Royal National Theatre in Lambeth

The National Theatre is a cultural gem in London, offering a wide range of top-quality performances that cater to all tastes. The productions are always thought-provoking and beautifully staged, with incredible acting and stunning set designs. The venue itself is modern and comfortable, with great views from almost every seat. Whether you’re into classic plays, modern drama, or experimental performances, the National Theatre delivers something special every time. It’s a must-visit for theatre lovers, and the experience is truly unforgettable!

The Kitchen on the ground floor is still rather unappetising! Fortunately there are other food outlets and tonight we ate at Asian Noods, East Asian food at reasonable prices in the Kerb (or Understudy). We saw The Grapes of Wrath. We knew it wouldn't be a bundle of laughs, but really it was very tedious. The theatre was a third empty after the interval so others agreed with us. Great book dull play

Great foyer. Love hanging out there

Go in, see anything they have. That's my motto. They have a great selection of performances and there are tickets priced for everyone

I always love coming to sit down in the National Theatre to relax, the team that work here are very friendly & kind people and it is an excellent place to chill & get work done as the ambience is v chilled out! 🎭🎭 - of course great for the large variety of shows they offer too!

Wonderful event place for events and films showing.

Saw The Grapes of Wrath in the Lyttelton Theatre which was very good.

Not been since 1978, so glad to see it still in use! Great experience

An early birthday present was so pleased

Iconic Brutalist building by architect Denys Lasdun (1914-2001). Although much maligned by Prince Charles and others, Brutalist architecture has received a well deserved revival in recent years, epitomized by the new movie "The Brutalist" with Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones which debuted at the Venice Film Festival this year. Beautiful location right on the River Thames with spectacular views of the city skyline. We loved the performance of Coriolanus starring David Oyelowo.

A lovely foyer! Can’t tell you about plays because I’ve never seen one here, but I meet with my book club semi regularly in this lobby area. There are plenty of seats and tables. There is always one or two groups who are clearly not here for the theatre. So, I don’t feel so out of place. (I saw one group playing a card game in my recent visit.) So far, we have never been kicked out, so I think we are allowed. (We being a group of five to seven, depending on the month) They do check your bags on entry, though. I’ve never attempted to bring in food or drinks from outside. I don’t know if it’s allowed. Besides, they have a bar and a sandwich stand inside.

Comfortable, brutalist style theatre. Excellent sound and view. Not enough toilets for numbers there ( unless there were others I missed)

Amazing venue with really friendly and helpful staff.

Great place to sit outside on a sunny day and enjoy the little nibbles and drinks around it. 100% recommend.

Always the ledger place to watch plays! I adore this building.

Not enough concrete. I love concrete.

The atmosphere, ambience and artistic expression I witnessed here make it one of the best places in London, and I dare say the world to be. Make sure you visit to see some drama, intrigue, suspense, and more here.

I love the architecture and design. Always a pleasure to visit and the theatres themselves are great.

We did the NT back stage tour today. Very interesting. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the theatre.

Great architecture, restaurant and theatre

Cheap parking taking in consideration the location. I booked in advance.

Amazing theatre. Lovely people. Incredible productions.

Going to the National is a guarantee of high quality theatre as was evidenced in tonights performance of the hot Wing King. It is also a theatre of good sight lines and good audibility

Love 💛🧡🩷 amazing theatre, I am always sure to see well made plays there. I came earlier and there were not many people but at the time of the play the were no free places. Don't worry to book places further away. The stage could be well seen from the very back raws. Seating is very comfortable.

You'll find nothing radical or cutting-edge here. However, the NT has an interesting repertoire and the acting is superb.

The National Theatre is a real treat! Such an amazing venue & a guaranteed great night out with family or friends! I'll be back.

Ye is the best. He's Chinese from mainland, coming from a Indian!

Nice quiet chilled space. Had lunch. Bit pricey but pleasant surroundings

We love going to this theatre because the production is always first class

A great place of culture in London. If you are a visitor and you like theatre you should watch a theatre play here. Highly suggested!

Great atmosphere and very friendly, helpful staff throughout. Always have a great range of productions on and being on the Southbank makes it a great location.

Absolutely love the National Theatre! The plays are always top-notch and the atmosphere is just right.

Large modern theatre. Great acoustics. The production we saw, The Grapes of Wrath, was 5 stars also. Done so well it was a difficult watch.

Fantastic- don’t forget that you can get your water bottles filled up in this place

My favourite institution in London

Great building, helpful staff, £10 under 25 shows

One of the best places in the world to see theater. Not all the works are good but the average level is excellent. They buy in advance. The Olivier room is beautiful and full of history.

