Prelude at the Opera House - Lower Level

Review summary

1. C

   Cathy

   San Francisco

   15 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   15 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   The food was good but the price point seemed high. It is a lovely bar area and very convenient. The flourless chocolate cake was very special. The salads are great!!
   

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2. G

   Gerard

   San Francisco

   16 reviews

   4.0

   16 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Buffet table was not monitored well enough. In early evening dishes were not available! Not great!
   

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3. J

   Julia

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   1.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Please believe the reviews on this one. Food for awful and for 68 per head it was pathetic to say the least. No coffee or desert included in the buffet price. We bought one glass of wine but were charged for two and the waiter said he gave us someone else’s bill. Then the waiter tried “fixing” it and brought back a new bill that had wine removed but 60 dollars extra on it added with no clarification. It was embarrassing. I had to go to the register and demand this gets to be fixed in front of me because the waiter was so incompetent in screwing up the bill twice. Not very classy experience at the opera house - makes you feel horrible really before you are heading to hear some of the most beautiful music in the world in this beautiful building you get trash food and scam billing like in some shady joint… left a bad taste in our mouths for sure. The company that runs this restaurant must go- they are damaging the opera brand. I hope the SF opera management looks at reviews and hires a proper vendor to take care of its patronage. The cost is not the issue, it’s what you get for it and the terrible service. People just want a dignified dining experience coming to the opera house.
   

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4. A

   Alisa

   San Francisco

   9 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   The main draw to this restaurant is its guarantee that you will not miss the opera. Unfortunately, our recent experience at Carmen was extremely upsetting. Our waiter was very late in getting us the check at intermission. Then, they did not put the credit card through in time for one of my guests to be in his seat at curtain. The ushers would not let him in even at the entracte, so he missed the entire second half of the opera. This was entirely the fault of Prelude’s staff, which should have known better and at the very least sent him back and held the cc until after the performance ended. We were seated in premium grand tier for this special occasion, so not only was the event ruined but a very expensive ticket was wasted. What should have been a wonderful night was ruined by the careless customer service at the opera’s own facility. Very disappointing in every way.
   

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5. R

   Rita

   San Francisco

   12 reviews

   5.0

   12 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   My waiter gave me, a solo white-haired lady, great service! So did the hostess who escorted me to my table. I’m a frequent diner there before the opera, usually have the buffet, which is delicious—but this time I tried something new and sit-down, the grilled shrimp, which also was also very delicious. This is the perfect place to dine before the opera and to ensure you aren’t late for the show.
   

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6. S

   Susan

   San Francisco

   14 reviews

   5.0

   14 reviews

   Dined on 14 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is a lovely, convenient place to eat if you’re going to the opera. Be sure to make reservations. They seat people with reservations first, and all,others had to stand in a long line to the side. Everyone eventually got seated though. The tables are quite close. I think I had maybe two feet of space between me and the next table. We got the buffet. There’s always a carved meat station. Last time there was prime rib. This time it was lamb. The carver didn’t ask how we wanted it, so it was very rare. The second time we went back we asked for medium, and it was less rare. If the carving station is serving lamb, I wouldn’t get the buffet again. One should ask the waiter before ordering.
   

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7. E

   Emma

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 6 November 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food was decent, the staff were wonderful, and the location can't be beat. The only issue was the price. $90 for a quinoa bowl, a glass of wine, and a chocolate tart is a bit steep. I realize I'm paying for convenience and ambience, but it still seemed awfully expensive for what it was. I'm glad we did it this once, but that same $90 could have gotten me something really amazing at any of the very good restaurants located nearby.
   

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8. L

   Lawrence

   San Francisco

   22 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   22 reviews

   Dined on 6 November 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Our visit did not involve the usual menu. We purchased the two course pre fixe menu for eating courses during the intermissions of the 4.5 hour opera Tristan and Isolde. It did not go well. The major problem was that the intermissions are simply too short to both use the bathroom and eat the main course of a meal (the program called for the dessert course at the second intermission). (There was also a wine offering before the show.) By the time we has used the bathroom our meal - - if it ever was warm -- was cold. We ate perhaps half the meal before it was clear that we were pushing the limits regarding resumption of the opera and left the meal half-eaten at our table. Fortunately, the staff left the meal for us to resume at the second intermission. The next problem with this meal was the lentil salad that served as the base for some squash, prawns and arugula (the main course was essentially what is typically referred to these days as a "bowl"): the lentils had not been properly cleaned prior to cooking. I bit into three small lentil-sized rocks during the course of this meal! Fortunately, no broken teeth. The dessert course was problematic, too. While overall quite tasty, the pastry cup holding the chocolate and caramel was hard as a rock. And served only with a fork. Which was not remotely adequate for creating bite-sized pieces of this mud pie. I made it work using the knife left over from the first course - - after wiping the oils off from the first course. I noted other diners struggling to eat this dessert without a knife. There were not enough servers and not enough time to flag down someone in order to procure a knife. That being said, I gave the service high marks for leaving the dinner bowl after the first intermission so we could finish it at the second intermission. This was a relatively expensive meal but a poor value. I will think twice before attending an opera at SF Opera that deserves a meal break, as the meal break allowed was totally inadequate.
   

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9. D

   David

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 6 November 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   Would not choose this option again at the opera. Everything except the cocktails was substandard and those were overpriced. Our table wasn’t ever cleared between acts. The bill was produced the moment we sat down to eat. You’d eat better if you carried a snack in your purse or pocket. Deeply disappointing.
   

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10. DE

    DavidE

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 6 November 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    Dinner -- in two 1/2 hour shifts during the two intermissions of Tristan and Isolde-- was too rushed to be enjoyable, and the food, in cardboard containers, was ok but certainly not worth the price. We've had better luck with the early dinners befor operas, but still better experiences in various neighborhood restaurants.
    

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