Lady Carolyn's Pub - The Old Globe

We went to the 10:30 a.m. performance of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which let out right at noon. We were hungry, the lines were manageable, and the menu was reasonably priced, so we opted to eat here rather than drink to a restaurant in Bankers Hill (and inevitably have to wait).

I was pleasantly surprised at the prices, and service was fairly quick. You order and they heat up/ grab your food, kind of like a cafeteria. There's plenty of outdoor seating and many with shade.

I got the Italian Panini and a cold brew, which were both good - better than I was expecting. The panini was fully cooked and toasted. Didn't snap a photo of the food because I was too hungry! Honestly, I'd happily eat here again... I just wish it was colder so I could have had hot chocolate!

I can't speak to the reviews that discuss unreliable hours. It was open when I needed it. My best guess is that its hours are most reliable around performance showtimes.

The lobster bisque was delicious and full of flavor and I think some type of cooking sherry was used that was mostly cooked off? Recommend to grab food here at least 20-30 mins before your show starts to give you time to eat- no food allowed inside the theatre

Expensive and limited choices however located on site with the Old Globe! You can only eat outside so dress accordingly.

Thankful the Old Globe has this little pub available for food and snacks. Upon arriving there was a line but it moved pretty quickly, we planned accordingly to have time for pre show drinks. There's a nice courtyard that features some of Balboa's iconic architecture with a ton of seating. During intermission there was hardly a line and they moved very efficiently, made it back to my seat with plenty of time.

Not reliable - They don't open at stated hours - Their website states they open at noon- but they don't
No hours are posted anywhere
On top of that they sometimes open late and they don't respond well to customers
Poor customer service overall -

My review for Lady Carolyn's got mixed in with the reviews of the Old Globe. I'm pasting it back here where it belongs, but note that despite the date, this is based on pre-COVID experiences.

This place deserves the three stars it's sitting at. The food is not great, and sure it's overpriced, but I assume (hope) that the profits support the theater. Most theaters only offer drinks and snacks, so a place like this where you can get something more substantial is a real step up. Plus, if you're coming from work to attend a 7:00 performance, this is much more convenient than trying to cram in a restaurant meal. The Prado is a nice place, but I'll save that for weekends.

Food-wise, they have a few soups, sandwiches, and salads, plus the usual cookie/chip/snack type options. The drinks menu is a bit more extensive with wine, beer, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. You can order a drink before the show starts and it will be ready and waiting for you when you come out at intermission.

Yelp lists official hours, but know that they set their schedule to match the theater; they close at the end of intermission, or after the performance starts when there is none.

The caprese grilled cheese panini was yuck. Not such a grilled or panini. A pre made sandwich with a bunch of sliced cheese that didn't taste like mozzarella. The toaster prep method only got one side toasted and only edge of cheese melted. The center was dry and obviously layers of funky sliced cheese.

The "Cheese Plate" is a cheese salami cracker pack that you get at your local grocer.

The best thing they did here was make basic school cafeteria quality sound fancy.

Pack you own food!

Went to go watch a play at globe this past weekend and was a bit hungry prior to the show starting so my boyfriend I decided to try the Lady Carolyn's Pub. There was a long line for food so I assumed this place would be worth the wait. I decided to try their "cafe Mexicano" and I was going to try their Italian panini but when we started getting closer to the order window there was a really strong burning smell coming from the service area. I noticed it got worse every time they opened the oven where they "bake" the food. I decided not to go for the panini because I felt that the scent of whatever got burnt in there was going to be how the bread would taste on the panini. I ended up ordering a cheese quesadilla. Took my first bite and had to spit it out unfortunately, the cheese tasted bad and had a weird plasticy taste. The cafe Mexican was also not great they use some type of apricot liquor and that is exactly what it tastes like, coffee with apricot it was very strange. I won't be eating there again.

Probably one of the worst places I've eaten. Pre made sandwiches, they were cold in the middle. Some of the meat was slimy. The cashier was rude, even mouthed "wtf" when another cashier accidentally brought us an extra water. Definitely would not come here again. It's gross.

This place is in the heart of balboa park and the atmosphere bus amazing the menu is small but it's great becuase you don't want to eat to heavy ... the bar side has great choices