I would give 4 stars to this place. We had hot todis as the…read moreweather changed suddenly and they were good, cinnamon stick was missing . But the Focaccia was nice and warm, corn ribs ( small portion) and the pita with dips (which cld have been served in a better way) Sorry didn't take any pics as we were rushing to the Berkeley Rep for a play. I loved our server who had a big wide smile at all times. Love to see ppl like her in the service industry. We may come back for her for sure and the Foccacia

I don't know why this place isn't more highly rated on Yelp. My husband and I had a great meal…read morethere! We were here for a private party so they put our group in the back room. Every dish I had was delicious. Even the fresh bread was pretty impressive... super fluffy and soft and fresh. I really enjoyed the fried stuffed squash blossom, it looked visually appealing and tasted as good as it looked. I ordered the scallops and my husband had the salmon. Both entrees were cooked to perfection. The potatoes and mushrooms that came with my scallops were absolutely perfect: the potatoes were so crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside! I saw that they have a pretty popular happy hour. We got there at 6:30pm on a Tuesday and were surprised they were pretty much full! We missed the happy hour time but I would love to try their happy hour next time. Bathroom was very clean. Service was great. Our waitress kept my glass full, I had four glasses of wine with my meal and am super satisfied with my experience there.

Food was giving fine dining vibes with the small portion sizes, but everything is delicious and…read morethey really put their own twist on basic dishes. We got the ceviche as a starter, which for $32 is pretty much 4 bites, but it is really fresh and delicious. For my main, I got the burger special which had strawberry bacon jam, toasted shallot aioli, Pt. Reyes blue cheese, basil, and mint. It was so unique but delicious! My only complaint is that it's a wet, drippy burger which I don't prefer, but it tasted so good I pushed through anyway lol. They rotate the burgers they serve too, so next time I go I get to see what's new for that. My husband got the lamb meatballs with the lentils and he enjoyed it very much. His only complaint was that there were only 4 of them, but this is just a good note for next time to order more. All in all, I give it 5 stars. The staff is welcoming and our waiter Oliver was so nice, personable, and well-versed in the menu if you need help ordering. We liked him so much we're gonna ask for his section next time we come. Just as a heads up, it's a semi-casual vibe, but it's Albany so you're always gonna get a mixed bag of attire with some people a bit more dressed up. The place is also kinda tight, so I wouldn't come here if your party is bigger than 4 people, and it's definitely best to make reservations like we did since it can get pretty packed. We had a great time and will definitely be back!

Amazing, just amazing…read more Cocktail program is next level. Food is exquisite and creative. Loved everything about this place! Service is professional and warm, small intimate dining room is energetic and cozy. We tried the pork belly bun, lamb meat balls, and the flatiron steak. And added a side of French fries. All of it was 10/10, highly recommended. For dessert we tried a fenugreek meringue pavlova with Meyer lemon ice cream or sorbet. Weird and wonderful! The merengues were crunch, chewy and herby. The ice cream was sweet and so delicious. Together it's all perfect bites. Street parking was fine on a Friday night.

Fun spot! Great service and beats…read more Snails, veg crudite with koji dip and the banana bread with caviar - a revelation!!! Love all the natural wine and local Den sake! Be aware if you make a rezi - you have a 2 hour limit (2 people).

3.5 STARS True to…read moreits name, Snail Bar moves at a decidedly leisurely pace... It is a wine bar after all so maybe the slow service is intentional so make sure to go with peeps who you enjoy spending time with. With national buzz and a Michelin Bib Gourmand, Snail Bar is known for natural wine and creative, chef-y small plates. Its Saison alum founder has since moved to France, with an Atelier Crenn and Verjus alum now leading the kitchen. I don't drink wine, so it wasn't on my radar until SF Chron raved about their steak frites. We happened to be at 51 & Tel for HH less than two blocks away, spotted a last-minute rezzy and figured - why not? If you want to sit inside, rezzies are a must. The outdoor seating is more readily available. M E N U Globally influenced Californian cuisine with a hyper-seasonal menu that changes weekly. Mainstays are the crudités, snails, and ham & cheese sandwich. Beer, natural wine, sake, and non-alkie drinks available. 20% service charge added to bill which counts as gratuity. D R I N KS * Den "Blanc Nama #12" Sake (Glass - $14) * Berry Kombucha ($9) F O O D * Creole Pork Cracklins ($7) Light and crunchy, these lowkey remind me of chicharrón de harina, cracker-like chicharrónes that aren't pork skin. Fine to snack on but in hindsight, we should've ordered the Acme sesame levain instead. * A La Isla Tuna Tostadas w/ brokaw avocado, pineapple, charred salsa (2 pc-$30) IHMO, very steep pricing for the size. The tuna was fresh and sat over a thin layer of mashed avocado but the tostada seemed like it had been sitting for a bit and had lost that peak crispness. The charred salsa surprisingly didn't have the flavor and punch as I expected. * Ham & Cheese Sandwich ($17) My fav part of our meal, simple but done incredibly well - King's Hawaiian sweet bread is spread with dijon mustard and kewpie mayo, layered with comté + gruyère. Sweet, salty, and savory with nutty molten cheese oozing from the crunchy bread. The pickled peppers add the perfect acidity to cut through all that richness. * Snail Bar Steak Frites ($38) - Default: Rare Beautifully rosy red, the two slices of steak is lean and tender with a nice beefy flavor. While a bit too aggressively salted for me, I enjoyed the lingering black pepper kick. The hand-cut frites were incredibly crunchy with a fluffy soft interior. They remind me of Trick Dog's addictive thrice-cooked fries. BUT, Snail Bar only gives you seven small fries. Shrinkflation is working OT here! * Snails w/ cashew miso, gooseberry ($24, taken off bill) Sadly, we never got to try it. After two follow-ups and an hour wait, the snails never arrived so I cancelled it. Bummer. S E R V I C E Friendly and warm staff but painfully slow service, the pacing of the courses seemed to have dragged on longer than we expected... def not ideal if you're hangry. A M B I A N C E Intimate and cozy hipster bar vibes with moody lighting, retro checkerboard floors, and open kitchen. On the night we visited, they had a good house-centric playlist giving it a buzzy energy. Overall, I can see why Snail Bar is popular with wine enthusiasts seeking a cool space to romance the bottle and nosh on chef-driven small plates. I probably would've enjoyed the experience more if the food arrived at a better pace and the prices weren't so break-yo-wallet steep for such a casual setting.

Cute decor, love the name, and very nice staff. Cocktails are crafted really well and tasted high…read morequality. Didn't try the food, but saw lots of people ordering with good happy hour deals. Love that the workers were having fun and playing music. Lots of bars were closed during a Friday early afternoon, but tipsea was open! Can't wait to come back here anytime I go to a concert at the Greek or Cornerstone.

Shattuck is full of fun bars to slip into, Tipsea being one of them. I've been here twice, and this…read morewas the first time trying snacks while here besides cocktails. Looking for an in-between spot (a sip and bite before dinner), we cozied up to the bar here for a quick cocktail and bar food snack. We ordered onion rings that came with the choice of a variety of sauces including Tikka Sauce, Siracha Mango, Sweet Chili, Korean BBQ, Hot Honey, and more. Both the cocktails and snacks came timely, and we enjoyed conversation and community chatting with other locals/tourists visiting Berkeley for a short time. The vibes are right in Tipsea and I dig the nautical ambiance/theme/play on words. Worthy of a stop through; street parking on Shattuck/paid garages nearby, but ride-share sometimes easiest for these locations. NA options available and full menu including burgers, a fried chicken sando, seafood options, other bar snacks including Navi's and loaded tots, and dessert.

4 stars $28 BBQ…read moreChicken Sandwich: perfectly cooked, juicy with a lovely slaw crunch. Flavors ripe with umami added by the melted smoked Gouda. $18 Paper Airplane: that was a fantastic cocktail. $16 Flourless Chocolate Cake: so damn good. As a price sensitive customer, I wouldn't call this worth it. But it was a hell of a lunch.

The view and vibe of the place is great, and the service was attentive and knowledgeable but the…read morefood was subpar. maybe my expectation was too high for this place due to it being attached to the Claremont. Our whole table agreed the food was disappointing. I had the striped bass which at first bite tasted like mud. Everyone else who ordered the bass said the same thing. I had to cover the fish with their habanero sauce and mix it into the rice just so I wouldn't taste the fish. The side of maitake mushrooms, truffle fries, and shishito peppers were all bland and flavorless. Everything was under seasoned - you can see the sauces but it tasted like nothing. We finished with dessert, which was also a mess. I had the panna cotta and it was not a panna cotta. The texture was off. the best thing we had was maybe the sorbet. Good thing the cappuccino was good and so was the raspberry no-jito. 2 stars for the drinks and service.

I just began going to the wolf this month and my favorite time to go is for brunch…read more I had been hearing so much about the fried chicken salad that they have and I tried it - it was so amazing - I also added a side of aioli to dip my chicken in (hack). I also tried the gazpacho which was very refreshing. The bar is so beautiful and let's in a lot of sunlight. I was greeted by 2 amazing bartenders - Miguel and Stacey who took great care of me , and made the best espresso martinis! I definitely will be back !

