Florian Opera Bistro

We were very excited to attend the opera in this beautiful and eclectic setting. However we were extremely dissatisfied with our meal at their restaurant. We noticed not one but three water glasses were very dirty. The soup tasted as if it came out of a can, and the mushroom tart was way over cooked. The mixed greens were old and limp and just plain expired. Had we known all of this we would of eaten at Lloyds across the street. I really hope at some point they make over this menu and quality of food. We won’t be back.

Is this really a 5-​star place? Well, no, not really, not in the sense that the food was 5-​star food. But I totally did have a 5-​star experience there. Totally.
I’m not an opera guy but went to one this weekend. My first live opera. I am not a fan, and nothing about live opera made me change my mind. Yeah, in some way it sort of sounds terrific, but I found it hugely boring, and the older ladies behind us wouldn’t quit yacking in Russian, the guy across the aisle from me conducted AND SANG (way too loudly, way too much, and not well at all), and, oh my God, have none of these people ever gone to a movie? Beeping and buzzing and ringing all around us. Hard of hearing? Pill reminders? Shoes loudly falling to the floor (a clog, I think, the woman behind us and slightly to the left, repeatedly). Candy wrapper crinkling, the works.
We were starving before the performance. Famished. We found our way to Florian Opera Bistro on the third floor where, I guess not too surprisingly, we were there too late to be seated and get food. Okay, I get it. No problem.
But then the maitre d’ asked if we wanted to order for intermission. For intermission? I had no idea what he meant. I assumed they offer a pick-​up window sort of thing, and so opted for sandwiches, the smoked salmon and fried green tomatoes sandwiches. He took my last name but not my credit card so I didn’t think we’d really committed to anything at all.
Anyway, to make a long story short, we ambled up there at intermission and it was full-​on Wes Anderson movie (in all the good ways). There was a line of us at the door, to the left. The maitre d’ was there, at the door, as we came in. There was a line of waiters to the right. As he greeted us, then instructed a waiter to take us to our table, and did this for all guests, in succession.
Our (delicious) food was waiting for us. We hadn’t ordered any wine – our mistake-​but a very personable and gracious waiter asked if we wanted anything else to drink so we were about to get wine. All directed and timed perfectly. Never felt hurried or rushed.
And the maitre d’ stopped by our table to chat for a moment … we really enjoyed talking to him about how they orchestrate (no pun intended) the quick meal for so many people. Very nice guy with a lot of personality. Seemed to really enjoy what he was doing. When do you ever see that nowadays?
I thought the whole thing was brilliant, and while the opera didn’t do much for me, I’d love to go back just be to part of the Florian Opera Bistro performance, which, to my mind, was the best performance of the evening. Days later, my date and I are still talking about it.

Everything’s ruined by the service. A new staff and a new orderering system is not an acceptable excuse (which is what we were told by management AFTER WE WAITED 50 MINUTES for our meal.) I ordered a Pelligrino which never came… and of course was charged for it. I asked for chips as a side and got a salad. My wife ordered soup which we had to ask for again because they forgot it.
When I told a manager as we were leaving that they have to get their act together or they will lose all their customers, he looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. In fairness, there are two other managers who work the floor and desk and they are always hospitable and accommodating and they seem to try to remedy the situation.
It was the same last year as well, but not as bad as this evening. I don’t know if George Jewell Catering manages the restaurant in addition to providing the food, or if it is managed by Lyric, but this is an utter embarrassment. Shame on Lyric for allowing this to continue year after year after year. My wife and I enjoy going to the bistro because of the ambiance and convenience, but they are making it very difficult for us to continue. With service this bad, the quality of the meal — which is very good to excellent — is almost irrelevant since by the time it comes to your table, you have no appetite and are furious and disgusted.
The arrogance of Lyric for allowing this to continue is inexcusable and quite remarkable for a world class opera company.

Delicious!!! Service was fast and very attentive… food very tasty… perfect portions… located near the elevators… friendly staff… will return and recommend to others!

Charming place to have dinner before or after a performance at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Wonderful waitstaff, very helpful!
Fascinating photos and memorabilia.

We have been attending two operas per year for the last several years and we almost always eat at the Florian Opera Bistro beforehand. We prefer matinees and usually go on Fridays. We will usually have a glass of wine and are very big fans of the duck lunch entrée. It can be a little chaotic before a show, but the staff is fast and very cognizant of the show time.
The Florian is a perfect opening act for any classical opera if you as me!

