News
Sadler’s Wells 2026/27: The Season, and Where to Eat Around It
02/09/2026
Alvin Ailey, English National Ballet, Tango After Dark and Matthew Bourne's Cinderella, ten minutes from the table.
Sadler's Wells & The Almeida
Pre-Theatre Dining in Islington
Frederick's is a 7–9 minute walk from the Almeida Theatre and 10–12 minutes from Sadler's Wells.
Dinner service starts at 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday, so a relaxed two course dinner comfortably makes a 7.30pm curtain. Both theatres typically raise the curtain at 7.30pm and recommend arriving up to 30 minutes early. We are also a ten minute walk from the King’s Head Theatre, 17 minutes from Union Chapel, 300m from Everyman Screen on the Green and 150m from the Vue cinema and the Soul Mama music venue. Tell us your show when you book and the kitchen will pace dinner to it.
10–12 min
walk to Sadler's Wells
7–9 min
walk to the Almeida
5.30pm
dinner service begins
7.30pm
typical curtain time
The pre-theatre clock
For a 7.30pm curtain at either theatre:
| 5.30pm | Seated at Frederick's — order both courses together |
|---|---|
| 7.00pm | Leave the restaurant |
| 7.10pm | Arrive at the theatre for bar and cloakroom |
| 7.30pm | Curtain up |
| After | On Saturdays we serve until 10pm for post-show suppers |
10–12 minutes away
Sadler's Wells
The world’s busiest dedicated dance house, and the sixth theatre on a site whose story began with Richard Sadler’s medicinal spring in 1683. The companies nurtured here became the Royal Ballet, the National Theatre and English National Opera. The 1998 building seats around 1,500.
Walk: down Islington High Street and St John Street to Rosebery Avenue — 0.4 miles.
Our Sadler's Wells guide
7–9 minutes away
The Almeida
A 325 seat producing house with a West End and Broadway transfer record, in an 1837 building that has been a literary society, a Salvation Army citadel and a carnival novelties factory. New artistic director Dominic Cooke has taken over from Rupert Goold, programming around six productions a year. Evening shows at 7.30pm, matinees at 2pm; £5 tickets for under-25s.
Walk: straight up Upper Street to Almeida Street — 0.44 miles.
Our Almeida guidePre-theatre questions
What time should we eat before a 7.30pm show?
Sit down at 5.30pm when dinner service opens, order both courses together, and you will be finished with time to spare — the Almeida is a 7–9 minute walk and Sadler’s Wells 10–12 minutes.
Does Frederick's have a set pre-theatre menu?
Our set menu is served at lunch (Tuesday to Friday, £30 for two courses, £35 for three). In the evening we serve the à la carte; tell us your curtain time when booking and the kitchen will pace the meal so you leave on schedule.
Can we come back after the show?
On Saturdays the kitchen runs until 10pm, which suits a post-matinee dinner or a late supper after an early-evening performance. Tuesday to Friday, dinner is served 5.30–10pm.
How do we get to the theatres from the restaurant?
The Almeida: 0.44 miles straight up Upper Street, around 7–9 minutes. Sadler’s Wells: 0.4 miles via Islington High Street and St John Street to Rosebery Avenue, around 10–12 minutes.
Theatre reading
News
The Almeida This Autumn: Golden Boy and Desire Under the Elms
26/08/2026
Josh O'Connor in Odets' Golden Boy, then O'Neill for the winter. Dates, booking notes and how to time dinner.
News
What’s On at the Business Design Centre: 2026/27 Season
19/08/2026
Every show at the BDC from October 2026 to summer 2027, and where to eat or entertain clients three minutes away.
Book your pre-theatre table
Tell us the show and the curtain time — the kitchen does the rest.