Prelude at the Opera House

We did the buffet. The salads and cheeses assortment were excellent. The green beans were crisp and fresh, but not raw. The garlic mashed potatoes were creamy and garlicky ( if maybe just a tiny bit too garlicky) delicious. And the roast beef was tender, juicy and favorable. The setting is very cool and so convenient before an evening show. The service was decent, attentive.

Overall it was a great meal at a reasonable price . The service was fantastic. We did the Buffet option but there was also A la carte menu . The buffet had salads , fruit and cheese, veggies and mashed potatoes, for the protein there was chicken , salmon , and prime rib . The desserts were A la carte also. The bar had an extensive drink menu . The ambiance was great . Of course you can only dine there if you have tickets to the same day Opera. Will definitely go back

I've attended SF Opera for over 50 years but very, very seldom eat at Prelude, mostly because my tickets have been for matinees. An evening Beethoven concert brought me downstairs because of the convenience of the spot, and I was pleasantly surprised. The food was all delicious and excellently prepared. The service was professional and helpful, in all a very enjoyable experience and I hope to be back.

Ate dinner on a Saturday at the final show of one run. Food was decent and service is quick to attend, but wildly slow to return for any additional requests. Prices seem elevated beyond the fare. The convenience of being in the Opera House to dine before a show cannot be beat, and the exclusivity of being a seating only for ticket holders keeps the customer base to a uniformly civil clientele. While it isn't Danko, location, location, location as they say, and I will certainly return.

We had a pre-performance dinner than did not match the quality of the performance or the beautiful space. The food and service was, at best, mediocre. I would recommend, particularly for the price, going to a restaurant separate from the opera house to set the tone for a wonderful evening out. Prelude did not hit that mark.

Made a reservation and dined here before the 7:30 pm show of Dead Man Walking. Attentive, friendly servers, great cocktail drinks. Buffet food offering could be better, but they taste good and price is not too bad considering the location!

We have dined before a performance at Prelude at the Opera many times. This time, the buffet was quite mediocre. The salad choices were very good, but when it came to the entree, the quality was lacking a lot. First of all, the entree and sides selections were not not. There was no heat element under the plates and therefore the food was lukewarm at best. The tortellini was too al dente and the pine nuts that was on them tasted very bad as they were stale. The chicken and salmon was over done. The prime rib was very good. The service is always top notch! I hope this was just an off night for the kitchen and not a sign of things yet to come.

First time attending the Opera so we decided to have dinner at prelude as well. The food was delicious and the staff were lovely. We decided to take advantage of the buffet and we were not disappointed. We would definitely recommend.

Prelude at the Opera is an ideal option to grab a bite to eat before a performance. Once you are there, you can relax and you don't have to worry about driving or parking. The food is very good, and the service is impeccable. The wait and restaurant staff have very fast and highly efficient, as well as very courteous, service perfected. Always a great experience.

The food was abysmal. We've been eating at the buffet for 25 years and watch the quality go down considerably under the present hospices . It was disgraceful actually. We're not foodies we often eat moderately good food, but this was trouble and particularly because the service was so good in the morale high among the personnel, the food should've been a lot better. Please Help us return by thinking about what the patient who come to the lower level would like.

We were disappointed last night - some of the dishes (the pasta service in particular) was not thoroughly cooked - the roast beef was not ready and we had to wait a considerable amount of time for it to arrive - there was a cheese service but no crackers, only sliced bread

Prelude was a perfect place for a pre-opera meal. The buffet was excellent, although a little pricey, and the service top rate. We would definitely dine at Prelude again before any Opera performance.

The Prelude at the Opera is a wonderful place to eat when attending a performance. The food in the buffet is always varied, delicious, and beautifully presented. The staff are friendly and gracious, and it's relaxing to have a meal and not worry about finishing in time for the performance.

The food was very good. But I think the salads should come with some bread. My real complaint is that my companion and I were seated at a table that a) was very hard to access, because it was so close to the left and right neighbors I could barely slip through. b) was so dark I could not read the menu, and ended up a scarf behind (later recovered) because in the darkness it simply blended in with the bench where I was sitting I see no reason for the blue overhead lights that provided no light, while the center of the dining room was lit appropriately with white light.

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!