The Lyceum has been running The Lion King since 1999. We opened on Bow Street the same year. In the twenty-seven years since, we have fed a fairly extraordinary number of people who arrived carrying theatre tickets and one anxious question: will we make it in time?
Almost always, yes. But it helps to know how the evening actually works before you sit down, and most guides to dining near the Lyceum skip the practical part entirely. So here is ours.
Start with the curtain, not the reservation
Evening performances of The Lion King usually begin at 7.30pm, with matinees on selected days at 2.30pm. Check your ticket rather than trusting a general listing, because performance times shift across the week and around school holidays.
Once you know your curtain, work backwards. A relaxed two-course dinner with a drink takes about ninety minutes if the kitchen knows you are going to a show. Add ten minutes to walk. Add fifteen minutes to find your seat, use the cloakroom and buy a programme without sprinting.
That means a 7.30pm curtain works comfortably from a 5.45pm or 6pm table. Book at 6.30pm and you will eat well, but you will be watching the clock through dessert, and nobody enjoys tiramisu at speed.
If you would rather not do the arithmetic, tell us your curtain time when you book. We will pace the evening around it. Our pre-theatre set menu exists precisely for this, and it is built to be served, eaten and finished inside that window without anyone hurrying you.
The walk from Bow Street to the Lyceum
We are at 7–8 Bow Street, directly opposite the Royal Opera House. The Lyceum sits on Wellington Street, which is close enough that most guests are genuinely surprised.
Turn left out of our door and walk south along Bow Street. Bow Street becomes Wellington Street at the crossing with Russell Street. Keep going, past the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on your left, and the Lyceum’s frontage appears on your right before you reach the Strand.
It is roughly five minutes at an unhurried pace. In heavy rain or with small children in tow, allow eight. There is one road crossing and no steps.
That short distance is the whole reason to eat on Bow Street rather than nearer Leicester Square. You are not budgeting travel time. You are just having dinner and then walking around a corner.
What to order when the clock matters
Some dishes are better than others before a show. This is not about speed of service so much as how you feel two hours later, sitting still in a warm auditorium.
Order these before the curtain. Our handmade pasta is the obvious answer, and there is a reason it is what most theatre guests choose. Spaghetti Carbonara, Tagliatelle con Pollo e Crema, or the Pennette Arrabbiata if you want something with a bit of heat. Linguine Pescatore is our seafood pasta and it eats lighter than it looks. For a starter, the Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil is the right weight before a long sit.
Think twice about these. A full Bistecca al Pepe is a wonderful thing, but it is a proper dinner and it deserves an evening that does not end with a two-and-a-half-hour musical. Same with the Risotto Pesce, which is a dish to linger over. Save them for the night you come after the show instead.
If you want dessert, order it with your main. This is the single most useful thing we can tell you. Ask the kitchen to bring the Tiramisu out as soon as your plates are cleared and you buy yourself fifteen minutes. Our tiramisu is made in our own kitchen, and it is worth fifteen minutes.
Bringing children to the Lyceum
The Lion King is a family show, and the pre-curtain crowd on Bow Street reflects it. We have a dedicated kids menu, and we have been feeding families here long enough to have a few honest suggestions.
Book earlier than you think. A 5.30pm table gives children time to eat at their own speed, which is the difference between an excited child and an overwhelmed one. It also means you are not at the table asking for the bill while everyone else orders coffee.
Feed them properly rather than lightly. Theatre interval snacks are expensive and the queues are long. A child who has eaten a real dinner is a child who watches the second half.
We seat families indoors where it is warm and where a wriggling four-year-old is nobody’s problem. If you need a high chair or a bit more space around the table, mention it when you book and we will arrange it.
Coming to us after the show instead
Not everyone wants to eat before. The Lyceum empties at around 10.15pm for an evening performance, and Covent Garden at that hour is one of the better versions of London.
We serve until 11pm Monday to Saturday and until 10pm on Sundays, so a post-show table is possible but tight after an evening curtain. If that is your plan, call us rather than booking online. We would rather tell you honestly that it will be rushed than seat you at 10.20pm for a fifteen-minute dinner.
The better version of this idea is a matinee. Come out of the 2.30pm performance at around 5.15pm, walk five minutes, and eat a proper unhurried dinner while the rest of the West End is still queuing. This is, quietly, the best way to spend a Saturday in Covent Garden.
A few things worth knowing
Book ahead on performance nights. Every restaurant within walking distance of the Lyceum fills between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. This is not a night to try your luck.
Tell us it is a theatre dinner. It changes how we run your table. The kitchen sequences your courses differently and your server keeps an eye on the time so that you do not have to.
Covent Garden station is two minutes from us. on the Piccadilly line. It is one of the busiest small stations in London and queues for the lifts are common at peak times. Leicester Square or Holborn are often faster on the way in.
We are open from midday, so if you are making a full day of it, our daily lunch menu is there before an afternoon performance too.
Frequently asked questions
How long before The Lion King should I book dinner?
Book your table for two hours before the curtain. For a 7.30pm performance, that means a 5.30pm or 6pm table, which allows a relaxed dinner, a five-minute walk and time to be seated without rushing.
How far is La Ballerina from the Lyceum Theatre?
About five minutes on foot. We are at 7–8 Bow Street, opposite the Royal Opera House, and the Lyceum is on Wellington Street, which Bow Street runs directly into.
Do you have a set menu for theatregoers?
Yes. Our pre-theatre set menu is designed for guests heading to a performance, served at a pace that gets you to the theatre comfortably.
Is the restaurant suitable for children before the show?
Very much so. We have a kids menu and we seat families indoors. Book earlier in the evening, around 5.30pm, so children can eat at their own pace.
Can I eat after The Lion King instead?
We serve until 11pm Monday to Saturday and 10pm on Sundays. After an evening performance this is tight, so please call us first. After a matinee it works beautifully.
Come and find us
We are at 7–8 Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7AH, opposite the Royal Opera House and a short walk from the Lyceum. We are open Monday to Saturday from midday until 11pm, and Sundays from midday until 10pm.
Book a table on our website or call us on 020 7379 6659, and tell us your curtain time when you do.