Saw The Grapes of Weath, which was excellent. Lovely venue.

Great theatre, consistently good performances and nice facilities and shop.

Lasdun is an object lesson n the harsh truth that one duff dish can ruin a full meal’s consistently hard work. A pity, because it started so well. A bone dry martini with an olive savagely skewered on a steel pin, generous almonds and olives genuinely the size of a baby’s fist were followed by brownly intense crab soup and a simply salad of tomato, pickled walnuts and grated hard goat’s cheese. How could a pie of curd cheese and spinach for afters possibly go wrong? Well it could, and a lot, unfortunately. First, it was not a pie, but a sausage roll. Second, filled with the largest gloop of spinach (curd cheese invisible if present) prepared in such a way as to remind any spinach phobe exactly why they disliked the stuff. A pity, as the fish cake had perfectly prepared spinach- why do something so badly when you can do it well? Puds were OK, unfortunately not sufficient to redeem. A pity.

Good, but a weird looking building cl

Spacious, cool, and the acoustics are great.

Totally deserving of its international reputation and a testament to the beauty of brutalist architecture. I love the wildflower garden that has popped up on the terrace outside the Olivier. Worth visiting even if you aren’t seeing a show

Got an mail with information. Read it and there was a massive spoiler in it. It’s simply the climax of the play! I hoped there would be another ending but that was just the end of the play and hell yes, you know it from the start when you read the important message from the theatre. Ruined it totally for me. Just put such information behind a trigger oder spoiler warning. (Grapes of Wrath)

Went to see chicken wing king and it was phenomenal! Have always loved the range and diversity of the nation theatre. One if the most accessible theatres in London and thevrange if plays staged is fantastic (the behind the scenes tour is also well worth the visit) dinner at the excellent Kerb as well. We'll be back very soon

Excellent staff and customer service. The book shop is amazing too. Just a chill place to hang out, even if you're not going for a show.

Incredible theatre, love them all but favour the Olivier. If you like Brutalist architecture, go. If you like good drama, it's unmissable. Skip the Lasdun restaurant.

We had some drinks outside, great place that gets super busy in the summer months. Plenty of drinks and easy to get served. However getting stable is not that easy so be patient!

An imposing structure and fascinating piece of historical architecture. Well worth at least one visit when you're in town. The surrounding markets and riverside walk aren't bad either.

As well aa getting tonsee a great show, you can go out onto the roof and have amazing views. Who knew? Not me till now n I must've been here 5 times before.

Love this place ,got a really good ticket for a good price .Love the building .

I was meeting an old colleague and friend for lunch and was looking for somewhere close to Waterloo. Lasdun for lunch seemed perfect. Everything started well. Excellent bar service from Milo who recommended English bubbles to start and we then followed on with another English white from the Davenport vineyard that was reminiscent of a good Alberino. It worked really well with a pre-starter of Anchovies and oil when combined with the most amazing home baked crusty bread. We were then on to the smoked eel which was just a perfect starter, so full of complex flavours and textures that you just have to try this dish to appreciate it. Truly Michelin star stuff! By this stage it was starting to get a bit warm in this strangely luxurious but brutalist restaurant. Milo again pulled out a great recommendation - a light fruity French Pinot Noir to run alongside a rib eye steak and lamb with barley. By now the temperature was hot and really uncomfortable. My colleague loved his perfectly cooked steak and my lamb was tender and tasty. The chips were amazing as were the dressed greens. But eating was now uncomfortable due to the temperature. And the conversation forced as we were both suffering - taking the edge off enjoying the wine too! Although we had intended to stay for deserts and the blackcurrant "soft scoop" Mr Whippy style ice cream was really tempting, we bailed out to an air conditioned bar close to Waterloo in order to finish our lunchtime. I know it was a hot day but please, with a great lunch menu, a unique interior, excellent cooking and great service, surely a bit more air con is essential if not required from a H&S viewpoint? I had hoped for a memorable lunch as I had heard great things about Lasdun's but I can only say.......... don't try lunch on a hot day - maybe stick to dinner or a November lunch booking!

Building looks like a cold war bunker from the outside but inside is spectacular

The limited and uncreative menu was surpassed in poor quality by the inedible dishes being flung out of whatever passes for a kitchen. Many food trucks are vastly better. I cannot in any way suggest dining here and I truly wish we had not. If going to the National Theatre eat elsewhere, I beg of you. Save yourself!

