Many readers will remember the quirky Mirth, Marvel and Maud pub (run by the now-defunct Antic Group, also behind the Red Lion in Leytonstone), which occupied the now scrubbed-up Soho Theatre Walthamstow in the mid-teens.
If so, as you enter you’ll recognise the elegant high-ceilinged foyer, now neon-lit and restored with shiny tiled floor, entrance cafe, several bars — note the ziggurat ceiling above the claret-hued main one — and three distinct levels to enjoy a beer or pre-theatre dinner.
More of that later. But save your biggest gasp for the 960-seater Grade II-listed auditorium itself — four times as big as the West End original, its restoration one of “arrested decay”.
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This process allowed layers of history to peep through, from its ornate 1930s Spanish baroque and Moorish stylings through to the browns and oranges of its 1960s music heyday (look up at the yellow paint apparent on the spearmint green ceiling).
Hoe Street’s former Granada cinema has been a performance venue since 1897, although the reason the scrubbed-up facade looks so exotic is that the original site was redeveloped in 1930 with Moorish exteriors inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.
Sure, it majored in film, but gigs were also a thing by the 1950s, with shows by legendary artists including The Beatles, Dusty Springfield and the Rolling Stones. The last live performance took place in 1973 and the Granada became a cinema, changing owners until closing its doors in 2003.
Fast forward to its rather complicated rebirth in 2025, and the first up is comedian Natalie Palamides’ award-winning Weer, with the inaugural programme including comedy line-up Neon Nights, featuring Thanyia Moore, Sara Pascoe and Phil Wang, and forthcoming shows by Kiki & Herb, Tim Minchin, Suzi Ruffell and The Tiger Lillies.
What’s on the menu?
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Curry On Naanstop will serve Mumbai streetfood across the new venue’s nooks and crannies, whether you fancy perching at the counter or sinking into a sofa.
Founder Swati Kandala’s simple concept is “bringing the soul of 80s and 90s Indian food—from grandma’s kitchen to buzzing street stalls—into the 21st century.” That means authentic flavours with a modern twist from dosas, wraps and bar snacks, including papadums, bhel puri (the tasty combo of puffed rice, chutneys, tomatoes and sev) and steamed bao buns to keema pav, a minced spiced lamb curry.
A £14.99 pre-theatre menu comprises a Punjabi samosa to start (with spiced potato and pea filling) followed by grilled chicken tikka or chilli paneer rolled in freshly baked naan bread with salad and in-house chutneys. A mango lassi is also included for the price.
Booze-wise, you can order Neon, the theatre’s own-brand lager produced by Leyton-based East London Brewery, with Adnam’s providing IPAs, stouts and pale ale. Blackhorse Road’s Burnt Faith distillery (which I reviewed here) have produced canned cocktails, too — a nice touch.
Oh, and if you’re local, don’t forget there are 15,000 tickets for £15 right up to May 2026.Follow @sohotheatre
This is a much shorter version of the full story first published last month on Substack. To read it and loads more like it, delivered every week to your inbox, and long before the stories appear online here, please subscribe to the newsletter. In doing so you help to sustain Leytonstoner’s existence. Only one in ten stories is now published on this site and every story we publish goes on the newsletter first here.
