Mamma Mia! has been running in the West End since 1999, which happens to be the year we opened on Bow Street. It moved to the Novello Theatre on the Aldwych in 2012 and has been there ever since.
The show is set on a Greek island, so there is nothing strictly Italian about it. But the crowd it draws and the evening it creates are a very good match for the kind of dinner we do. Groups, celebrations, people who want a proper meal before they spend three hours singing along to ABBA. We see a lot of them.
The Novello, and how to get there from us
The Novello Theatre is on the Aldwych, at the eastern edge of Covent Garden where the Strand curves. It is one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre a little further along, and the two get confused regularly enough that it is worth checking your ticket.
From Bow Street, walk south. Bow Street becomes Wellington Street, and Wellington Street runs down to the Strand. Turn left and the Novello is a short way along on your left as the Strand meets the Aldwych.
Around seven minutes on foot for most people. It is a straight route with no complications, and it takes you past the Royal Opera House and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the way, which makes it a pleasant walk rather than a chore.
Timing an evening around a 7.30pm curtain
Evening performances at the Novello are usually at 7.30pm, with matinees on selected days. Check your ticket.
Book your table for 5.30pm. Two hours before the curtain sounds generous, and for a couple it is. For a group of eight it is exactly right.
Groups take longer than people expect. Everyone arrives at slightly different times, the ordering takes fifteen minutes, and somebody always wants to work out the bill in a complicated way at the end. None of that is a problem if you have built in the time. All of it is a problem if you booked for 6.30pm.
If you are a group of six or more heading to a show, call us rather than booking online. We will put you somewhere the table works, and we will run the kitchen around your curtain time.
The group ordering advice nobody gives you
Most articles about pre-theatre dining tell you what is good. Here is what actually makes a group dinner run smoothly before a show.
Order starters to share. Our Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil and the Calamari both work well in the middle of a table, and sharing starters cuts fifteen minutes off the whole evening compared with everyone ordering their own.
Pasta is the right choice for a group. It arrives together, it eats at the same speed for everyone, and nobody is left waiting while one person’s steak rests. The Spaghetti Bolognese, the Lasagne alla Bolognese, the Pennette Arrabbiata and the Tagliatelle con Pollo e Crema cover most preferences in one round.
Have at least one vegetarian option agreed in advance. We have a full vegetarian selection rather than one token dish, so this is easy with us, but knowing before you sit down saves a conversation.
Decide about dessert before the mains arrive.Our homemade Tiramisu is what most tables order and it is worth ordering, but a group deciding on dessert at 7.05pm is a group that misses the opening number.
Ask for the bill when the desserts land. Not after. This is the single change that saves the most time on a group theatre night.
Hen parties, birthdays and the rest of it
Mamma Mia! attracts celebrations. We get a lot of hen parties, milestone birthdays and groups of friends who have organised this for months.
If your table is one of those, tell us. We would rather know in advance than have someone stand up with a cake we were not expecting. We can seat you where the noise works for everyone, including you, and we can pace the meal so that the celebration part happens before you need to leave.
One honest note. We are a traditional Italian dining room, not a party venue. It is warm, low-lit and it works beautifully for a lively table of ten who want a proper dinner. If you are looking for somewhere to keep going until midnight, that is a different kind of place and we would rather say so than disappoint you.
For anything larger or more involved, we do host private parties and celebrations, and that is worth a conversation rather than a booking form.
If you would rather eat afterwards
The Novello comes down at around 10.15pm for an evening performance. We serve until 11pm Monday to Saturday and until 10pm on Sundays.
Seven minutes back up Wellington Street puts you at our door at about 10.25pm, which is enough for a dessert and a coffee but not a full dinner. If that is the plan, call us and we will tell you honestly whether it works at night.
The matinee route is better. Come out at around 5.15pm and eat properly with the whole evening ahead of you. It is also a much easier way to organise a group, because nobody has to leave work early.
A few practical things
Book when you book the tickets. Mamma Mia! fills the Novello and the surrounding restaurants fill with it. Between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on a performance night, every table in Covent Garden is spoken for.
Covent Garden station is two minutes from us, on the Piccadilly line, though it queues badly at peak times. Temple and Holborn are alternatives if you are coming to the theatre directly.
Tell us the curtain time. It changes how your table is run, and it costs you nothing to mention.
**We are open from midday** every day, so lunch before a matinee is straightforward. Our daily lunch menu runs from noon.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I eat before Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre?
There is plenty of choice in Covent Garden. We are at 7–8 Bow Street, opposite the Royal Opera House, about a seven-minute walk from the Novello on the Aldwych.
What time should I book dinner before a 7.30pm show?
Book for 5.30pm, particularly if you are in a group. Two hours allows a relaxed dinner, the walk down Wellington Street and time to be seated properly.
Can you take a large group before the theatre?
Yes. For six or more, please call us on 020 7379 6659 rather than booking online so we can arrange the table and pace the meal around your curtain time.
Do you cater for vegetarians?
We do, with a full vegetarian selection on the menu rather than one or two token options.
Do you have a pre-theatre menu?
Yes. Our set menu for theatregoers is designed to be eaten comfortably and finished in good time for the curtain.
Come and find us
La Ballerina is at 7–8 Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7AH, opposite the Royal Opera House. Open Monday to Saturday from midday until 11pm, and Sundays from midday until 10pm.
Book on our website or call us on 020 7379 6659.
