Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Theatre Box – one sweet splurge

Luxury and sugar in San Diego's Gaslamp

The Sugar Factory Burger at the Theatre Box comes with a half-pound of Angus beef, crispy onions on a brioche bun.
The Sugar Factory Burger at the Theatre Box comes with a half-pound of Angus beef, crispy onions on a brioche bun.

I love seeing movies in theaters, but it’s hard to leave home when you have a big screen TV, streaming and DVD options, big easy chairs, and food available for delivery.

Place

Theatre Box

701 Fifth Avenue, San Diego

That cruel fact has forced some movie chains to up their game. Case in point: the [Theatre Box,][1] a new luxury theatre in the Gaslamp where the Reading theaters were located for a few years.

The Theatre Box is marketed as a luxury theatre destination that offers high-end food and drinks and comfortable seats that are adjustable — the perfect complement to a tentpole movie like Aquaman.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The theatre screens are on the second floor of the building, while the [Sugar Factory,][2] an ice cream parlor that sells candy by the pound, and the American Brasserie, a restaurant like the Incredible Cheesecake Factory take up downstairs.

The citrus roll is tangy and light -- an alternative to popcorn

The overall feel is a tween’s idea of luxury. Seriously, I think my son was disappointed when the movie was over and he had to leave the theater and go home to a house where the chairs are smaller and don’t lean back.

Movie theater food doesn’t have the greatest reputation, but the Theatre Box items are good enough to make this a definite splurge option for families, teens on dates or anyone who wants to temporarily live large while sitting in one place to for two hours.

The Caesar Salad with steak

My son got the Signature Sugar Factory Burger ($14): a half-pound burger made from Angus beef, with lettuce, tomato and crispy onions on a Brioche bun. He loved it, though the burger seemed big enough to dislocate his jaw — in the world of “living large,” that’s meant to be a compliment.

The fries that came with the burger were crispy.

I went lighter. I started off with a citrus roll ($7), enjoyed the Caesar Salad with steak ($12 for salad, plus $12 for the steak). The dressing was tangy, but not overpowering, the croutons were crispy with a bit of cheese; the chopped pieces of steak were a medium rare.

The Grape Crush

When it came time to eat the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream sandwich, we couldn’t finish it.

The Theatre Box sells a range of fruity and chocolate drinks. A lot of these drinks can served with or without alcohol. My son had the Berry Bliss ($26 with booze, $19 without), and it was almost too sweet.

Same with my non-alcoholic choice: the Grape Crush, an upscale version of grape soda that was so sweet, I couldn’t finish it. The drinks might taste different with alcohol, but more balance of other flavor components would be my preference.

The Berry Bliss Goblet

Another slight nit-picky detail: Safety regulations (ugh) forced the theatre designer to put these metal bars in front of each of the upper level seats, and these can cut off the bottom of the screen. So I couldn’t see Jason Momoa’s feet.

I predict the Theatre Box will become a popular destinations for birthday parties, and other splurge-type events.

[1]: https://theatrebox.com/ [2]: https://sugarfactory.com/location/sugar-factory-san-diego/

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"
The Sugar Factory Burger at the Theatre Box comes with a half-pound of Angus beef, crispy onions on a brioche bun.
The Sugar Factory Burger at the Theatre Box comes with a half-pound of Angus beef, crispy onions on a brioche bun.

I love seeing movies in theaters, but it’s hard to leave home when you have a big screen TV, streaming and DVD options, big easy chairs, and food available for delivery.

Place

Theatre Box

701 Fifth Avenue, San Diego

That cruel fact has forced some movie chains to up their game. Case in point: the [Theatre Box,][1] a new luxury theatre in the Gaslamp where the Reading theaters were located for a few years.

The Theatre Box is marketed as a luxury theatre destination that offers high-end food and drinks and comfortable seats that are adjustable — the perfect complement to a tentpole movie like Aquaman.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The theatre screens are on the second floor of the building, while the [Sugar Factory,][2] an ice cream parlor that sells candy by the pound, and the American Brasserie, a restaurant like the Incredible Cheesecake Factory take up downstairs.

The citrus roll is tangy and light -- an alternative to popcorn

The overall feel is a tween’s idea of luxury. Seriously, I think my son was disappointed when the movie was over and he had to leave the theater and go home to a house where the chairs are smaller and don’t lean back.

Movie theater food doesn’t have the greatest reputation, but the Theatre Box items are good enough to make this a definite splurge option for families, teens on dates or anyone who wants to temporarily live large while sitting in one place to for two hours.

The Caesar Salad with steak

My son got the Signature Sugar Factory Burger ($14): a half-pound burger made from Angus beef, with lettuce, tomato and crispy onions on a Brioche bun. He loved it, though the burger seemed big enough to dislocate his jaw — in the world of “living large,” that’s meant to be a compliment.

The fries that came with the burger were crispy.

I went lighter. I started off with a citrus roll ($7), enjoyed the Caesar Salad with steak ($12 for salad, plus $12 for the steak). The dressing was tangy, but not overpowering, the croutons were crispy with a bit of cheese; the chopped pieces of steak were a medium rare.

The Grape Crush

When it came time to eat the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream sandwich, we couldn’t finish it.

The Theatre Box sells a range of fruity and chocolate drinks. A lot of these drinks can served with or without alcohol. My son had the Berry Bliss ($26 with booze, $19 without), and it was almost too sweet.

Same with my non-alcoholic choice: the Grape Crush, an upscale version of grape soda that was so sweet, I couldn’t finish it. The drinks might taste different with alcohol, but more balance of other flavor components would be my preference.

The Berry Bliss Goblet

Another slight nit-picky detail: Safety regulations (ugh) forced the theatre designer to put these metal bars in front of each of the upper level seats, and these can cut off the bottom of the screen. So I couldn’t see Jason Momoa’s feet.

I predict the Theatre Box will become a popular destinations for birthday parties, and other splurge-type events.

[1]: https://theatrebox.com/ [2]: https://sugarfactory.com/location/sugar-factory-san-diego/

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
Next Article

Live Five: Sitting On Stacy, Matte Blvck, Think X, Hendrix Celebration, Coriander

Alt-ska, dark electro-pop, tributes, and coastal rock in Solana Beach, Little Italy, Pacific Beach
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader