A neighbourhood guide to Leicester Square | London Theatre

London’s cinema capital is a true entertainment hotspot, also home to several exciting West End theatres.

Based around a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, the easily mispronounced Leicester Square (it’s “Lester”) has long had a reputation as an entertainment hotspot. At the centre is a fountain featuring a statue of William Shakespeare copied from an 18th-century memorial in Westminster Abbey with the quote “There is no darkness but ignorance” from Twelfth Night.

In the 19th century, Leicester Square’s theatres included the Alhambra Music Hall; Daly’s Theatre, famed for its lavish operettas; and the Hippodrome, which offered a variety programme. In the 20th century, the area became the centre of London’s cinema scene and many glamorous premieres continue to take place here.

It’s also home to the headquarters of Global Radio (the largest commercial radio company in Europe). Additionally, you can also visit several novelty themed shops.

In homage to its cinematic history, Leicester Square features the sculpture trail ‘Scenes in the Square’, featuring representations of iconic movie characters (including Mary Poppins, Harry Potter, and Paddington Bear) – you can have fun collecting selfies with them all!

Theatres in Leicester Square

This 400-seat venue, a former French cultural centre, is the perfect place to enjoy comedy in the West End. Joan Rivers headlined the opening season in 2008 and other famous comedians who have performed here regularly include Bill Bailey, Frank Skinner, and Stewart Lee.

However, the venue is just as committed to showcasing up-and-coming talent. Book for a show here and you never know who you might discover!

A large entertainment complex, the Hippodrome has had many incarnations throughout the years. After decades as a variety venue, Bernard Delfont transformed the theatre into the nightclub The Talk of the Town and booked artists as legendary as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

These days, it has returned to its variety origins, in a manner of speaking, with the hit movie spin-off dance show Magic Mike Live – the dance skills are as key to its success as the visuals!

Located on nearby Coventry Street (another one of the yellow Monopoly properties), Gracie Fields laid the first stone for this Art Deco venue. Notable productions throughout the years include Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, Aspects of Love, and eight years of Mamma Mia! before the musical transferred to the Novello Theatre.

The uproariously outrageous missionary musical The Book of Mormon has played here since 2013 and is still one of the most popular comedies in the West End.

Formerly the Comedy Theatre and renamed after Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter in 2011, this is one of the West End’s more intimate playhouses. A ‘Pinter at the Pinter’ season was held in 2018-19, showcasing the writer’s shorter works, and building up to a hit production of Betrayal with Tom Hiddleston that transferred to Broadway.

The venue recently hosted Penelope Skinner’s Lyonesse starring Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jez Butterworth’s new play The Hills of California. This autumn, David Tennant and Cush Jumbo star in an innovative production of Macbeth.

Cinemas in Leicester Square

The flagship of the Odeon chain since its inception in 1937 and one of the few surviving examples of a single-screen cinema with its stalls and circle intact. A screening here is a real experience. There are also four additional screens seating about 50-60 customers. Oscar’s Bar (named after Odeon’s founder Oscar Deutsch) features views across Leicester Square from an enclosed balcony.

Previously the Empire Theatre of Varieties, the venue was redeveloped as an American-style movie palace in 1927. It originally seated 3,300 people and was one of the most spectacular cinemas of its time. It has been subdivided over the years and was acquired by Cineworld in 2016.

This Vue was originally the Warner’s West End Cinema, situated on the site of the former Daly’s Theatre, and opened in 1939 with The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. It now contains nine screens, showing all the popular blockbusters.

Quentin Tarantino’s favourite cinema, with the vibe of a private club for film buffs. This independent venue is known for its eclectic programming (including lots of cult classics and some really off-the-wall offerings) and its legendary singalong screenings of The Sound of Music – lederhosen optional!

Shops in Leicester Square

If you like M&M’s, this is the place to go: it just happens to be the world’s largest candy store. It’s big, it’s colourful, and it has a selection of over 100 different types of M&M’s to choose from!

Heaven for LEGO enthusiasts, selling all the latest kits, plus the chance to see fantastic installations unique to the bricks and mortar setting. Don’t miss the double-decker bus made of 270,884 LEGO bricks.

Pubs and bars in Leicester Square

A traditional pub with a beer garden, serving excellent cask ales and food, as well as screening football during the season. Goal!

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Named after George Orwell’s ideal of a pub, this branch of British chain Wetherspoons is lively, cheap (especially for such a central location), and has an outdoor seating area.

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Places to eat in Leicester Square

There’s plenty of fast food available in Leicester Square, including McDonalds, KFC, and TGI Fridays. However, there are many other options.

A modern European restaurant serving dishes made from ingredients sourced seasonally in the UK. Menu staples include white wine mussels, crispy salmon bites, Wagyu cheeseburger, and fish and chips.

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Contemporary Mexican and Peruvian dining that takes diners on a journey through the flavours of South America, including the finest tacos and skewered meats. Enjoy Taco Tuesdays with a margarita and 20% off a la carte Sunday to Friday.

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There’s a cluster of Italian restaurants on Irving Street. A good option is L’Ulvilo (a local chain with branches on the Strand and Villiers Street) with its seasonal ingredients and warm welcome.

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Relax in the restaurant at The Londoner, “the world’s first super boutique hotel”. The set menu comprises two courses for £34 and three for £39.

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Fun theatre facts about Leicester Square

• A new Royal Opera House was proposed for Leicester Square in 1709; however, it never came to fruition because a royal patent was refused. A painting of the proposed design in situ can be seen here.
• Daly’s Theatre’s famous chorus girls included Gladys Cooper, who had a celebrated stage career, received a damehood, and is remembered for her screen appearances in Rebecca, Now Voyager, and as Mrs Higgins in My Fair Lady.
• The Hippodrome was home to several firsts. Ballets Russes’s production of Swan Lake had its London premiere there in 1912, and it’s where the first jazz gig in Britain was performed in 1919. It’s also where child prodigy Julie Andrews made her London debut at the age of 12.
• The Comedy Theatre (as the Harold Pinter was then) established the New Watergate Club in 1956, which allowed plays that had been banned by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office to be performed under private club conditions. These included Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge and Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Photo: Julia Rank