Curve, Cafe and Bar in Leicester

We called in at the Curve cafe for the first time early this afternoon for a quick bite and drink and were really impressed by their friendly staff, good food and excellent coffee. In fact the young man who took our order came and brought the drinks over to the table and asked if everything was ok and said enjoy the rest of your day, Wish staff at other establishments visited were just as caring with their customers and not take it or leave it, as some do.

Good choice, with a variety of hot dishes. Food served piping hot and very tasty. Very reasonably priced.

Awful service, terrible food and not great at all. It is in a convenient location, but due to the area located in the theatre it echoes so much, you can’t hear yourself.

Floor to ceiling glass windows in the circular setting allow a view of cultural Leicester happening on the street, Our time there included a puppet dynosaur, a maypole with dancers, and morris men, What a mix! The families watching there were very happy though. The Cafe is easiliy accessable, on the flat with auto doors from the street. The menu was tight and short (to their credit), with sufficient variations for hot and cold lunches or snacks, with vegan alternatives. It arrived to order , was hot, and extremely tasty. The coffee was quality too. Although it looks just an ordinary cafe cum coffee bar , attention has been paid to its quality food and drink. It was a great place to have a hot quick meal before the afternoon matinee. The local loos are in walking distance round the outside curve of the building, but not that obvious unless you know.

Nice staff nice food but nothing exceptional we needserve with a smile for such an amazing venue please

Still find the Green Room cafe disappointing-ok I guess if you want a sandwich or jacket potato but hardly tempting for a high profile arts venue. If you want ore theatre food there are plenty of better restaurants nearby or the Phoenix arts centre offers great meals!

For me, the driver, it was great to be able to have a good coffee for £1. The bar was good and was fully stocked.

I was visiting Leicester for an overnight stay to see Les Miserables. I booked into the nearby Premier Inn and around 4.30 pm started to look for somewhere for an unrushed early dinner as I hate seeing shows on a full stomach which can lead to indigestion and spoil the show. Unfortunately many of the restaurants near the theatre were either too expensive or had not yet opened, some seemed to open after 6 p.m. - too late for me. After collecting my ticket, I decided to try this theatre's "Green Room Café" which is nicely located behind huge glass windows which create an airy space perfect for watching the world go by both inside and outside the theatre. The menu is available continuously all day and includes pizzas, pasta, burgers and paninis with a small selection of traditional main meals. I ordered fish and chips, with mushy peas and tartare sauce for £8.25. Although, given this is a theatre cafe, some compromises are inevitable such a frozen fries, nevertheless my meal was hot, tasty and plentiful and saved me a lot of incovenience. I would advise theatre goers to arrive early to get a table as it can get busy near performance time and lead to slower service.

I honestly don't know what these other reviews are talking about. We had lunch before the matinee performance of Les Miserables on Saturday and while extremely busy (expected) everything was terrific. All the staff were well organised and extraordinarily friendly, they did very well. The food (3 paninis and a bowl of soup) came out quickly and were absolutely delicious. Thank you to everyone at Curve.

Went for a afternoon show. The service I am sorry to say was really poor. Long wait to pay, then get to me I had to que to get my drink.

We went pre-show for a light bite. I had a deluxe hot chocolate and my mum had tea. All very nice. The choice of sandwiches looked good though we only opted for a slice of flapjack and a slice of cheesecake. (cake choice poor) Probably because it was pre-show it was very busy. Some of us ended up clogging up around the till/counter end as we waited for our hot drinks so it could do with another space that drinks are moved across to. There appeared to be only person on hot drinks though help did arrive. I looked longingly across at the cafe over road and wished I tried there instead!

Poor service with coffees and snacks and waiting for over 30 minutes for sandwiches, No management presence and the tables were filthy in the café. Best to eat before you come to the theatre.

Set in the Curve Theatre, this is a great place for a light meal. It is spacious, light and airy and kept nice and clean. The expanse of windows looks out over the pedestrian area outside. There is masses of seating, with plenty of it padded. The food is generally light, with paninis, sandwiches and jacket potatoes, but for something more substantial they also do a couple of spaghetti dishes and also the Special, which when we went was a lovely beef chilli. The food was all tasty, well-presented and nicely cooked. Service was excellent. You order at the kiosk and it is rapidly delivered to your table. All the staff we spoke to were extremely helpful and friendly. I would certainly recommend the cafe as a place to grab a lunch during the day, or a light evening meal.

Queued for what seemed like ages to get a simple sandwich and eventually gave up.

We ate in the cafe before a show recently, and were suprised at the excellant quality of the food and service. Its well worth arriving early for a show and taking in a meal, as it makes the night!

