Inside Sunderland Empire's new pizza bistro Pizza al Teatro as it raises the curtain on ideal pre-theatre dining option

The venue has raised the curtain on its new Pizza al Teatro, which is based in the back bar behind the venue’s main dress circle bar.

The space had formerly been used as the Garden Place Bistro, named after the side street that runs past the Empire, but had been little used since the pandemic.

Now, as the Empire returns post-Covid with a bumper season of blockbusters, the new bistro is making the most of the space which seats around 28 diners.

The theatre is currently hosting a three-week run of Les Misérables for the musical’s Sunderland debut and theatre director Marie Nixon said they’ve been getting some great feedback from theatre-goers.

"Everyone loves pizza and we felt like it was exactly the right pre-theatre dining option for our multi-generational audiences, especially with panto season coming up,” she said.

"We have a brilliant team here and they’ve been really excited about being able to offer something different by creating pizzas for our audiences. We’ve had some brilliant comments about the pizza and about the front of house team in general from people saying they feel so well looked after it.

"The Empire is beloved by Sunderland and people are delighted to see it back open after the pandemic. We’ve come back with a bang with some great shows, and audiences have also come back with a bang.”

One of the biggest shows of the current season is Disney’s The Lion King, which returns for a seven-week run in spring. It’s already proved to be the venue’s best-selling show ever in its 115-year history, with record sales.

Although the Empire has been entertaining audiences since 1907, in recent years it’s been joined by a number of new neighbours, such as The Fire Station auditorium, as the city’s burgeoning culture quarter really takes shape.

"It’s part resurgence and part renaissance,” said Marie. “For more than 100 years, the Empire has always provided entertainment and when it opened it was surrounded by pubs and music halls.

"The Empire is still an anchor, but it’s now seeing new developments flourishing around it. The pizza bistro also offers great views over all the developments.”

Opening times

Pizza al Teatro is open from 5.30pm until curtain up for all of the evening shows at the Empire. It also opens from 12.30pm for matinees.

You can pre-book tables on the Empire website, but it’s also open for walk ins.

What’s on the menu

There’s six main pizza options, served on a Neapolitan-style sourdough base.

Prices start from £7.95 for a classic Marinara to £12.95 for a Charcuterie pizza.

Other options are: Margherita, Diavola (topped with pepperoni and Nduja sausage), Bianca (white pizza topped with garlic mushrooms and spinach) and Verdura (one of the vegetarian options topped with artichokes and peppers).

You can also customise your pizza with various topping options.

A small range of starters, such as antipasti and burrata, and salads are also available.

Sweet tooths can also enjoy cakes and desserts, which start from £5.50 for gelato.

The bistro also has its own wine menu, with prices starting from £7.20 for a small Prosecco.