In the summertime, the best way to eat and drink well before a performance at Lincoln Center – without spending a fortune – is a two-step process. Begin with a stop at the postage stamp-sized Bread Soul Cafe (30 Lincoln Plaza, on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd, 212-765-7309). Here you’ll find sandwiches like curry chicken salad or black forest ham with brie between the softest, freshest bread available. Grilled sandwiches, soups, and baked goods are also on offer.

With your dinner in hand, skip the outdoor tables and walk over to the Lincoln Center campus. During the summer months, a delightful little cart with a small bar is set up in front of Avery Fisher Hall. This is the Fountain Cafe, where beers and drinks cost no more than at a typical bar or lounge in Manhattan. With your meal complete, you can angle for a seat on the edge of the fountain or, better yet, in leafy Damrosch Park, which is to the left of the Metropolitan Opera House. After the show, walk back across Broadway and pitch up at O’Neal’s (49 W. 64th Street, 212-787-4663). The tall ceiling and large bar make this a comfortable, dimly lit room perfect for socializing in a relaxed atmosphere.