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Pre Theatre Dinner Near the Edinburgh Playhouse: Where to Eat Before the Show
Updated October 2026. Replaces our earlier pre theatre guide.
A show night is a small piece of logistics disguised as a treat. You have a curtain time you cannot move, a table you have to leave on schedule, and a ten minute walk in whatever the Edinburgh weather has decided to do. The restaurant that gets this right is not always the one closest to the theatre. It is the one that understands you have somewhere to be, and understands the meaning of a pre theatre dinner at the Edinburgh Playhouse.
I run Nectar, a Greek and Mediterranean bar and restaurant at 73 Broughton Street, so I will be upfront: I think we are a very good answer to this question, and the first section is about us. But I have also tried to make this a guide you could use without ever coming to us. If Union Place suits your evening better, I will tell you why.
The short version
If you are heading to the Edinburgh Playhouse and want a proper dinner first:
Want sharing plates, cocktails and a table that works to your clock? Nectar, on Broughton Street. About ten minutes' walk to the theatre.
Want a classic French or bistro meal? Broughton Street has several options, covered below.
Want to be able to see the theatre from your table? Union Place, directly opposite the Playhouse, has Italian and Spanish options.
Going to a Saturday matinee? We open at noon on Saturdays, so lunch before the show works too.
Know your clock first for your pre theatre dinner at the Edinburgh Playhouse
Everything about a good pre theatre dinner comes down to arithmetic. The Playhouse sits at the top of Leith Walk on Greenside Place and holds over 3,000 people, so the surrounding streets are busy for the hour before curtain up. Check your ticket for the exact start time, because it changes by production, but evening shows commonly begin around 7pm to 7:30pm.
For a 7:30pm show, this is the timetable I would work to:
5:30pm to 5:45pm: sit down.
About an hour and a quarter at the table: enough for a couple of drinks and plates without rushing.
6:45pm: ask for the bill.
About ten minutes' walk to the Playhouse, then time to find your seat, grab a drink and use the loo before the lights go down.
If your show is at 7pm, move everything fifteen to thirty minutes earlier and tell the restaurant when you book. Any good team will plan around it. The mistake people make is booking at 6:30pm and arriving at the theatre sweating.
Nectar, 73 Broughton Street
Nectar is a Greek and Mediterranean sharing plates bar and restaurant, and I think the format is unusually good for a show night.
Sharing plates come out as they are ready, rather than in a fixed starter, main, dessert march. That matters when you have a deadline. You order a spread, plates arrive over the first twenty minutes, and you are never waiting for one more course that you have to abandon. You can also adjust as you go. Order a little more if the time is generous, stop if it is tight.
The kitchen is run by our head chef, Margarita. Dishes that tend to land well before a show include:
Grilled halloumi with dark forest fruit chutney. Salty, sweet and quick.
Cheese filo pastry with honey and sesame. The fastest dish to disappear on most tables.
Chicken skewers. Here is what goes into them.
Prawn saganaki. Rich and warming, with the full story here.
Meat and vegetarian platters. Easy for two people or four, and the simplest way to feed a table without a long ordering conversation.
Menus change with the seasons, so check the current menu before you come.
Then there are the drinks. Panos builds our cocktails, and a show night is a good excuse for something with a bit of character. Warmth Within has a gentle heat from jalapeño syrup, which is nice before a cold walk. If you want something lighter, Drops of the River is built around gin, mastiha and jasmine. Whatever you pick, order it early. Drinks should arrive while you are deciding on food, not after.
What to know before you book
We are open Tuesday to Thursday from 5pm, Friday from 5pm, Saturday and Sunday from noon. We are closed on Mondays, so for a Monday show you will need to look elsewhere on this list.
Book ahead on Friday and Saturday. Those are our busiest nights and the Playhouse is often at its fullest then.
Tell us your curtain time when you reserve and we will plan the table around it.
If you are a bigger party, ask about our private dining room.
Reserve a table at Nectar and put your show time in the notes.
