The Lord of the Rings in Concert: Where To Drink and Dine, Before and After the Show

Something about dinner and a show feels extra special compared to a regular night out. Dressing up a little and grabbing dinner beforehand builds anticipation; a late-night wine or gelato is the perfect vehicle for debriefing after.

This spring, The Fellowship of the Ring – the first movie in the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy – gets the concert treatment. It’s playing on the big screen on September 30 and October 1 at John Cain Arena, with Howard Shore’s award-winning score performed live by over 200 musicians to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary.

It’s a big deal for fans of JRR Tolkien’s novels and Peter Jackson’s award-winning film adaptations. Composer Howard Shore won both a Grammy and an Oscar for the film’s score, so the chance to hear it performed in person and synced up with the movie is worth making a night of it. Luckily, the venue is just a stone’s throw from Richmond’s Swan Street and surrounds, making it easy to grab a bite before and after (you’ll probably need it for the near-three-hour movie).

Here’s what we recommend getting up to before and after the show.

Pre-show dinner

New Quarter

This corner restaurant serves excellent modern Vietnamese dishes alongside a local wine list and punchy cocktails. The roast chicken with persimmon, chestnuts and pickled chilli sambal is a hearty standout that ensures you won’t go hungry during the show.

Corner Hotel

For a pub feed, you can’t go wrong at the Corner – head upstairs and enjoy a Melbourne springtime sunset and a pint with your dinner. Expect the usual pub classics done well: parmas, burgers, fish’n’chips and even a sticky date pudding if you’d like dessert before the show rather than after. Catch the Wednesday screening and you can get a $24 parma and pot deal.

Cherry Tree Hotel

Cremorne’s newly renovated Cherry Tree Hotel is also a great option for solid pub grub. Expect dishes similar to what you’d find at the Corner, but in a cosier, quieter room if you prefer to escape the hustle and bustle of Swan Street.

Future Future

If you’re after a more elevated Japanese dinner in the form of grilled meat skewers and excellent sashimi plates, Future Future is a local favourite. It’s the furthest option at a 20-minute walk from the arena, but well worth the trek. If Frodo and Sam can do it, so can you.

Post-show nightcap

Lilac

Grab a glass of wine at Lilac, a New York loft-style wine bar on a Cremorne backstreet. Snack-style plates are cooked over fire here, but the drinks list is the main pull. In it, you’ll find 16 pages of wines from around the world by the glass and bottle, as well as some excellent spirits and cocktails.

Clover

Clover is a similar option for a vino – this Swan Street spot specialises in natural drops. The wine list here is a single page of Aussie, French and Italian varietals. Perfect if you just want to stop by for a quick and easy glass without any decision paralysis.

Union House

If you want to linger a little longer, Union House strikes a nice balance between pub and wine bar, and stays open slightly later than Lilac and Clover. There’s a long menu of wine and spirits here, plus an eclectic selection of digestifs to wrap up the night.

Dessert

Gelato Messina is open until 10.30pm, so you’ll have enough time to get a couple of scoops in. The same goes for Piccolina Gelateria, if you have a preference. If froyo is more your go, Yokli and Froyo Dreams are both close by and open till late.

The Fellowship of the Ring in Concert comes to John Cain Arena on September 30 and October 1. Book your tickets.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fane.