OK. The Bistro is intimate. It is fast. The food is excellent. I had an open faced bacon sandwich; my wife had the three small veggie sandwiches.
We were running late but the Bistro served us rapidly. Food was better than the price charged us would warrant. Waitstaff EXTREMELY friendly and attentive even with the rush of things. We were handled rapidly but did not feel rushed.
Décor of the restaurant is great as well. No negatives to our experience.

Texarkana airport quality type of food.

Lightning speed!
Highlights: trio of delicious finger sandwiches for $ 12 and a cheese plate that doesn’t skimp on portions for $ 9. Just enough time for the 2^nd intermission to walk over, get seated without a reservation, order, and enjoy.
Reservations can be made in advance (those w/​reservations are seated first).

I say if you are going to spend a night at the opera you should at least try their restaurants. And if you just want to grab a quick bite in a cozy place then Florian Opera Bistro is the place.
The Florian Opera Bistro is located on the third floor of the Lyric Opera and you have to have a ticket to the opera to enter. How cool is that?
I ordered Elektra’s sandwich trio. Three very delicious open faced sandwiches: roasted salmon filet, braised short rib of beef, roasted vegetables with a side salad and had a very tasty dessert called Freud’s Fantasy.
Food was served quickly and everything was delicious. Next time I go I will try the main dining restaurant and if they are booked then I know I have a great place to come before a great evening enjoying the opera!

I had a night out at the opera with my friend, who I just noticed also wrote a review here too. We hadn’t had dinner and thought it would be fun to grab a bite before the opera began at Florian Opera Bistro. They get you in and out quickly in time to make it to the opera, but we didn’t feel rushed, as the waiter was calm and confident, he was always asking us what else we needed, and was personable and prompt. My friend and I both ordered the Elektra’s sandwich trio. Three crostinis: roasted salmon filet, braised short rib of beef, roasted veges with a side salad. It was very good!!! I ate here once before and had the same good experience. I highly recommend it.

It’s not that often that I get to the opera, but tonight was one of those special nights where a friend of mine bought my ticket and we had a girl’s night out. Prior to the opera starting we needed to kill our hungry appetites and ate at Florian on the 3^rd Floor of the opera house. There was quite a line so I was concerned we wouldn’t make it on time, but they had no problem shuffling us in and out just in time to make it to our seats.
The food was actually quite good! I ordered Elektra’s sandwich trio. Three crostinis: roasted salmon filet, braised short rib of beef, roasted veges with a side salad for $ 12.75 (opera house pricing). I don’t eat salmon, so our waiter let me substitute for one extra braised short rib of beef served with apricot glaze, Vermont cheddar cheese, and whipped horseradish cream. The rib meat was soft and melted in my mouth with this incredible flavor without being salty. I of course ate these with a fork and knife, otherwise it would have been a bit messy. Portion size more like an appetizer.
Service was excellent. Our food was out to us in no time after we ordered, and our server was lovely. The atmosphere was quite lively filled with opera fans excited for the show.
Honestly a perfect night out, and this place set the tone with that yummy short rib meat.

Located on the third floor of the Civic Opera House, the Florian Opera Bistro is a great place to meet up for a glass of wine or Cava, and get excited for the performance. Full of opera lovers of all ages, families, young couples and even kids, the people watching here is fantastic. I especially love seeing the old couples, all dressed up and romancing! While I loved the scene, sadly the food was just ok.
I ordered the seafood crepes, and about four minutes later, the dish landed on my table. And the restaurant was completely full. The crepes weren’t bad, but they sat on a bed of super dry Basmati rice. If I wasn’t low-​carbing it, I would have been a little bummed out. They have a few larger entrees on the menu that sounded fantastic. I’ll have to come a little earlier next time (they open at 5), and give them a try.
Service was lovely. They really know how to turn those tables around!
Just a note: It’s been said in other reviews, but you can’t actually get to the bistro without an opera ticket.

This bistro is a fantastic addition to the Civic Opera House. Usually while you’re in between acts at the opera, you’re first standing in line for the restroom. Then you stand in line for a glass of wine of champagne. by the time you pay for that glass, they 5 minute warning bell starts ringing and you have to chug your drink instead of being all classy and sipping it.
Now there’s a new option on the 3^rd floor. The Florian Opera Bistro. Now reservations necessary like the other dining options at Lyric. Walk in, take a seat and the wait staff serves you promptly. Usually it seems. I ended up getting antsy and walked up to the bar and nabbed someone to place our order. But mama needed that wine. lots of choices, full bar and pricey. But it’s the opera. To be expected.
They have food options as well. Sandwiches, cute desserts etc.
No longer will 3 act shows be the devil. I can have drinks and food in between. Way to stay classy Lyric!

