ROH Dining options

[HelenLoveAppleJuice]

I am not sure if the topic fits into this category but I don't know where to put it. It is kind of a general discussion?

Have any of you tried dinning at ROH before? How is the experience? I have been to ROH so many times and the dinning section is the only part I have not experienced... Quite curious.

[Jan McNulty]

I haven't eaten in the restaurant but have had a sandwich there and the odd cup of tea.

 

I find the cafe sandwiches and tea over-priced and bland (although I did get a lot of very bland sandwiches on the plate).

[MJW]

The first time I visited I had some very expensive smoked salmon sandwiches in the Floral Hall and since then I have either eaten out at the Ivy Grill in Covent Garden (when I am with someone) or have my sandwiches in the gardens on the Embankment outside the Savoy (which is quite nice when people watching). I suspect the food is quite expensive.

[RuthE]

There are a couple of threads in the Not Dance forum about places to eat in the Covent Garden area.  There is so much choice that the ROH itself rarely looks like the most appetizing or best-value option.

 

That said I am a great fan of the ROH's catering at open dress rehearsals (Friends' Rehearsals).  They offer a little bowl of pasta (or gnocchi) and sauce for £5 at the bars - ideal given that dress rehearsals tend to be at either 11am or 6pm, meaning that the interval falls just when you might normally be having a meal.  I think they are usually vegetarian-friendly.

[Fonty]

I've eaten several times in the ROH over the years, both in the Amphitheatre and the Balcony restaurants.  The former used to be good value, and was great  if I was going to a performance straight after work.  The latter was much more expensive, but the location was  wonderful.

 

With the Balcony restaurant, you really are paying for the view.  I had a terrific time there once when I went to a performance of the Nutcracker just before Christmas.  Gazing down into the Floral Hall, decorated for the festivities, was really magical.  I loved it.  I would say that the food was ok, nothing remarkable.  It was the atmosphere and the fact that I was dining in the Opera House that made it so special.  

 

The other big advantage was that in both restaurants you got your table for the whole evening.  This meant that you could sit back, relax, and sip your wine  without having to join the crush at the bar during the intervals.  I certainly valued that when I had to rush there after a hard day at the office.  

 

I haven't eaten at the ROH  since the place was revamped with the Open Up project.  I tried to check the Amphitheatre restaurant on the website.  I couldn't even find it.  Is it called the Piazza restaurant now? The photos were not helpful at all.  It could have been the local branch of Zizzi for all I could tell!   When I clicked on the location link, I assumed it would give me some idea where it was in the building.  Instead, it just took me a Google map of the Covent Garden area, showing me where the ROH was located.  🙄

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2019 by Fonty

[alison]

It's a real shame they can't do that pre-performance, too.  I might be interested - as long as "vegetarian-friendly" doesn't mean "Alison-unfriendly"

 

EDIT: Ruth's pasta, I meant!

[Thalia]

1 hour ago, RuthE said:

That said I am a great fan of the ROH's catering at open dress rehearsals (Friends' Rehearsals).  They offer a little bowl of pasta (or gnocchi) and sauce for £5 at the bars - ideal given that dress rehearsals tend to be at either 11am or 6pm, meaning that the interval falls just when you might normally be having a meal.  I think they are usually vegetarian-friendly.

 

The pasta pots are now £6, but I think it’s still a reasonable price for what you get. The offering has been vegetarian every time I’ve been and it’s always been tasty. 

I wish they did the pasta pots at other times, too. If they did that and a glass of wine for a tenner/£12, I’d eat there every time. 

Wishful thinking! 😂

[RuthE]

5 hours ago, alison said:

It's a real shame they can't do that pre-performance, too.  I might be interested - as long as "vegetarian-friendly" doesn't mean "Alison-unfriendly"

 

EDIT: Ruth's pasta, I meant!

 

4 hours ago, Thalia said:

I wish they did the pasta pots at other times, too. If they did that and a glass of wine for a tenner/£12, I’d eat there every time. 

Wishful thinking! 😂

 

Without wishing to take this thread off-topic, an excellent option within a five-minute walk which fills this kind of gap is Farmstand on Drury Lane (next to Barrafina). You get a light supper consisting of a choice of about 7 protein mains (meat & veggie) with two veg or pulse-based sides, for between £6.75 and £7.80 depending on the protein choice. They have recently introduced the option to add a house wine, beer or cider for a total of £10 all-in, which makes it really excellent value, and as it’s canteen-style service you know you can be in and out within 20 minutes without rushing. I eat there at least once a week now as a result.

[alison]

Thanks, Ruth, that's good to know.  Only the other night, I was running late and tried to get to my usual "quick eats" fallback, only to find they'd decided to close at 7 - particularly annoying in an area with so many theatres etc. - so alternatives are always welcome.

[SheilaC]

I treated my sister to a meal in the Crush Bar last May, before a performance. The food and service were no more than acceptable, they had squeezed extra tables in so we felt a bit squashed and the price was high relative to the quality. I shan't be returning!

[zxDaveM]

20 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

I haven't eaten at the ROH  since the place was revamped with the Open Up project.  I tried to check the Amphitheatre restaurant on the website.  I couldn't even find it.  Is it called the Piazza restaurant now?

 

 

 

yes, indeed it is

[Aruna S]

I ate at the Crush Room on my very first visit to the ROH for The Sleeping Beauty in 2008. It was pretty expensive, and while the food was good the portions were tiny. But the whole experience was wonderful, and I always meant to go back but it's probably completely different now. Other than that my only experience with ROH food has been the truffled egg sandwiches served during The Ring, again very expensive but very good. Possibly the fact that I was famished made them taste better!

[Mary]

The crush bar used to be a very special treat indeed but I don't think it is any longer. I once went with a very kind friend who treated me to smoked salmon and fizz ( a reward for some extended baby sitting)  and we sat next to all sorts of ' ballet royalty' in great splendour and peace. But having walked through a few times recently it seems to me they have put too many tables in it and the atmosphere has gone. I don't think I would recommend it.

I have also been treated to the old and the new amphi restaurant as a birthday present.  It is wonderfully relaxing as Fonty says- and so nice to leave your things there. The staff are nice. But the food is average and very expensive inDEED. Also they want you to order everything in advance online using a fiddly system.

If you are seated right in the  middle it can be hard to hear a conversation and it is a bit 'busy.' Seats on the edges are nicer.

 It is less good value than it was-  £35 for 2 rather average courses, extra for wine and coffee.