Bartender was one of the rudest people I've encountered. I was visiting from LA and came in after they had done last call. I asked for what spots were open and he took it as an excuse to be extremely condescending and not helpful. When I couldn't hear what he was saying and asked him to repeat a sentence he said: "like I told you"-- and pointed to his male patrons for a laugh. I used to frequent this spot when I was in Berkeley and will not be back. read more

Stumbled in here about 130pm on a whim and definitely did not regret it. A New Orleans, roomy vintage decor was welcoming as were the hostess and wait staff. Valerie was kind and attentive. I immediately decided on the Fried Chicken Benedict (I mean cmonn!). It was awesome. Perfect balance of gluttony and culinary embellishments. Loved the greens and pickled radishes. Couldn't finish the second serving. I also ordered a Morning Mule and it was refreshing yet gave a little kick. Looks as though they have a nice selection of cocktails as well. Definitely plan on coming back and I highly recommend this spot for both the ambience, food and friendly service vibes! read more

The place is nice but the food and drinks are. Ok good! Too pricey! Food was bitter drinks were sour! Service sucks! read more

Revival Bar & Kitchen - Pomegranate margarita way too sour and tons of ice! - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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We stopped in last night for a drink prior to our show at the Berkeley Rep. Thirty minutes after we had ordered drinks we still hadn't been served so we had to cancel our order and leave to make the curtain time. I guess in the days of Covid staffing they may be under staffed so if you're going to go plan to be patient and allow extra time! read more

Once you're a tenured professor, you can do whatever your id pleases. Case in point, a former professor of mine, let's call him Prof. X, revved up his drinking once getting tenure, came to seminar completely knackered, once peed his pants, and fell and hit his head on the wooden desk, making a bloody mess. Aristotelian tragedy hasn't been the same since. What does this have to do with Revival? Well, I spotted him here out of the corner of my eye last week, nursing a gin and tonic, books in hand and academic elbow patches on his blazer. I mused over the tenure phenomena while sipping my excellent Sazerac, and thought of the earnest young people busting their bottoms in hopes of someday having the luxury of coming to class all bladdered up on liquor at 11:00am. Prof. X would never make a Sazerac like the one I had, but the attentive and capable bartender at Revival, eager to to please and provide, had all the motivation in the world to do a bang-up job. And that he did. Unfortunately I didn't catch his name, so he's an X too, but he looked smashing in his throwback vest. This entire place isn't resting on its laurels. Probably a wise idea because this storefront has had several restaurants pass through, but I predict Revival will stick around. Again, that Sazerac, which is a reworking of the traditional recipe, with cane sugar, St. George absinthe, and a double rye, is incredibly smooth. Must be the housemade bitters. Their fries with blue cheese aioli were incredible and crispy, though my pal reported that his soup was on the bland side. The scene at the bar was dynamic-probably a mix of other brilliant alcoholic professors, go-getter students, theater-goers, and the standard NPR listening/kale eating Berkeley contingent, and as I feel right at home with all of the above, I enjoyed myself. Thank goodness for places still trying and giving a damn! read more

It was a beautiful & tasty way to spend Mother's Day. Everything we ordered was super delicious!!!!

Came here for evening drinks on a wednesday night, and I was really impressed. The appetizers were spectacular (truffle fries and fried hot peppers, plus some black apple popovers that were beyond delicious) Where this place really shines though, is the drinks. The list of cocktails they offer is inventive, robust, and without fail mind-blowing. Between the four of us we tried every single special on their menu at least once, and grilled the bartender for almost an hour. Best bartender I've ever had, hands down, in terms of drinks, knowledge, speed, attitude, and just plain conversation. It's on the pricier side, not an every day kind of place, but considering the effort they put into their drinks (not to mention the ingredients) I didn't feel at all like I wasn't getting my money's worth. **I didn't try any of the entrees. There's a good chance once I do I'll bump this up to five stars. It was fairly quiet, but I absolutely believe the service would be just as exceptional if it was hopping. read more

I revived my taste buds at Revival. After back-to-back experiences of culinary let downs, I finally stumbled upon this barely new establishment. From the ambiance to the service to the drinks and most importantly to the food, everything was above average, if not excellent. Ambiance: Tables are spaced comfortably apart, so bumping elbows and listening in on a neighboring tables conversation is avoidable. Service: Unattentively attentive. Our waiter gave us our space, but knew when it was the perfect time to step in and give us some love. He knew the menu well, and was helpful in chosing our wine choices. They also coat check your food leftovers. Drinks: A good stiff pour with a hint of sophistication. Food: Our table tried an array of starters, salads and entrees and not one dish left us feeling cheated. Some of the stands outs, watercress potato soup, halibut cheeks, pig's plate, and grilled sardines. Things I probably won't get the next time, pig's ear salad & yogurt cheese cucumber plate. These dishes weren't awful they just didnt' wow me. Check out Revival, it's literally 2 steps from downtown Berkeley Bart station, which makes this an easy spot for a happy hour without wheels. read more

