, three courses for £33

Close to: Lyric Theatre, Apollo Theatre, St Martin’s Theatre, Donmar Warehouse

Address: 5a Air Street, W1J; 11 Langley Street, WC2H, thehawksmoor.com

Read more: The best restaurants in Mayfair