![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221006_192514.jpg)
Show: The Theatre Cafe Diner
Society: Special Events (British Isles & Eire)
Venue: The Theatre Cafe Diner. 154 Ssaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HL
Credits: From the team that created The Theatre Cafe
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 06/10/2022
The Theatre Cafe Diner
This must be one of the only restaurants in the West End where the waiting staff have to send in a self-tape of them singing a tune to get an interview (or perhaps I should say an ‘audition’). The idea is simple and brilliant. Any theatre producer who comes in to eat can try out the best that the West End has to offer… while enjoying a meal.
The brand-new Theatre Cafe Diner officially opens today and Sardines was lucky enough to recieve an invitation to not only sample the food & drink, during the week, but also to test out the venue’s new singing format. It’s wonderful, by the way. In fact I challenge you NOT to singalong to your favourite show tunes. They’re all there to enjoy as the waiters and waitresses take it in turns to grab the mic, then drop the mic! Some of the booths are even themed from sellout shows such as Heathers or Six. Personally I literally had Elle Woods from Legally Blonde the Musical all over my table (see top photo). The actress in the photo playing Elle (Courtney Bowman) actually came into the restaurant at one point saying, “Where’s my face then?” When she eventually spotted it on the very table was sitting at her face visibly lit up.
The Diner extends over two floors; ground floor and the basement. I was in the basement – not that this made any difference. Memorabilia diwnstairs incudes the four blazers of Heathers the Musical right next to the Heathers booth. Upstairs you can see Joseph’s genuine multi-colored Dreamcoat! Plus a live TV screen streams footage from the ground floor to show the first half of a performence (the sound system is of course top-notch) before the singing waiter or waitress in question descends the stairs to directly perform to the delight of the dining dwellers in the basement.
The Diner’s menu (see below) consists largely of burgers, pasta and hot-dogs – all with adapted names – including a starter ‘Look at me, I’m Mac and Cheese’, which was delicious, followed by a ‘Shuffle Off to Buffalo Chicken Burger’ (also delicious) and finished off with a huge slice of ‘Bruce Bogtrotter’s Chocolate Cake’ (also…Â you get the picture!). The food is great and worthy of any pre-show meal or even a dedicated evening out.
The only reason the fifth star is missing is because we had to wait a long time for our food to arrive. However, the well-stocked very alcaholic cocktail menu (also below) and entertainment on-tap was first rate, so thankfully nobody noticed. Plus I’m sure such teething troubles are commonplace where serving food at a new venue is concerned; and these will surely be ironed out moving forward. You wouldn’t want to finish too quickly anyway, you might miss your favourite tune!
Thankfully, the singing doesn’t ever resort to karaoke and is completely taken care of by the pros… just wait until a big star turns up for their dinner. Things might change then. Carpool Karaoke anyone?