Food and drinks

Our bars are open during the walk-in and intermission.

The bar at the Main Stage offers speciality coffees and teas, organic juices and various snacks. During the renovation of Studio Boekman, the catering facilities at the performances in this hall have been temporarily altered.

PIN-only
We have a PIN-only policy in the theatre, allowing us to serve you more quickly and safely. At the bar, the shop and the cash register, you can pay contactless or by PIN.

houthoff foyer

Event venue

Situated in the heart of Amsterdam, the iconic theatre of Dutch National Opera & Ballet offers a magnificent view of the Amstel River and the famous 'Magere Brug'. The various spaces form an inspiring backdrop for a whole range of special events.

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bar foyer

Group arrangements

The theatre offers various options for a unique evening out. You can take your guests to one of our many performances and enjoy a reception, interval, drinks or dinner arrangement.

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Ordering food and drinks in advance

No queue! Your drinks and food are already prepared
You can order your food and drinks for the performance in advance, at home, at work or on the road. We will then ensure that the products you ordered are ready and waiting for you during the interval at the bar you specified. You will no longer have to wait in line. You can order in advance up to 5 hours before the start of the performance for evening performances; for matinee performances up to 10 p.m. on the evening before the performance. You can order online via the link below:

Please note! To order food and drinks in advance you need to create a separate account. This is not possible with your operaballet.nl account. It is not possible to order food and drinks in advance for the performances at Studio Boekman.

FAQ about ordering food and drinks in advance

How can I order products online in advance?

You can order products online via the link below.

It is not possible to order products by phone via the Box office.

Until what time can I order?
For evening performances, you can order up to 5 hours before the performance. For matinee performances, you can order until 10 p.m. on the day before the performance.

Product range
The online product range largely corresponds to the products that you can also buy during the performance. It may be that certain products are not in stock on a specific day. You will not find this product in the app or online.

How far in advance can I order online?
You can order online from 3 months before the performance.

Where and how will my ordered products be available?
You can choose to have the products ready at the theatre level (middle bar) or on the 1st or 2nd balcony. To do this, specify during the ordering process the level for which you have tickets. The products ordered will be ready for you on the table to the right of the middle bar at room level, on the 1st and 2nd balconies on the table to the right of the bar there. The products are labelled with your name.

For which time slots during the performance can I order?
You can have products ready in the 1st and 2nd intervals (if available). It is not possible to order products in advance of for afterwards the performance. You can indicate your choice at the end of your order, just before paying: 1st break or 2nd break (in case there are 2 breaks).

Creating an account or log-in data
The first time you place your order, you create a new account. You can use these login details for subsequent online orders of food and drinks. The login details cannot be used to order tickets via the ticket sales system.

Can I still make changes to an order I have already placed?
Once I have paid, can I still add or exchange products or move the entire order to another day? No, you cannot, as the order amount has already been debited from your account. However, you can cancel and re-order again.

How can I cancel an online order of food and drinks?
You can cancel your online order of food and drinks up to 24 hours before the performance. Cancellations made within 24 hours of the performance are therefore not possible. You can cancel your order by sending an e-mail to bestellingen@operaballet.nl. Please state your order number, your name, the date you ordered and your telephone number in the e-mail. We will cancel the order and refund the amount. It may take up to 7 working days before you see the amount back in your bank account. If you wish to cancel part of an order, you will have to cancel the entire order first and then re-order the part you wish to purchase.

I can't remember what or for which show I ordered?
The confirmation of your order is sent to the e-mail address you provided a few minutes after you placed your order. The confirmation states the products ordered, where you can collect them, the date, and the time. It is possible that the confirmation e-mail ended up in your spam or junk folder.

Contact: questions and remarks
For questions and remarks, please send an e-mail to bestellingen@operaballet.nl. We will then contact you as soon as possible. For information, questions and remarks about pre-ordering, please do not contact our box office or reception.

Packages

During the interval of the performances, we offer a sparkling wine package (cubes of aged cheese, dried sausage, olives, crunchy beans, cheese sticks and a glass of Corpinnat Brut Reserva) and a drinks package (cubes of aged cheese, dried sausage, olives, crunchy beans, cheese sticks and a drink of your choice). You can order this in advance. It is not possible to order packages with the performances at Studio Boekman.

Order your package here

Bars

There are 5 bars in the foyer: 3 bars at auditorium level, one bar on the 1st balcony and one bar on the 2nd balcony. Due to the renovation of Studio Boekman, temporary bars have been placed in this area.

Product range

All bars have the same standard range of drinks and food. There are also some exceptions:

  • Special wines by the glass and special champagnes by the bottle are only available from the bar in the middle at theatre level. 
  • Food items are limited in stock per performance. Therefore, it may happen that some items are sold out.
  • Due to the renovation of Studio Boekman, temporary bars with a limited selection of products have been placed in this area.

For our products, we work together with suppliers such as patisserie Kuyt, nuts from Gotje, coffee biscuits from Farm Brothers, Gulpener Beer, coffee and tea from Hesselink and soft drinks from Coca Cola.

Payment methods

In the foyer you can pay with PIN, Credit card (Mastercard and Visa).

Tips for shortening your waiting time during the interval

In a full auditorium with 1600 visitors, most of the guests go to the bar all at once, causing crowds and queues at the bars. Some tips to reduce your waiting time:

  • Pay contactless with your PIN card. This is the fastest form of payment, keeping queues as short as possible during intervals.
  • At the bar, some queues are faster than others. So look around you and switch to the shorter queue.
  • You can also choose not to join the queue at the bar during the interval. Our intervals are approximately 25 minutes. There is plenty of time to do something else first and not go to the bar until after 10 minutes.
  • Ordering in advance prevents you from waiting in the queue during the break. See ‘Ordering food and drinks in advance’

Aftermath

The foyer is open after each performance so that you can enjoy the aftermath and have a chat. The bar at the main entrance is open until 30 minutes after the performance.

From 5 December 2023, the Foyer Main Stage will close after the performance. You can then visit the Theatre Café near the main entrance for drinks and chat. The Theatre Café will be open until 60 minutes after the performance on the Main Stage.

Sustainability

Most of the products we offer are made from sustainable ingredients and have an EKO quality mark and/or a comparable international quality mark, such as Douwe Egberts coffee, Schulp organic juices, Gulpener Limburgs Land beer.

Eating out nearby

Within walking distance or easy to reach by public transport.

There are several excellent restaurants in the area around the Opera & Ballet where you can enjoy an excellent à la carte meal before the performance. Our guests have given us positive feedback about the following restaurants:

Very good:

Good:

Quick - average: