Bar/Cafe
In line with current government advice, our bar will be open to the public from Thursday, 9 July.
We want to make it as safe as possible for you to come and enjoy a drink with us, and our priority is and always will be the safety of all of you and our staff. Because of that, you will notice a few small changes to the theatre bar and communal areas to make you feel secure when you come by.
You can make a reservation below or email us on reservations[at]southwarkplayhouse.co.uk, but if you don’t want to commit you can still come along – you might just have to wait a bit in a socially distanced queue if we’re at capacity.
So here’s the thing. If you were thinking of going for a drink anyway but weren’t sure where to go or hadn’t decided on a location yet then please consider coming round ours for one (or two, or three). It would mean so much to us, plus it’ll be a great atmosphere and a pretty damn fine way of supporting your local theatre and meeting friends in a socially distanced way.
Please note we be operating a cashless bar so will only be taking contactless/card payments during this time.
For a TikTok video tour of our new socially distanced bar click here.
Opening Hours
We are open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Monday 5pm to 10pm
Tuesday 12pm to 10pm
Wednesday 5pm to 10pm
Thursday 5pm to 10pm
Friday 5pm to 10pm
Saturday 12pm to 10pm
Menu
Our bar serves an assortment of beverages to suit all tastes from hot and cold soft drinks to beer, wine, cocktails and spirits and a whole lot more.
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend you book a table in advance below. But, if you don’t make a reservation, we’ll be keeping a couple of tables for walk-up customers so please do still stop by and we will try and get you in. You may just have to wait in a socially distanced queue for a bit if you don’t book in advance.
Indoor gatherings should only be occurring in groups of up to 2 households (including support bubbles).
Outdoor gatherings should only be occurring in groups of up to 2 households (or support bubbles), or a group of at most 6 people from any number of households.
Although this is voluntary, we will be encouraging customers and visitors on arrival to share their details in order to support NHS Test and Trace. This information will only be used where necessary to help stop the spread of COVID-19. We will do this via an online form which you will be able to access via your smartphone.
We will ask customers and visitors for the following information:
– Your name. If there is more than one person in your group, then we will ask for the name of the ‘lead member’ of your group and record the number of people in your group
– A contact phone number for each customer or visitor, or for the ‘lead member’ of your group
– The date of your visit, arrival time and, where possible, departure time
– Your table number
If you do not want your details shared for the purposes of NHS Test and Trace, then you can choose to opt out, and if you do so your booking information will not be shared with NHS Test and Trace.
If you need to cancel a table please reply to your confirmation email with CANCELLED in the subject line or, if you can’t find that email, then drop us a note on reservations@southwarkplayhouse.co.uk directly to let us know.
Great question! We’ll be operating with a limited capacity of 28 (indoors) and 16 (outdoors). You’ll notice that the tables and chairs will be arranged slightly differently to usual and there will be more general signage around to show you where to go.
We’ll be operating a table service so you don’t need to queue at the bar. When you arrive at the theatre you’ll be shown to your table and then, when you’re ready to order, a member of staff will approach your table with a tablet and card machine. You can let the member of staff know what you’d like to order and, once you’ve paid, they will send your order to the bar where it will be prepared. Once your order is ready it will be brought to you direct on a tray.
No. We will be accepting contactless and card payments only for the foreseeable future.
Yes. You can bring in food from Mercato Metropolitano opposite us, you can bring your own snacks or you can order Deliveroo to the theatre. We will not be serving any food from our bar.
We are going to start off with a reduced menu but will have most of our usual drinks, minus the cocktails. This includes draught beer on tap, wine, prosecco, coffee, tea including herbal tea, spirits, soft drinks and fruit juice.
We’ll be COVID-proofing our toilets and cleaning them regularly. There will be signage and markers on the floor to show you how to get to the toilets and they will observe social distancing.
We’ve conducted an extensive risk assessment and briefings for all staff which includes strict cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures. Rest assured we have everything in place to make your visit as safe as possible. There will also be hand sanitizer available.
Yes. We are an unfunded charity organisation and a huge amount of our income is ‘earned’ which means it comes to us via ticket sales and bar income. At the moment we have no tickets to sell which means our cashflow is, like many other arts organisations, looking pretty perilous. By opening our bar, any money you spend will help generate a bit of income which will, in turn, help us get back up and running as soon as the government give the go ahead to let us start doing live performances again.