Other places on Broughton Street
Broughton Street has the best density of good restaurants within walking distance of the Playhouse, and every place below is on the same stretch as us. If you are curious about the street as a whole, I have written a local's guide to Broughton Street.
Vinette, 36 Broughton Street. Stuart Ralston's Parisian style bar à vin, in the building that was previously Fhior. It serves sharing plates and bistro dishes that Michelin's inspectors describe as French classics fused with Scottish produce. Downstairs is Vivien, a speakeasy style cocktail bar, which is a lovely place to go for a drink either side of the show. It is one of the most talked about openings on the street, so book early.
Bistro Coco, 32B Broughton Street. A French and European bistro, and a good choice if you want a more traditional two course meal before the show. Check the current opening times before you go, because lunch and dinner service run to set hours.
The Olive Branch, 91 Broughton Street. A Scottish bistro with Mediterranean and global influences that has been on the street for years. Its menu is broad enough that a table with fussy eaters, vegetarians and someone who wants a burger can all be happy. It takes online bookings.
Directly opposite the Playhouse
If you want to eat very close to the theatre and minimise the walk, Union Place is the answer.
Giuliano's, 18 to 19 Union Place. A large Italian restaurant opposite the theatre, open every day. It advertises a pre theatre menu and is used to groups arriving on a schedule. A good option if you have a big party and want a plate of pasta and no surprises.
La Sal, 22 Union Place. Spanish tapas, paella and wine, a few doors along. A more relaxed option for a table that wants to share, with a bit more atmosphere than you would expect so close to a big venue.
The trade off is simple. Union Place is the shortest walk, but the street gets very full on show nights, and you give up the neighbourhood feel of Broughton Street. For a full evening out, I would choose Broughton Street. For a stress free forty minutes before curtains, Union Place is hard to beat.
After the show
The evening is not over when the curtain comes down. If you want to keep going, we are open until 11pm Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, and until 1am on Friday and Saturday. The walk back up to Broughton Street is about ten minutes, and the bar is ready when you are. Our Mountain Chalet, with bourbon, Aperol, Martini Rosso and orange foam, is a popular choice after a show.
If you are planning a post theatre drink, Vivien at Vinette is another strong option on the same street, and our cocktails and sharing plates work as a second course if you only grabbed something small earlier.
Planning the whole evening
For a relaxed show night, here is how I would put it together:
Book your table two to three days ahead, a week for a Friday or Saturday.
Choose by clock, not just cuisine. If your curtain is early, pick the nearest option.
Sit down by 5:30pm for a 7:30pm show.
Order everything at once if you have a deadline. Sharing plates make this easy.
Leave the table by 6:45pm.
Come back afterwards for a drink, a dessert or a late plate.
Questions people ask
Where is the best place to eat before a show at the Edinburgh Playhouse? It depends on your evening. For the shortest walk, Union Place sits directly opposite the theatre. For a fuller evening with sharing plates and cocktails, Broughton Street, about ten minutes away, has the best choice, including Nectar.
How long before a show should I book dinner? Aim to sit down about two hours before curtain up and to leave the table about forty five minutes before it. That gives you comfortable time to eat without rushing.
Do you have a pre theatre menu at Nectar? We do not run a fixed set menu. We serve sharing plates as they are ready, which suits a tight timetable. Tell us your curtain time when you book and we will pace the table for you.
Can I eat at Nectar before a matinee? Yes. We open at noon on Saturday, so a matinee lunch works well.
Are you open on Mondays? No, we are closed on Mondays.
How far is Nectar from the Playhouse? About ten minutes on foot.
Book before the show
If you have tickets, you already have the hard part. Dinner is the easy bit. Reserve a table at Nectar, tell us when your curtain is, and we will make sure you are in your seat on time and well fed.
Nectar Bar 73 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3RJ Tuesday to Thursday 5pm to 11pm Friday 5pm to 1am Saturday 12pm to 1am Sunday 12pm to 11pm Monday closed team@nectarbar.co.uk
