Southwark Playhouse Borough
WHERE
London
What it’s like
A theatre near Elephant and Castle with a bar for the grown-ups while the family show is on.
This is a proper theatre space, so what you're doing here is sitting down together and watching a show, not clambering about. That makes it a different sort of day out to the soft play run, one where the payoff is a story rather than a slide, and it suits a kid who can sit still for a stretch and follow what's going on stage.
The building's open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm, though obviously you'll want to time your visit around whatever performance you've got tickets for rather than those hours, which cover the box office and front of house rather than the show itself. The Borough Bar opens an hour before curtain up, so there's a bit of time to get a drink in before you go and find your seats. It does beer, wine and cocktails as well as soft drinks, which tells you this isn't purely a children's venue, it's a working theatre that happens to put family shows on.
Getting there is straightforward if you're on the tube: Elephant and Castle station on the Northern and Bakerloo lines, and you want the London Southbank University exit specifically rather than just wandering out the nearest one. Worth building in a few extra minutes if you've not done that exit before, especially with kids in tow and a show about to start.
Need to know
- Food
- Borough Bar serves beverages and snacks including hot and cold soft drinks, beer, wine, cocktails and spirits
- Getting there by bus or train
- Elephant and Castle tube (Northern and Bakerloo lines), take the London Southbank University exit
- The bar opens an hour before the first performance, not when the building opens.
- Take the London Southbank University exit at Elephant and Castle, not just any exit.
- Front of house hours (10am-6pm, Mon-Sat) are separate from show times.
Plan your visit
What time does the venue open?
Monday to Saturday it's open 10am to 6pm, but that's front of house hours rather than when a specific show starts.
Is there a bar?
Yes, the Borough Bar does hot and cold drinks, beer, wine, cocktails and spirits, and it opens an hour before the first performance.
How do we get there?
Elephant and Castle tube, on the Northern and Bakerloo lines. Take the London Southbank University exit rather than the first one you see.
Can we book online?
There's no booking link listed for this venue, so you'd want to sort tickets through whatever channel the current show is using.
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