The Trocadero Grill Room opened in London in 1896 as a less expensive option than dining at the Ritz or Savoy hotels. Diners entered from Shaftesbury Avenue, ascending a grand marble staircase, and were led into a vast grill room. A full orchestra played in the background as white-jacketed waiters scurried back and forth between tables, watched over by a superintendent. The great English humorist P.G. Wodehouse was a regular customer – he dined there at least once a week. Indian curries ' cooked by a native chef ' were on the menu three times a week. The Trocadero, owned by Joseph Lyons and Co, was one of the first restaurants to introduce a fixed price meal – the table d’hote for two shillings and sixpence. It meant gentlemen in a rush could eat quickly before going off to business meetings or couples heading to the theatre could dine before curtain-up and proved popular.

This elegant menu is from 1953 and offered an enormous menu, with prices in pounds and shillings. The Trocadero closed in 1965.

opular.