A group of friends and I ate at the Cafe prior to a performance of Miss Saigon. The hot food was very reasonably priced for a theatre, well presented and tasted as good as it looked - I had the burger and sweet potato fries whilst other friends had the chicken variant or a filled jacket potato. Other food on offer looked equally good and the salad looked nice and fresh. The menu makes up in quality what it may lack in quantity of options, and has recently been changed for the summer season. Personally I would prefer a smaller menu of well cooked food that a large menu of average food! I will certainly be eating there again before my next theatre visits.

What an eye opener - so much talent on display! We went to see our daughter performing for the first time (Hibword & SuperCed) and were blown away by the wealth and diversity of talent at Breakin' Convention. Particular highlights were Soweto Skeleton Movers from South Africa and the very young rapper Jonzi D invited on stage ad hoc - that young lad OWNED that stage! Definitely an event not to be missed next time. The Curve was packed as ever but service was good and we didn't have to wait too long. Staff are always helpful and good at directing you to the right doors etc. Also useful to learn about the parking discount for the NCP car park if you pay for your parking at the theatre box office.

Fuimos a la cafetería para un aperitivo antes del teatro. No hay comida caliente y sólo 1 que sirve, no te molestes aquí otro para escribir! !

Extremely overpriced (2 small bread rolls over £2) and service really slow, even though the cafe was not busy.

Llegamos a tiempo para un rápido aperitivo y una copa de vino antes del espectáculo. Cafetería muy concurrido, con una larga cola, pero el equipo trabajó muy eficientemente y nos sirve un aperitivo muy apetecible. Nos mudamos a el bar, de nuevo un montón de personal sirve a los huéspedes muy rápidamente. Todas las bebidas fueron servidas en vasos de plástico, así que podría tenerse en el teatro. Advertencia: usted puede comprar una botella de vino, pero tienes que ponerlo en vasos (de plástico). Dos señoras compramos una botella de Prosecco, que tenía que ser decantada en dos vasos de pinta! Si no te importa su Prosecco en una pinta de vidrio te irá bien!

Dentro de curva Teatro es un pequeño café sirve una variedad razonable de vino y comida a precios razonables. Se llena rápidamente, así que asegúrese de que sus principios. Personal encantador con buena comida, servida con rapidez. También la oportunidad de adquirir el billete de aparcamiento avanzado, que es un enorme ahorro en el precio estándar.

Very handy for theatre visit. Good friendly staff and, although a little pricey offers an excellent choice of drinks both before and during interval of theatre visit.

On Saturday, 27th August, 2016, we, that is myself, husband and two grand-daughters came to the theatre to see Bugsy Malone, the show was brilliant.... but this review is mainly about the Curve Cafe, we arrived in lots of time with the intention of having our lunch in the cafe before the show, we ordered our food, which then is brought to your table, we had 3 burger meal and fries, the burgers were homemade, they were meaty and tasty, you can have cheese, which I think was an extra 50p, the food was piping hot, and tasty, the plates however seemed somewhat oversized for the meal, and because we had our plates and cups of tea's and coffee it was abit of a squash.... that aside the meal was yummy.....the service good,. the youngest grand-daughter had her meal from the childrens menu, and she had the pasta in tomato sauce, garlic bread and salad, for a childrens meal it was a nice full plate of a decent size, now my grand-daughter did eat her meal, including a few chips from my plate,except the lettuce, it was rocket and she found it tasted like pepper, I know, fussy or what......anyway when I asked her, by the way, her name is Shelley (name check), what she thought about her meal, as they know I will do a review on " Trippy " as I always do, she declares, that the pasta was over cooked and soggy, because the tomato sauce was bland and did not taste of much, the garlic bread, was garlic bread, and the rocket lettuce, looked like grass, she does not eat grass...... oh of course the chips were fine, she ate them without complaint.... ha ha ha kids got to luv them !!!!!!!.. overall, the meal came to approx £32.00 for all four plus tea's n coffee, the kids meals are 4.95, which you pick a main meal and 2 sides, plus a juice, good value, and a good plateful...... we would eat again in the cafe, plenty of choice from the menu and cooked while your waiting, later into the afternoon, the cafe does get very busy, and therefore service maybe slower, get there early and enjoy the easy pace of the meal and there are plenty of seats around the theatre to sit and chill while waiting for the show to begin......

We booked in for a pre-show lunch. Plenty of tables and reasonably prompt service Good value for money and freshly cooked food..

