Favourite reasonably priced pre-theatre dinner spot?

[aces25]

Any suggestions? 

[AC126748]

Are you looking for restaurants in the theater district? What do you consider reasonably priced (it's different for everyone)? Does type of cuisine matters? Knowing these things is helpful when questions like this are asked.

[ljay889]

Serafina at the Time Hotel is a good and reasonably priced option for a pre-theatre meal. 

[little_sally]

I really enjoy Serafina too.

[muscle23ftl]

My suggestion is to avoid Midtown at any cost. Much better restaurants on the Lower East Side, East Village, Chinatown or even in Queens or Brooklyn. I found a really great spot for burgers around 10 dollars called Burgary at 67 Clinton Street on the LES, which is my new favorite burger place in the city.

[LizzieCurry]

Pongsri

[MarkBearSF]

Which is more important to you - price or pre-theatre? In other words, are you looking for a great pre-theatre spot that isn't too expensive or a cheap place that you can go to before heading to the theatre?

If it's the former, I always recommend Joe Allen for a pre-theatre meal. It's a theater folks landmark, home of the famous "flop wall" with posters from Broadway's notorious flops. Most importantly, it's a great place to eat (famous burgers, lobster rolls and liver & onions) and is a well-oiled machine before and after shows. Its pricing is reasonable for the location and not expensive for NY, but not cheap.  (Noticing your spelling - if you're coming from London, there's a Joe Allen in Covent Garden that won a London contest for best burger ...which for some reason is unlisted in the menu there, But everybody orders it.)

Note - they accept reservations no more than 7 days in advance.

[regnad kcin]

My favorites are Marseilles and Trattoria Trecolori.

[haterobics]

Cha Pa's.

[Petralicious]

I love Johns Pizza on 44th and 8th

[whizzer_wins]

I really enjoy John's Pizza of Times Square. Reasonably priced, delicious pizza! c: It's right next to the St. James Theatre.

[Hairspray0901]

My favorite go-to places for pre-theatre dinner are Scarlatto's (italian) on 47th or Gyu-Kaku on 44th (japanese BBQ)

[Jarethan]

I think John's is lousy and very overpriced for what it is.

While it is not cheap, Juniors is always reliable and has great pastrami.  Kodama, also on W. 45th St. has very reasonable Japanese.  Pongsri, which someone else recommended is also good for reasonable Thai  (W. 48th).  Scarlatto, on W. 47th, is a go to place for us, although its prices have been edging up.  I also agree re Marseilles.  You may want to check the on-line sites to see if the prices are what you are looking for.  

[PThespian]

Pergola des Artistes (right down the street from Hamilton) for French. Very reasonable, family owned and very authentic 

Tratorria Daniella on 45th and Eighth for Italian

[nealb1]

Junior's right in the heart of the theatre district is a perfect spot to eat before or after your show.  I eat there pretty much every day when I go to NYC, and I get to NYC about 3-4 times a year.  They have a very extensive menu and the food is always delicious.  Unless I’m meeting a friend there, I always sit at the bar and get great service.   

It can be very crowded, so allow for time.  With Junior’s right in the middle of everything, you can have a relaxing meal, and not be rushed to get to the theatre.  I'll be back at the end of April for 12 days.  Can't wait to taste their great food again! 

In the spring, summer & fall months the outside patio is open and that allows more people to eat and it’s not so crowded. 

[A Canadian in NYC]

John's Pizza for sure.  Another one you might want to consider is going to Sardi's on W 44th as well - across the street from the Broadhurst. If you head upstairs to the bar, there have a bar menu.  It's limited but enough to fill you up - and you get all the ambiance of the restaurant.  We go there before and sometimes we'll go after.  Last time we had John Slattery beside us kicking back after The Front Page with some friends of his.   It's quite lively at the bar and its  fun to look at all the caricatures on the wall and try and guess who they are.  

[ChiTheaterFan]

If you're looking for a trendier option, I highly recommend Bea at 42nd & 9th.  I have always avoided eating in midtown because there are so many better restaurant options elsewhere in the city, but I found this gem and now I go there all the time when I'm in town and hitting up the theater.  They also have great cocktails and are open later for a post-show bite or cocktail.

I also like Uncle Nick's on 9th.  Great Greek food.

Overall I think the options get way better food-wise if you go over to 9th rather than along 7th/8th/Broadway.

[Lot666]

whizzer_wins said: "I really enjoy John's Pizza of Times Square. Reasonably priced, delicious pizza! c: It's right next to the St. James Theatre."

And they have a fantastic Absolut martini menu, all of which are served in fishbowl-sized glasses! 

 

[n2nbaby]

I've never been a huge fan of Juniors. It's ridiculously crowded, the food is over priced, especially for what you get and it's not particularly good, IMO. You should however stop there after your show to get a piece of cheesecake, which is delicious.

For pizza, I can't remember the name of the place (maybe Pizolo's or something?) but it's across the street from the Richard Rogers theatre. 

If you're a fan of BBQ, I would go to Virgil's. Its delicious and very decently priced.

[bunnie3]

Mercato, B Squared, Pure Thai Cookhouse, Gyu Kaku (happy hour only!- great discounts/food), Bea, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Esther]

Jarethan said: "I think John's is lousy and very overpriced for what it is.

 

 

"

I couldn't agree more on both counts.  And it's certainly not an ideal place for a person dining solo or even 2 people since the pizza is full-sized pies only. 

 

n2nbaby- it's Patzeria. 

 

 

 

[JPeterman]

La Masseria

Trattoria Trecolori

Saju Bistro

Carmines

Don Antonio

 

Juniors is always crowded, the tables are tightly packed so you can't move your chair comfortably, and the food is ubiquitously mediocre ... except for the cheesecake.  Have dinner at La Masseria before your show and go to Juniors for cheesecake afterward.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

The Glass House Tavern on 47th St between 7th and 8th is our favorite go-to pre theater restaurant right in the middle of the theater district. It has an excellent 3 course prix-fixe dinner for $42. You usually have to book fairly far in advance, but it's on Open Table.

[xmaschild]

Another vote for Trattoria Trecolori.  Great food, great service and reasonably priced.  It's our "go to" place when we come into NYC.

[Stage Door Sally]

I recently discovered a new restaurant, Chaan Teng, at 48th and 9th. Absolutely WONDERFUL food, high quality. Read reviews here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d11843140-Reviews-Chaan_Teng-New_York_City_New_York.html

And here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chaan-teng-new-york

For quick and inexpensive Italian I agree with Trattoria Trecolori.