It was a happy, breezy, warm, and slightly cloudy Saturday on August 3, 2024. Strolling from London Bridge to the London Eye via Southbank, passing by the National Theatre, made for a perfect day out in London. I hope to catch a performance or musical at this theatre someday. Highly recommended!

This and the Barbican theatres are the best in London.

I cannot effectively review this location, because I have been obsessed with the National Theatre streaming service and finally getting to attend a show in person was bound to affect me strongly. Running to make it on time for curtain, however; I highly appreciated the water bar.

A memorable evening in an iconic building

Always a please, the theatre is comfortable, plenty of facilities (cafe bar and restaurant on site), the staff are always on point and friendly. This is the gold standard for theatres in London.

Amazing theatre with excellent plays. Plenty of dining options on site too

WERDJS had the pleasure of DJ-ING @ the London National Theatre this weekend. We were booked for a wedding that took place on the third floor. The event was an absolute success. Isla and her events team were fantastic from the moment go. We met earlier in the year when our clients made the booking and since then communication and planning has been so professional. We provided the sound and lighting for the room which looked and sounded so good plus the beautiful London surroundings it was such a lovely event. Thank you to Isla and her team you were incredible. Anyone looking for an elite wedding event in London please get in contact with Isla your be in safe hands. WWW.WERDJS.CO.UK

Probably my favorite theatre in London. Always a good show. Great actors, direction, production. High theatre standards. Never failed me.

watched "The Hot Wing King" last week. phenomenal!

I've seen multiple plays here and always had a wonderful time. They're well written and of good quality. As it's a theatre of course the price of food and drink are pretty high.

"The menu is grossly over priced and disappointing. Over £100 for a two course meal of 2x v small pieces of lamb in a sea of barley, 1x "plate of greens" 1x Eton mess and 1x cheese plate, one cup of coffee, and tap water; no alcohol. Mains very small; greens a plate of limp watery cabbage; cheese portion with two small dry crackers."

Lovely theatre with floors that are easy to access with disabilities.

Delicious food in a mellow setting within the busy National Theatre on the South Bank. Simply served favourites, such as fish cakes are strongly seasoned and beautifully presented. The best chips! Friendly and efficient service. We had counter seats, perfectly comfortable. A five star rating for food and service; but have to acknowledge this place is expensive, hence the four stars. Set menu £40 for two courses is acceptable in a London restaurant but sides are extra so a meal for two people with service and only drinking tap water still came to £105. I’d still return for the quality of the food.

Saw the latest Complicite production , loved the production and love this Theatre , the atmosphere and mood was amazing everyone was having a great time no trouble just good vibes got some very reasonably priced food prior to the production and just had a fab evening. Pro tip leave the car at home..

Loved the play mneonomics (sp?), the staff was very helpful

Watched MNEMONIC last night in National Theatre. It’s 25th years revival. A solid “ remastered “ version with excellent performance. Can we only recall the past? Or is it that the past inevitably has its own flavor? Memory is a deposit that we are proud of. Deposits, if left unused, will gradually depreciate in value. Comfort yourself, there, no matter what, it is still money. What we don’t know is that memory will be diluted and devalued. Inflation and the general environment will not let you go. Current events don’t leave you alone. I have experienced it myself, years have passed, and love has intervened. Your memory will be revised and revised. What's left that really happened? I watched the 25-year-old revival of "Mnemonic" at the National Theater tonight, and I was very moved. They say we are the memory holders, right? You are gone, reduced to withered bones and dust. Who will interpret your identity, your existence, and the traces of your journey? If you are no longer here, why should you care what others say about you? It's most practical to be yourself while you're alive. The 120-minute play, about the unearthed iceman dating back five thousand years, and the journey to find his father across thousands of mountains and rivers, can barely be regarded as two main axes, intertwined into a trajectory of self-exploration that seems both real and illusory. The method is not new, but it still works, at least for me who is trying to set up memory coordinates while traveling.

A first rate venue with world class productions.

Loved visiting this theatre - easy to get to, for a first timer in London with a sprained ankle no less! Industrial look to the outside, classy inside, comfy seats, great air flow (not stuffy at all), amazing sound, spectacular lighting, and found a cute bookshop (the bar was good too). Staff are super helpful as well 🙌 Saw Nye here in May - was totally blown away by the performance - then took an evening stroll along Southbank, enjoying the sights, bustle and hum of a city winding down on a weeknight. Magical!

Well, let's see. About seven years ago, I visited there to see a famous play, Amadeus. The play was really inspiring and exciting to me. I wanna visit there again when I become affordable sometime soon. Thank you!!!

