Prelude at the Opera House

They only vegan dishes they had was a green salad and another salad consisting of artichoke and hummus, but with minimal amounts. They were more like garnishes than actual portions. You wouldn't have known it by the price--in fact, the whole menu is way overpriced. They should lower their prices and add more substantial vegan items with protein included!

Food was very good, tasty, well cooked and warm. Our server, Joe was very attentive. The only bad and unfortunate thing was that I asked the host not to sit us next to noisy kitchen. He offered one table over which did not change the view of servers going in and out and same noise.

The food is delicious and very pricey! The set up is very nice, but I noticed that the chairs were dirty, wine glasses- very old fashioned Otherwise, we had an incredible experience! Very convenient

It was a treat eating at Prelude before the Opera. The buffet, accompanied by supporting table service, was delicious. If you are going to the opera, reserve a table and enjoy!

Prelude at the Opera House - Lower Level is an extremely convenient location to have a meal before the opera. The food selection is good and flexible as you can participate in the buffet or order a la cart entrees. The wine selection is also decent. There is limited dessert menu but the chocolate dipped strawberries are a favorite. The service is usually very good as the staff is aware that all patrons are attending a show. However, every now and again we have had especially slow service and it created stress in completing our meal and getting to our seats in time. We appreciate the convenience and the food/service is usually very good.

Lamb chops were extremely tough, and the crab salad was very small. Prices were high, considering the quality of the food. Service was very good.

The tiny filet minion was delicious. But tiny. Like 1/6 of a serving of filet minion.😏 The crab salad yummy, okay portion. The salmon overcooked. Lovely ambiance. Fair service. Maybe do better? We enjoyed despite this! Thanks! Leigh

Classic buffet. Easy to enter early with opera tickets. Has a la carte menu as well and a good selection of beverages. Adds to the fun of going to the opera.

Everything was okay except for the service. My waitress was a crotchety, old woman with eyeglasses and a hair bun. She didn't greet me at all or ask to take my order. She literally walked up to me and stared at me angrily for 5 seconds with her glasses at the very bottom of her nose, and then abruptly stated, “I'm taking your order!” She seemed so annoyed at me for asking questions about the menu choices. Forgive me for needing clarification.. I asked her if the orange sesame tofu is cooked, and she stated it was not. Her glare at me was like I just asked the most ridiculous, offending question. Still, I ordered that. When I received my meal, it was indeed cooked. I also asked for a plate of dinner rolls and she brought me a single dinner roll. She was gone for a long time and so I ate the roll. When she returned, I told her I was confused with the single roll and that I wanted more rolls. I said I ordered the plate of dinner rolls. She didn't offer to bring me what I ordered, she said a single dinner roll is $3 and that I can either buy another single dinner roll or I can order a plate now ($6) but I have to pay for the first dinner roll of $3. It was her mistake that this happened though... Finally, she neglected filling my water the entire time. Not once! A kind enough man saw my lack of water and filled my glass. My thirst was then quenched. When it came to paying, my waitress did the payment right at my dining table for me for some reason even though everyone else she was serving got the payment done the old-fashioned way. Ok... She was staring at me so hard when it came to the tip screen... oh my word, the pressure! I wanted to give much less, but my nerves got the best of me and so I gave the lowest pre-set tip amount of 18% and of course when seeing this she glared at me and I said thank you, have a nice day. She completely ignored me and walked away! The audacity of the crotchety.

I ordered the breakfast buffet because the server recommended it. I was shocked when I saw the bill for one person after the 20% tip was over $85. it definitely wasn't worth the experience!

We love the convenience of dining at the Opera House and the fact that you can keep the table for the night and return to it during intermission for another glass of wine or desert. The buffet at $65 is a little pricey for what it offers. Small portions and meat is always gone. Salads are very good. Cheese is standard deli product. Wine selection small but ok. The service however deserves 5 stars.

Our server was unsatisfactory. He forgot our dessert order and made excuses that his manager was talking to him. We had to leave in time to hear the pre-concert talk and we cancelled our dessert order. I left him no tip. You need to upgrade the quality of your servers. James Bell

The food was perfect for a pre-opera dinner, and our server was very attentive to the fact that we had to be in our seats before the show started. A perfect experience, highly recommended for opera goers.

Food , selection and presentation was excellent! Service superb and the ambiance always lovely! It's a treat to have dinner at the prelude in the Opera house before the performance.

Prelude is soo underrated, it baffles me!! It's very surprising that opera goers are not taking advantage of this venue to have a relaxing evening and experience. This is definitely our go-to place if the opera has two intermissions! The staff at Prelude is extremely accommodating, setting aside your order and coursing it out throughout the evening! My husband and I ordered à la carte so we enjoyed the salad before the performance, shared an entree during the 1st intermission (we recommend the tuna tartare) and cheeses and coffee for the 2nd intermission! Totally civilized and beyond relaxing! We even brought our own wine (with a steep $40 corkage), yet they were so kind enough to provide a lil' sippy cup so you can bring it inside the venue during the performance. It may have added an additional $150 to our evening, but frankly that's the average price for two in a Hayes Valley restaurants (without the mad rush). Opera goers should definitely consider dining here to help support the SF Opera staff and community!