If you’ve lived in New York long enough, chances are good you’ve probably googled “pre-theater dining” on more than one occasion. Finding a spot with a menu that will suit your tastes (and wallet) and is conveniently located to the show you are headed to can be a fun problem to solve if you’re up for the challenge. If heading to the theater is your gift to Mom this year, you might be looking for a solution sooner rather than later. Fittingly, a recent meal at Sugar Factory revealed the potential of adding this restaurant to my list of near-Broadway recommendations.
Sugar Factory Times Square is located near the corner of 8th Avenue and 44th Street making it a short walk to current Broadway hits like Moulin Rouge!, The Lion King, and A Beautiful Noise. The restaurant opens early in the morning. That means you could grab a bite before your showtime—even if it’s a matinee. If your mother is more of a night owl like mine, grabbing an after-show meal could also be a plan. Sugar Factory stays open until at least midnight every night and later on Saturdays. (It’s also less than a 10-minute walk from the Hard Rock if you’re in for a staycation.) If you’re more inclined to grab a drink while you’re in the area and let the crowds thin out, there are also some tempting options in this category.
Celebrity Treatment Over Ice
Sugar Factory is known for its Goblets. These drinks are 60 ounces of party in a glass. The drinks come in alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties, are topped with candy, and are served over dry ice creating a festive fog show for the table. There are plenty of celebrity-designed options on the menu, but for the person who deserves celebrity treatment in your life, limited-time cocktails are available. After trying the Sugar Runner, a fruity concoction made with light and dark rum, from the Mother’s Day menu, I can attest it is delicious! The drink was a sweet prelude for the meal to come.
Surf, Turf, and Sweets
There is no shortage of food options at Sugar Factory. The menu includes brunch dishes, pasta choices, sandwiches, and burgers. I taste-tested the Surf and Turf from the limited-time Mother’s Day menu. The dish combines tasty asparagus and scrumptious mashed potatoes with its co-stars, the Angus filet and Maine lobster. Not surprisingly, the restaurant also has an extensive inventory of dessert options including an impressive array of shakes and sundaes.
Of course, enjoying a fabulous meal with a mother figure isn’t a possibility for everyone, and I’m super jealous of anyone who gets to celebrate Mother’s Day this way. However, the day can also be a good opportunity to reflect on all those wonderful nurturing and loving moments we’ve given and received in life, and those experiences are certainly worthy of toasting.
Reservations for Sugar Factory can be made online here.