I ordered Octopus, Pork Chop, Duck Breast, Halibut, and Brussel Sprouts with a drinks. I made a…read morereservation for my birthday to celebrate with family. I honestly looked forward to eating here since it was on the Michelin guide and read some great reviews here on yelp. Even though I was excited to visit, after dining here, my expectations came out to a disappointment. For a table of 4 we were left unsatisfied and a little hungry after losing our appetite. 3/5 of what's ordered was a bust. The menu prices were a medium-high, especially for entree, I had higher expectations which I don't mind paying for, but the food wasn't convincing enough that the price was an afterthought. I couldn't justify what I was paying for after eating. Plating is beautiful but for over $39 of entree you would have expected at least some starch and maybe a few or more pieces of fibrous greens. For the price of the duck breast and pork chop that was mid, it would have been better buying a whole roast duck and crispy pork at a chinese roastery for a third of the price. Food: Octopus was good 4/5 I'd definitely recommend grabbing it as your starter. It was very tender and I enjoyed the flavors. Wish there was more. Brussel Sprouts 1/5 I don't recommend. It was overly cooked to the point the texture inside was mushy and the outside was burnt to the point it was very bitter. The sauce/dressing for it was delicious but that wasn't enough to help so we sent it back. Halibut 4/5 Best entree I'd recommend. It was cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicious for it. Pork Chop 2.5/5 The sauce was good but the taste reminds me of a vinaigrette salad dressing. I did wish there was more flavor from the pork but it was fine. The meat was nice and tender. Unfortunately the pork bone was still rare on the inside, otherwise it would've gotten a higher score. Duck Breast 2/5 I'm not sure if the chef intentionally cooked the duck breast to be that rare but I fully expected a nice medium from the photos I've seen from the reviews. We weren't a fan and left it half eaten (mostly the medium pink parts). The duck wasn't tender and very chewy. Was more gamey. Skin wasn't crispy or rendered enough and was more of a rubbery, flabby and a thick texture. It was very unfortunate because the sauce was very delicious. Dessert 4/5 Although we didn't finish the pork or duck entree and asked for the check, I didn't expect it but I really appreciated the surprised complimentary dessert. The ice cream birthday cake was good but because I had lost my appetite, we didn't finish it and decided to leave after a couple bites. Service 5/5 Staff were very friendly and accommodating. I accidentally reserved for a table of 2 instead of 4 and fortunately the host was cool about it and we were lucky enough to have extra seating available. Water was consistently refilled without being asked. We were checked on regularly but not to the point we were constantly hovered over. Table was cleaned with our plates and utensils changed after each meal which was nice. Ambience It's cute and cozy. The outside dining is nice for a warm day. The bar area is nice. Drinks were good. I would come back just to hang out at the bar.

Strolling through Solano Ave, our group stopped here for a drink and to chill. Located at the…read morecorner of Solano Ave and San Pablo, Best Friends is a cozy wine bar where you can have a drink at the bar or at one of the bar tables and tables. Their logo on their sign is a dog drinking from wine glass. Yes, they are a dog friendly shop and several customers had their dogs including our friend. Their wine offerings consist of international wines and wines from local small wineries. They also had two craft beers and some light bites. The wine pourer was helpful and answered questions about the wines and gave samples for you to try before ordering. We also ordered marinated olives and Marcona almonds to have with our drinks. Nice place to relax and to have a glass of wine, beer or non-alcoholic offerings where you an bring man's best friend.

Don't ever go to a pop up here…read more While customers, (who paid a lot of money) waited HOURS for food, the staff and owners stuffed themselves. If customers are waiting an hour for a course, the staff/ owners should not eat that course RIGHT IN FRONT of them. Other staff were also seen eating in the back while customers sat there with nothing. Outrageous disregard for customers.

Delicious food, friendly service Nice gluten free selection…read more Next time will definitely try the gelato

With my friend in town, she wanted to try good Italian food. We came to Passione Emporio based on a…read morefamily recommendation. We were satisfied and left full. The restaurant is quaint and has neighborhood charm. It's a cozy space with a decent amount of seating for various party sizes, plus outdoor seating. They have fresh gelato and a wood-fire pizza oven you can see. The service was fine. Our food came out hot and fast, and our water was refilled, but we weren't checked on much. Their menu offers specialties and seasonal items. I had the Salmon Ravioli and my friend got the Lasagna Ragu. The ravioli was good; you can taste the creamy spinach filling. The sauce was light and bright. I wish there were more ravioli plus veggies. My friend enjoyed her lasagna. Their menu online can be a bit misleading compared to their in-person menu. I wouldn't mind getting this dish again. Passione Emporio is a nice spot for Italian food in West Berkeley. I'd come here if I lived in the area but wouldn't go out of my way. They're located off Fifth Street with free neighborhood street parking around.