Este café está bien si se llega a un montón de tiempo. Me había comido aquí antes y la comida me pareció razonable. Sin embargo, si hay dos espectáculos en la cola hace tanto tiempo que no podrá tener mucho más que un panini, ya que no parece capaz de arreglárselas ... Nos dijeron que no 3/4 hora de espera, que no deja tiempo para comer antes del espectáculo empezó. El panini estaba bien ...

Tasty food before the show, lovely atmosphere as you watched the actors arriving. Great staff, extremely friendly & helpful.

The bar was stocked okay with a few beers on tap but not very imaginative. Would have liked more choice and it was a little expensive but I suppose that's what you would expect!

Came here to watch a show,and pre theatre dining, what a excellent experience! My mother has Parkinson's and when got there was informed public lift had broken down,but the staff went out their way to get my mum to mezzanine dining,even carried her walker for her.The dining was excellent with plenty of time for the show, food was lovely and desert just as good,would definitely use the dining again.Overall a excellent experience

We went to watch the Cirque Berserk at the Curve this Saturday and were planning a meal beforehand, but as it was pretty stormy and miserable outside we decided to stay in the Curve and just eat in the cafe (not the restaurant). I was expecting the food offering to be just sandwiches, paninni's etc but was pleasantly surprised to find a hot food menu. I had the chicken noodles and my friend had the pulled beef burger and both were very tasty and fresh. The portion sizes were decent too. Both dishes were around £6 each which is very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food was very good. We had a slice of chocolate cake to finish which was also very yummy. Our show started at 8, and we went to the cafe at 6 when it was very quiet, but around 7 pm it started getting very busy.Overall, I would definitely go again when visiting the Curve, rather than eating at an expensive restaurant.

Booked a 2 coarse pre-show meal. When the meal arrived it was excellently cooked and presented. Was spoilt it was the size of the portions. These would not be big enough for an 8 year old.I have never had such a small meal at any restaurant that I have visited.

How appropriate that I should have been dining here with a group of work colleagues prior to a production of "Oliver!". The celebrated line, "Please Sir, I want some more" would be perhaps sufficient in itself to summarise this review. This was part of a work "Christmas Do", the meal part of it costing £17, which was offensively overpriced. Whilst it wasn't quite gruel that we were served up, there is little doubt that the most satisfactory part of the meal was the bread roll. Food portions were meagre, the salad looked tired and the food was also lukewarm (one colleague had to return her soup for a further zap in the microwave). The setting of the restaurant also - with long, narrow trestles occupying a long, narrow balcony (referred to as a mezzanine) - is not conducive to intimacy. Consider myself at home, I did not :(

Very disappointed at the food in the Mezzanine restaurant. Quantities were mean, the vegetables that were supposed to have been roasted were more like steamed ones. Good ambience but overall I thought cooking was poor. Will not return

The service and food here were both excellent, with the beef fillet a particular highlight. Having mainly booked the pre-theatre dinning for convenience to make sure we would make the show on time, we weren't expecting too much. It was very good value for money given the quality of food on offer and the waitress couldn't do enough for us.The only reason I haven't given it 5 stars is I would like to see more than one vegetarian option for each course. I would recommend it for other people visiting the theatre but perhaps wouldn't go out of my way for it otherwise.

It was a little bit pricey but it was still a very nice meal. Offers good selection and sometimes you even see actors/actresses from some of the shows.

I last visited at lunchtime and it was pretty much without any discernible atmosphere and almost empty. The food is not bad, in fact quite a good and the space itself though long and narrow is fine. It just doesn't seem to work during the day time.At night when there is a performance on at the theatre, Curve, where the bar café is situated then before and after the performance and during the interval the bar comes to life.If you want a quiet space for a drink and a bite to eat then it's worth a visit during the day but it won't blow you away. At night there's a bit more atmosphere.

Fab food. Good value for money. Even better if you are a member of the curve. Downside is that they stop serving quite early I think

Finding that many of the local cafes were closing for the evening, and others were not opening in time to allow us to dine before the evening show, we called into the Curve Cafe in the large foyer. What a treat! Cheery and helpful staff could not be faulted in their efforts to meet our needs. They were busy but still had time to help my wife find something gluten-free on the menu. They even checked with the chef that what we had ordered was OK for her. The creamy pasta with bacon was great and the chicken with courgette was equally tasty. I also observed the care and patience that two different staff members showed to a customer on a nearby table who was experiencing difficulty carrying the food back to their table. The mezzanine was used for an impromptu performance by a choir; super. The show "Calamity Jane" was also great. The bar area seems to get very crowded pity there is a refreshment facility upstairs

Was visiting the Theatre for a couple days for work. Really helpful staff and a lovely atmosphere. Cafe had a good choice of food for me as a veggie and the venue was immaculately clean.

