Four restaurants within a block of Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, for a pre-show dinner or a drink after the curtain.
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre sits on Campbell Street in the middle of downtown's restaurant blocks, so dinner and a show is a walk, not a drive. Every restaurant on this list is within a block of the theater.
Book ahead on show nights, especially Friday and Saturday. If you're driving, the Vail Avenue Garage is the closest deck, and the blue-zone spaces are free after 6 p.m.
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Hey Nonny is right around the corner on South Vail Avenue. Chef Tim Vidrio, formerly of North Pond, runs a seasonal farm-to-table menu, and Tuesday through Thursday there's a three-course prix fixe, which makes it easy to finish on time. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners are covered. On Fridays and Saturdays, the 4–6 p.m. happy hour in the Bistro comes with free live music and fits well before an evening curtain.
2Salsa 17 is on the same block of Campbell Street as the theater. The menu is broad enough for a mixed group (tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, a mole poblano enchilada), and the table-side guacamole is a good thing to order while everyone settles in.
3Peggy Kinnane's is on North Vail, a short walk from the theater doors. The pub was built with stone and woodwork brought over from Ireland, it stays open until 1 a.m. most nights and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the whiskey list is long. Fish and chips or lamb stew if you skipped dinner.
4Cortland's Garage, at the corner of North Vail, is the fastest of the four. Sliders and the shareable Garage Rolls come out quickly, and on Friday and Saturday the kitchen and bar run until 2 a.m. if you'd rather eat after the show.
