Mezzanine Restaurant

Oooh this might be a bit of a secret place for young people in London; although there were plenty of more, shall we say, mature diners that know about it.
I visited here with my book group as we just finished reading High Rise, and we wanted to eat somewhere within some brutalist architecture. None of had been here before, but the menu sounded promising so we gave it a whirl. House seemed to fit perfectly into the High Rise story. As you ascend the building (in the book), the flats become posher and people look down on the plebs who live below… In the National Theatre you only have to go up one staircase to find this lovely «house» on the first floor. Like the book, it does seem classier than the establishments on the lower level. .
Anyway, Unilocalers, it is definitely worth visiting House, even if you don’t plan to go to the theatre. The restaurant has a small, but tasty sounding menu including a set menu for £22 (2 courses) or £26 (3 courses.) Everything I tried was delicious, and everyone else seemed to enjoy their food too, despite our discussions about possible anarchy within tower blocks and pet dogs being hunted for food! The staff were all helpful and accommodating, and we had almost the entire restaurant to ourselves once everyone else had zoomed off to take their seats in the theatre.
So all in all, I’m a fan.

Even though the Mezzanine is housed in one of the UK’s most famous theatres, it feels a bit like a well-​kept secret, as the vast majority of diners are there for pre or post-​theatre dinner. However it is an amazing place; well worth visiting in its own right.
The small but very well thought-​out menu changes seasonally, and I’ve never had a disappointing meal here. Try the deserts to be particularly impressed. There is also a strong wine selection.
The atmosphere here is fairly formal without being at all stuffy, and it’s not at all unusual to find yourself seated a few feet from a famous luvvie or two.

I love this restaurant. The menu is small but excellent and they change it regularly. The service is also superb and very attentive. You can get delicious meals made of fresh ingredients at an for London very moderate price. Although it can be quite busy before or after a theatre performance.

Had dinner with two friends before the theatre and was rather sceptical about whether we’d manage to eat a proper meal before having to dash off to the play at 7.25… but we did, although we had to eat at 6, which is about 3 hours earlier than my normal dinner time…
There were about 6 kinds of warm, fresh bread — I had a delicious slice of raisin nut bread while we ordered. I wanted dessert (risky, given the time frame) so passed on a starter although the crab salad I saw being taken to other tables looked amazing. I had a pretty good pumpkin canelloni with walnut pesto for a main, from the August seasonal menu — I scoffed the lot (skipped lunch due to early timing of dinner…), although one end was slightly singed… then I chose a dessert from the seasonal menu too — a warm cherry ricotta almond tart, which was kind of like a sexed-​up bakewell… very crisp, buttery pastry, a nice soft, moist filling with a layer of cherry jam underneath which wasn’t too sweet.
It did make me want to go another time when I didn’t have to stuff dinner down in an hour and a quarter and could take my time. But it did make the evening a real treat, and saved me sitting through a 3 hour play with nothing but a mini Mars bar to keep my stomach from rumbling…

Haven’t been to The National to see a play on ages, but have been many times to eat and it’s one of our favourites. Warm fresh bread, crisp wines with clear suggestions and general taste guide. Good regional dishes and usually have a pudding to share too.
There is a very clean feel to the place on keeping with its surroundings and a cheap way to pick up the theatre vibe without having to air through a play.

A great place to eat at the National Theatre. A small but interesting menu. Two couses for about £22.00. They are set up to cater quickly as the majority of the people who eat there are off to see on of the performances. Never had a bad meal there. But worth booking as it is always busy.