We will be in London in December and am eyeing a candle light Christmas concert at St Martin in the Fields on Friday December 11 at 7 pm. I have reservations at 3 pm for Queen Elizabeth’s clothing exhibit which is at Buckingham Palace. If I allow 1.5 hours, that would have me done at 4:30. My question is there a way logistically to get something to eat before the concert.
We would be happy with a sandwich or something else that is simple.
Plenty of time - just pop into Pret - there are many around, including one in Trafalgar Square. Just walk straight down The Mall from the palace. If yiu want something more, there are numerous other eating options.
There are 2 Pret a Manger close to St Martin in the Field. One is on the next block up at St Martins Place. The other is to the left of the equestrian statue as you approach Trafalger Square from Whitehall. See Google Maps
By coincidence, I just did those two things as part of a London day last week! The 1.5 hours should work well for the clothing exhibit - it’s not that large. My concert at St. Martin in the Fields was at 7 also - and no need to get there much before - it’s a small venue.
Given you do have plenty of time, if you wanted something more than a sandwich, I can recommend a good pub, the Golden Lion (King Street), and my standard go-to, Shoryu Ramen (Regent Street St James) both are pretty much on the way between the palace and St Martin-in-the-Fields.
and St Martins in the Fields has the Crypt Cafe, which is sometimes open late. Check opening times the week before.
If there is an evening event at the Church it is more likely to be open late.
We went to one of these concerts last year- they're not very long, so we ate afterwards. My favourite place to eat near St Martin-in-the-Fields is Bancone, on William IV Street (fresh pasta). We like Shoryu a lot as well.
I went to one of the candlelight carols concert last December 23. You’re in for a wonderful experience.
I had a bite at the Crypt Cafe before the concert. I’ve eaten there on a number of visits. You may want to check them out.
Christmas in London was my favorite trip.
Happy travels!
Thanks so much! This board is fantastic!
The concert is for 2 hours and 10 minutes with intermission which is why I wasn’t that keen on waiting until after.
We attended Handel’s Messiah last year, which was 3 hours plus intermission, definitely not a dinner-after-the-performance scenario. We had Indian food at the Colonel Saab a block north of St. Martin, on William IV Street. We simply walked up and were shown to a table. Within 15 minutes, it started filling up, and I don’t know if the others had made reservations (there was one table with more than 12, so they probably had), or if there were simply many other theatre-goers and concert attendees just showing up for a pre-curtain dinner. Service was quick and efficient, and we were done with time to spare.
Getting to the porch at St. Martin, the doors weren’t going to open yet, and while there were stanchions and rope that could theoretically be set up to direct an entry queue, nothing had actually been set up. More and more people were arriving, and milling about, but no indication about where, and exactly how we were all going to get in. Some folks had started their own queue, but when someone from the venue came out, it wasn’t satisfactory, and she seemed really annoyed that there were so many people there already, and they weren’t doing it “right.” After repeatedly barking instructions to the crowd, people got lined up satisfactorily. They’ve been presenting performances there for a while, so it was surprising that things were in such disarray that yelling at people, instead of having things already set up, was the procedure. We were sent to one door, and then the one where we’d already been. As noted by another poster, it doesn’t take very long, once the doors actually open, and with reserved seating, you don’t have to be anything like first in line, but it may not be a smooth experience.
The gentleman sitting next to us mentioned that he’d learned the hard way at a prior show that the hard pews at a long performance were very hard on his posterior, and for tonight he’d gotten a cushion out in the lobby, and suggested we rent them, too. Based on his recommendation, my husband went out to try to get a couple, just 2 or 3 minutes before showtime, and there were lots of cushions hanging on the wall, but he was told every one had been reserved, and so it was impossible to get any. People weren’t streaming in the door at that point, or lined up at the cushions, so how all those cushions were going to get claimed in the next three minutes seemed implausible. We made it through the performance without the extra padding, but others might want to plan for it, if reservations are necessary.