I think Florian is really quite the nice surprise. After many opera visits with benevolent (translation: ticket providing) family member, and many failed attempts to visit any of the dining options, we finally managed to both take vacation the day of a performance, and decided that early dinner at Florian was in order.
As the performance was Lohengrin, the themed meal was German — knackwurst, which I tend to think isn’t exactly delicate high class opera food, but was delicious all the same. It had excellent flavor without being strongly sausage-​y, and was served on a nice bed of red cabbage. Even for someone who doesn’t like cabbage, I liked it. Sides were a sort of vinegar potato salad, but without any sort of creamy dressing — small potato chunks with chopped dill pickles, maybe a little added vinegar, the perfect amount of salt, and some bacon for bonus points. I will be remembering that chopped dill pickle thing — this was great stuff. And finally, a couple little potato pancakes with pear and leek — I might have been able to detect a hint of fruit in the pancake, but I probably couldn’t have told you that it was pear unless you had told me first. Either way — the plate in general was excellent.
We also got some macaroons (or macarons, I guess, depending.) These were also pretty sensational — good chewy cookies with a tart lemony, apricoty filling. I didn’t listen, and can’t remember exactly what it was, but I say apricot-​lemon. Then dip half of the little sandwich in chocolate. Sign me up.
Service is very rapid — they assume you’ve got some place to be, right? So we had time to show up less than an hour in advance, get a table easily, eat without rushing, and be in our seats with 5 or so minute until curtain. Perfect timing. I don’t know if it’s always this good — some of the other items didn’t seem all that inspiring, but if the performance themed meal is as good as mine was, I would love to go back.

I’ve been a season ticket holder at the Lyric for over 10 years and a Café like Florian could have been a much welcomed addition. When one goes to the Opera, one hopes (if I may speak for all of us Opera goers), to escape to bygone-​ish theatrical, ‘lyrical’? period, Floria does not provide that. I find its short comings are lighting, management, and most importantly for me beer and wine selection. If you are coming here prior to the show, why not go somewhere else, the food is just not that interesting. If you are coming at one of the typically half hour intermissions and you want to eat (or get a seat), MAKE SURE TO LET THEM KNOW AHEAD OF TIME, or you wont be served. In other words ‘reserve a table’. Now this is where I want to dig in, I don’t consider myself to be erudite, but I am a bit of a beer snob. Their beer selection SUCKS… Opera is world class, it’s international and with all the fine micro-​brews that are out now they are doing themselves and their patrons a disservice. There are German, Italian, French, Czech, and American operas. Guess what, Miller Lite is like listening to Britney Spears,…uggh. A couple of Belgium’s would be a welcome addition too. On a last note, the lighting at the bar, thumbs down, for a small investment, of probably less than a grand so much more could have been done to provide the place atmosphere. And finally, very disappointingly, Florians’ is located near the mens rest room and there is a lingering odor (near the entry door — not in the restaurant, thank God), of urinal cake smell, umjm, that works up my appetite.
I’ll be happy to reassess and re-​review, but I wont be going back until they at the very least improve their beer selections. BTW Florian management, my suggestions for beer, German: Spaten Oktoberfest or Weiss, French: Kronenbourg or Pelforth, Czech: Pilsner Urquell, American: (dozens) Goose Island — local, Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head, Fat Tire, and so many other possibilities. As mentioned a Guinness and Belgium would be very welcomed as well.
Florian has the potential, not only to make the Lyric lots of money but to be a world class opera café, don’t blow the opportunity.

Last year they opened this nice Bistro at the Lyric Opera. To get served you would zoom up there at intermission (no messing around) grab a seat and order something. Then they decided we needed to all stand in line and be seated in an orderly (SLOW) fashion.
They have 2 entrances. There’s a BIG (most visible) entrance —that you see (near the smelly men’s potty) and then the other one, down the hall where the big SLOW line is.
– So of course we: pop: through the entrance where there’s no line. –Now we’re in trouble. We broke the new RULES (though half of the tables are empty).
This year they have solved problem people like us by stationing a Guard at that «EXIT» (it’s NOT an entrance). ‘
The seating is still S L O W.. . (remember you have 20 minutes to
get from you seat, past all the people, to the 3^rd floor,
get in, order, be served
and get back to your seat.
It should be open seating — see a table grab it!
The website says «Dress-​Circle level, third floor
No reservations required! First come — first served.»
OKAY
Get rid of the bottleneck at the door., open both entrances — if people don’t get a table, that’ll teach them to hustle up. (or have standing room at the bar for overflow)
The food we have had there is good, and decently priced but they need to improve the beer selection. The good food is screaming «serve me with a Matilda or a Hennepin or a 3 Floyds or a Chimay or at LEAST a SIERRA NEVADA!!!
After Florian solves it’s growing pains I’m sure it will be great. It has great potential (and a captive audience). You have to already be at the opera to get in.