We just used the car park - earlybird offer is available for the business hours 9-5

The National Theatre is a real treasure. Well maintained, great productions, a good range of (slightly too expensive) places to eat and drink

One of my favorite places in London. Always a treat. Just get in to see a production. Life is so much better with NT.

Went to se Mnemonic. Great performance.

Great performing arts space. There are plenty of spaces to socialise before and after the show. We went to the Olivier Theatre; comfortable seating and great views from almost everywhere.

Could work with laptop, great charging plugs

Beautiful external architecture, great and easy location, there is a busy cafe on site.

Attended a performance of Nye - my first visit to the National Theatre. A great venue for live theatre. The auditorium is comfortable, spacious, but also intimate. Nye, itself, was truly wonderful. It is particularly relevant to our time and a very important production. It is a play that needed to be made. And who better than Michael Sheen to play his fellow countryman, Bevan. Sheen is magnificent in the role, as are the supporting cast. Innovative special effects compliment and enhance the production. As a former coalminer, I was particularly impressed with the use of laser lights to depict the presence of a coalface. This revealed some insight into conditions underground. The light effects created on stage were emblematic of the reaction of light from a cap lamp when its beam bounces off the shiny and uneven coalface. The play was comic, profound, poignant, sad, compelling and inspirational viewing. I could not recommend a venue and production more highly.

Really impressive theatre complex, easy to get to in central London by the Thames. Plenty of places to eat and drink nearby and the complex itself has multiple bars. Seen some amazing theatre here, it's a nice place to hang out as well, even if you're not watching something.

The main benefit of this restaurant is that it is convenient if you are going to a play / show at the National Theatre because it is inside the theatre building. The food is perfectly find and the service OK. I would not choose to go if I were not tight for time and going to a play there.

Looks better on the inside. What an eye opener

come here for the atmosphere, drink and food aren’t anything special

I go to the National Theatre for free British Sign Language classes, Wednesdays 18:30pm to 20:30pm on the 4th floor. So unfortunately I can't tell you what else goes on at the National Theatre

We live a matinee performance at the National Theatre. Walking sling the river and having a bite to eat.

“London tide” was an amazing play with incredible singing, music, lyrics and lights

We went into the cafeteria area. Nice selection of healthy food.

Brilliant! And catch London Tide if you can. Loved the building design, the ambience, the access to the Tube. Leaving at the end of the evening heading off over the Thames on a rainy evening was the icing on the cake

Excellent service, wonderful shows and great food. All very worth the expense and time spent here.

Love the National! Beautiful and interesting building, lovely, friendly staff, seating in the theatres provides a great view from most spots in the auditorium and is pretty comfortable (narrow seats less so but are marked as such and tickets for those are usually cheaper), good amount of loos, reasonably priced drinks, great views from the terrace during the interval. Each visit is a pleasure!

Second time here but a little disappointed this time. Food was good but not exceptional for the price. The menu is very limited. The starters were good but the chicken pie was watery and lacking in substance. Doubt very much that we’ll be eating here again.

Amazing place to visit and see the great plays 🇬🇧

Boys from the black stuff Brilliant

Lots of parking spaces. Wasn't easy finding the entrance though. Might need proper signage.

I really like this place and love the food when I go there. The National Theatre has an amazing view. There, you can find a big variety of healthy salad sandwiches. Also, different types of classic chopped salad and hot food. My compliments to Chef Graham Tooke and his team of chefs.

Lovely place to stop for a coffee and or a snack. Great book shop by the cafe.

I did a tour of the National and it was really very well done. I learned a lot about the theatre itself and being able to see the backstage workshops was a really neat experience too.

Lasdun is named after Denys Lasdun, the architect for the National Gallery. It opened a 15 months ago with the chefs previously having worked in St John’s. On the first floor with access from the outside and the interior of the national theatre. Beautiful brutalist interior with white table cloths. Love the ceiling design. There were four tables for Saturday lunch, all heading to the 2.15pm show. The two and three course menu were select. The starter of the Hereford carpaccio with celeriac salad was beautiful- light and tasty. The crab soup was excellent with a crispy toast. A nice thick brown liquid with a Super intense of crab flavour. The mains of the shared Chicken , leek and girollle pie was excellent. Nice crispy Flakey pastry crust with chicken stew and breast pieces. It does take about 20minutes to Prepare so they do warn you prior to ordering just in case there is a time pressure of a meal before a show. Nice choice stew with leek pieces with unfortunately with only 4 girolle. The meal was heavy that we didn’t order deserts. Wine was well priced. The service attentive and pleasant.