What kind of refreshments were sold at Shakespeare's theater?

Answer 1

Beer - ale, or mead - would have been the most convenient - and safest - drink available to the public in Shakespeare's time; water, while available, wasn't particularly safe, while a weak sort of beer was drunk by adults and children alike at any time of day. Bear in mind, this is not what we'd recognize as beer today! Stronger beer was also available.

Foodsellers would sell hard fruits such as apples and Pears, as well as Oranges, cheap bread, and nuts. All types of food bought at the theatre were routinely used as ammunition to throw at actors not considered up to standard, or simply to throw at actors and other audience members owing to high spirits and possibly boredom if the entertainment wasn't sufficient to hold the audience's attention.

The smell of these areas, given rotten food and lack of sanitation, must have been appalling, but then, the smell of most urban areas would have been pretty bad in any case.

Theatres such as Shakespeare's actually came into being because hostelries made their premises available to performers, thus doing great business among the patrons.

The stableyards of the inns offered shelter from the weather, and were frequently galleried structures, affording good viewing for the audiences. This pattern was roughly followed when permanent theatres were built.