What a charming, wonderful restaurant!
I LOVE going to the opera (duh, I’m an opera singer), and my roommate and I recently decided to try this place. I have to say that the service am ambiance was stellar. On our elevator ride upstairs, the attendant told us what the specials were and was super nice.
We both got the open faced sandwich triom which was just lovely. I really liked all three choices. It was the perfect amount of food too, and the side salad was delicious. For dessert we split the fruit plate and white chocolate fingers. Seriously, I left feeling perfectly full; satisfied but not overly full.
When we got our bill, I was SHOCKED. It was about the same amount as a sandwich at Cosi down the street would cost, but the food was better, service was great, and overall experience SOOO much better.
I’ll be back for sure!

The Florian Opera Bistro perfectly achieves its stated purpose– it is for opera patrons to enjoy a quick, light meal before, during, or after a performance. We dined here recently pre-​show and had a wonderful experience. The restaurant does not accept reservations, and it seemed to have plenty of room for many patrons without seeming over-​full or at all empty. It opens at 5:30 pre-​show. We showed up a few minutes after 6:30 for a 7:30 show, were seated right away, and made it to our opera seats with plenty of time to spare before curtain. Service was quick and friendly. The opera music playing softly in the background and the vintage Lyric Opera posters on the wall were a perfect accompaniment to our meal.
The menu is comprised of several fast but tasty options, including soups, sandwiches, salads, and savory tarts, as well as daily specials. It seems the menu will rotate seasonally. During our last visit, I had the absolutely wonderful butternut squash soup with maple crème fraîche and sage. The serving size is a bit small, so I asked for a side salad. Despite that not being a menu item, the kitchen quickly complied, and the meal was a perfect size. My fiancé loved his nightly special, the salmon en croute, which also came with a side salad and two chocolate-​dipped macaroons for dessert. This can be a very affordable dining option, too– my meal (I only had water) came to about $ 10, while the fiancé’s was about $ 25 including a beer. There were many vegetarian options on the menu– yum!
You can pre-​order one of several yummy-​sounding desserts or a cheese plate to enjoy during one of the opera’s intermissions. The bistro is conveniently located on the third floor (dress circle) for a quick bite. We will definitely be back for future shows!

The Florian Opera Bistro (or the Florian Room) is the latest addition to the Civic Opera House that will allow patrons to enjoy bistro type fare before, during and after the show.
Located on the 3^rd floor of the Opera House, this 136 seat restaurant is both comfortable and chic with pictures on the walls of past Lyric Opera performances and even some costumes in glass cases. It opens at 5pm for evening performances and 12:30 for the matinée shows. It is not open to the public so you need to have a ticket to that day’s performance in order to eat at the restaurant.
We went for the soft opening so while the menu may change slightly– it consists primarily of sandwiches and soups– with everything set up so that you can get in and out during the 22 minute intermission or relax after the show for wine with friends.
We had the opportunity to try it all– the homemade soups (chicken noodle and watercress asparagus on the night we were there) both were delicious. There are three open faced sandwiches that you can mix and match to create a plate of three– smoked salmon, vegetable and turkey with asparagus.
Full sandwiches include a turkey pastrami, a caprese on a pretzel roll and a ham and cheese on a croissant. Each comes with a small salad. The best thing I tasted were the small tarts (kind of like quiche) there was a sausage and tomato one that was delicious and then a vegetarian one that was okay.
Desserts were great and were more «finger food» — think brownies, lemon bars and macaroon cookies.
There is a full wine list and service was pleasant, extremely accommodating and knowledgeable. Prices were reasonable– about $ 11– $ 12 for any of the sandwiches and $ 5 for the soup.
Florian Opera Bistro opens to Opera Patrons on September 30^th just in time for the 2009 season. Check it out before, during or after the show. No reservations are required here (versus the new finer dining restaurant –Pedersen Room– on the 1^st floor)
Bravo!