We were visiting the curve and wanted food so tried the cafe, the food was good and at lower prices than I expected. Well done for getting it correct for once leicester.

We decided to eat here before seeing The Sound of Music. We ordered sausage and mash and mushroom risotto. When it arrived the sausage and mash was floating in gravy with about a dessertspoonful of peas also floating in the watery gravy. The sausages were tough and inedible. The risotto was better but tepid. No one came near to ask us how our food was so when the food was cleared away I told the waitress who said we would get a refund. The duty manager was very unhelpful and said that no one else had complained but they had agency chefs on currently. My companion had to buy some chocolate from bar as she had not been able to eat the sausages. No attempt was made to replace the rubbish food or to reimburse us neither was there any apology. It was a shame because it ruined the experience before the show.

Curve is one of the leading provincial theatres in the nation and as I went with family and friends to see the new musical 'Water Babies' we decided to have lunch in the theatre cafe. Not having had a meal here before, despite being to dozens of shows (there being many other good eateries in the immediate area) I was apprehensive but my fellow theatregoers insisted. In the end I was pleasantly surprised and you don't need to see a show to enjoy the cafe and facilities. We had a range of meals between us [see the photos below] and all pronounced them to be good: Classic soup of the day, Fish & chips, Green pea & mint risotto, Handmade beef burger and a 'Curve Speciality' Slow cooked pork belly. The chips were fine but a tad undercooked for me and there were a few bones in the fish which the menu didn't warn us about. Service was good considering the place was packed with a St George festival going on outside. The menu is small but comprehensive and reasonably priced and even better value if you have theatre membership. Would we do it again? Almost certainly were it not for the piano. The piano is a nice touch and enjoyable when it is played well by competent or even novice pianists but, thumped incessantly by children well under the age of five who were egged on by doting parents, it rather took the shine off the meal. The fact that the piano is actually among the small dining tables exacerbated the situation. Perhaps re-siting it near the bar stage area might be a good idea or closing it during meal times. The food is too good to be spoiled by children intent on breaking the hammers. P.S. I managed to have a word with the Bar Manager and she assures me that a non-alcoholic beer will be stocked shortly. Not a moment too soon for me...

I have been to Curve Theatre to see shows before but this was the first time I had experienced the pre theatre dining package and I have to say that both the food and the service were outstanding. The choice and quality were as good, if not better than many restaurants I have been to. Hand in hand with the show (Chicago) it was a fantastic night out. I would highly recommend it!!

Met up at curve with some friends and thought we'd eat, lovely surprise as the food was faultless. I had the belly pork and I kid you not it was outstanding, the best I've had.I will be back again soon and a special thanks to the chef, bravo fella

Didn't know until recently that Curve had the mezzaine dinning until I was given Theatre tickets as a present. Fantastic food, good service. Met the chef, lovely guy. Very impressed with everything. My brother is a head chef and even he didn't moan (and he usually finds fault).

Dined in the mezzanine at Curve before seeing CHICAGO at the beginning of January. What a fabulous surprise to find the standard of food to be far higher than the really reasonable cost would imply. Two courses for £16 odd quid, with the option to buy pudding (should you be able to squeeze it in!) is amazing value for the quality of the food, as well as the service we received. Yes, it's a limited menu but the Trout I had and the Pork Belly my hubby had were among the best ever sampled by us.Brilliant wine menu too. We'll certainly be visiting again.Thanks Curve X

We have dined in the café/bar a number of times and always had excellent meals with very friendly and helpful staff.We dined for the first time in the mezzanine on 22nd December prior to seeing Chicago - we were a party of 12 including one disabled person.First the staff were very helpful - providing a wheelchair and showing us to the lift and then on to our table.We had pre -ordered our food from a wide choice on the menu and advised the best time to start our meal. Often when in a party dishes can be served randomly but not this time - at each course our food arrived together and the waiters knew who had ordered which dish (we often forget when pre-ordering).The food was wonderfully delicious and presented so delightfully it was almost a shame to eat it - but boy was it lovely.Will we go again - absolutely.Will we recommend - absolutely to all our friends.Thank you all for making our evening one to remember.

We went as a family of four for dinner prior to seeing "Chicago" at the theatre, it was lovely! Relaxed, delicious and fun. The staff were wonderfully helpful and polite and we really hope this Curve venture continues!

The staff are simply splendid, so friendly and helpful and the food can easily be given 5 stars! A brilliant meal to start off a great night at the theatre.

Honestly can't say a bad word. The food is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat.Pure gastronomic joy.

Food quality and presentation was sublime for the price we paid. It was nice to be able to have a meal before the show and not worry about being late. Really enjoyed the food and the Show. Kudos Curve.

We visited for a pre-show meal at Mez on 26 October. As visitors from NZ we had no high expectations, but loved the place and the meal. I thoroughly enjoyed my cep soup and black pudding rissoles. The show "The Beauty queen of Leenane" was extremely well presented and it was nice to be able to use the cafe bar at interval, and it was fun to look down on the street fro m the restaurant.

The Mezzanine restaurant is only open for pre-show meals on Fridays and Saturdays. We booked a meal (£14.95 for 2 courses) along with tickets for the Rocky Horror Show - great fun! This was our first visit to the Mez and we were very impressed. Tables overlook the square. Staff were courteous, friendly and attentive. Choice of 3 starters and 3 mains. We had smoked salmon starters followed by the slow roast belly pork. Food was well presented and tasted delicious. We could have had a desert for an extra £3.50 and coffee was included. Wine was reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend and we will return.

we had booked to see "people" and thought we'd have a meal prior to the show at Curves mez dining. our initial thoughts were that that curve has a quaint little cafe and we didn't have high expectations of the meal before the show. we were shown to our seats on the mezzanine which were modestly decorated if not a little bland but we were given the menu and food sounded very nice. i ordered the ravioli and my partner had the quails egg and smoked haddock scotch eggs, we were pleasantly surprised when it arrived. The food looked and tasted great. For our mains we had lamb and my word it was perfectly cooked and presently perfectly. I will without a doubt come back for Chicago. Very very impressed.

Was at Curve Theatre for 5th birthday celebrations, my friend and I have eaten at the café every time we visit the theatre, with so many people attending we thought we would be out of look for lunch, we joined the long queue, which went down quite fast, there were 2 birthday £5 lunch options, but we opted for fish and chips, as usual the light crispy battered fish and the chips were cooked too perfection, accompanied by minted peas and tartare sauce with watercress garnish. This is one of the best theatre cafes in the area.

I work locally to the Curve and at least once a week, I treat myself to a lunchtime homemade soup in this great café, such amazing combinations of food, really delicious. Go try it.The staff are always very attentive and seem to love what they do, thank-you for being so friendly, it makes a nice change from some of the grumpy people you find in other cafes.

First the good points: We booked the pre-theatre fixed price deal 2 courses for 14.95, so quite reasonably priced. The seating is upstairs, away from the main cafe (which is downstairs), and the atmosphere and views from our window seat were good. The staff were welcoming and friendly, efficient service, wine menu reasonably priced. The menu had a fair choice of enticing sounding dishes. We really enjoyed the wine and the overall dining experience.The room for improvement: The food!. We both ordered the same starter and main. Our first course tasted bland, dry chicken, consistency of processed chicken, no resemblance of any flavours described in the menu and obviously prepared some time in advance and chilled. We had salmon for the main, it was overcooked, dry, tasted nothing like salmon, floury sauce, no flavour, saffron potatoes had no flavour tasted like school dinner potatoes. Side veg was ok, but the parsnip still had the tough core left in. We pointed it out to the waitress who apologised and thanked us for our feedback, even suggested the management might offer us a free drink, then she disappeared and we heard no more. We would eat here again if the food would be up to scratch. We have had better cooked food at our local pub, so the low prices are no excuse.

took grandson to see a show. really intimate and very nice. wish i could go a bit more. lovely place and nice staff too.

As is the case with most bars in Leicester too expensive for me if I wntes to stay the full night here. otherwise clean and friendly ,efficcient but does get packed before a show in the theatre. I can`t give it a downside modern but could do with some much comfortable chairs/couches. Other wise ok and does it`s job

I use the Curve cafe as a good place to meet people, both socially and for work-related meetings. The menu is varied and very good value. The atmosphere is clean and modern, with lots of glass to look out on the square outside and church opposite. Free wifi is useful. Coffee is good- could use being stronger but ask for two shots. The all day breakfast is a joy. One of the things I enjoy is that the actors, dancers, creative types who are rehearsing or performing at Curve use the cafe to hang out in- you can often star spot!

A little out of the way but if you are going to a matinee go for lunch beforehand. The soups are excellent.

Situated in the glass enclosed foyer of Leicester's Curve theatre, the cafe bar is certainly worth considering for a pre-show light meal. The vegetarian options are particularly tasty and very well priced. The house wines are decent and the coffee good. Along with the Curve's parking deal this provides a convenient and thoroughly enjoyable experience.