Decent fries. Blue cheese aioli is amazing though and so is the house-made ketchup. It ain't no Heinz. Cocktails are fabulous and so are the bartenders. They know their stuff and can make whatever you please. Min is awesome. read more

This hot spot impressed me fully. I haven't even had their food yet! I walked in and instantly felt like I was in the place-to-be for Berkeley. I sat at the bar and had a gin-and-tonic. The bartenders were super friendly, funny, and attentive. They accommodated my crazy style of gin-and-tonic without frustration. I felt like this place definitely mixes class with casual. It's a fast-paced place, but not too fast. And, I never felt rushed to leave. There's lots of space and lots of people. I loved it! I cannot wait to go back to try the food. Happy hour 3:30-6pm. We missed it. Update: LOVE the fries with blue cheese aioli! Blue cheese crumbles add an extra kick! The flatbreads are great too. They're not too heavy with toppings. I wasn't too impressed with the kale salad. It didn't have much flavor. I like to taste the dressing/lemon/oil/garlic/whatever more than I like the taste of straight kale. Get the fries! Ask for a side of blue cheese crumbles. You will not be sorry! read more

Booked a table for 12.30 Took 30 mins just to get coffee Took over 45 minutes for food. Ridiculously understaffed. Both waiter and waitress + chefs did their best, but were unable to do their jobs in a timely way as they were overwhelmed. As good as the food is, I would not go back there again because of deplorable service!! Adina B read more

Horrible Experience here. Went after work, ordered the Asian inspired meatballs....all pork. Came to me raw in the middle-meat was still cold. Sent them back and tried for round two. Came back to me raw in the middle and still cold. I told the manager I did not want to go for a third try and would just like my check (I had ordered a beer). I was charged for the meatballs. As if this is not enough. I get home and check my balance...I have an additional charge of 26$ from them. I did not sign for this, nor did I purchase anything for a flat rate of 26$. I waited a few days thinking it would clear up...it did not. I called and spoke with the manager, he did not try to even fake being sorry and had me give him my cc number to return me my money. NEVER HAPPENED. Didn't bother calling back. Will never go there again. read more

I want to give this place more stars but I really can't. The food is okay. It's not amazing, it's not bad at all, but I've been here three times and I've never had anything that impressed me, and some of the food tasted old. I'm eating the mushroom flatbread and it tastes like the pantry and the lemonade is somewhat bland and like it was out of a carton. I'm also frustrated with the price. This is far too much money for what you actually get quality (and portion) wise. I'm sorry, I don't think I will be back. Okay. I'm still waiting 10 minutes later asking to see the menu... This review started at 3 stars, this is ridiculous. I want to like this place, but enough is enough already. read more

I have been to Revival many times. The good: cocktails and bar food as well as decor. The bad: inconsistent food and especially bad service. And really, service is pretty atrocious. Tonight my friend and I waited 30 minutes before our order was taken. We advised the waiter we would need to leave in 2 hours (PLENTY of time for a two top) and our check was finally dropped long after that point, so we missed our movie. Every single time something was served us, it was backhanded (a big no-no for us food service professionals. NEVER backhand the guest). Nothing was named (if you're setting down a plate, at the VERY least state what it is). When the wine was dropped, it wasn't stated what it was, and when I verified that mine was a Counoise the manager seemed agitated that I even asked (the color of a Counoise and a Pinot Noir, what my friend was drinking, is very similar. Besides, when you're running drinks, you should state what the drink is when you're dropping, especially if it's wine). Clearly my standards are higher, myself being a server in a Michelin rated restaurant. The service missteps are really too unforgivable for me to return to this restaurant. It really is sad; Revival has a lot of potential but is so poorly managed that unless it resolves its front of house issues as well as its inconsistent food it will forever remain mediocre at best. read more

I hate to pan a place but my experience here was not good. We got our table for 8 at 6pm on a Friday night. After 15 minutes someone took our drink orders $15 cocktails by the way. 10 minutes later the drinks arrived then we waited over a half an hour for someone to take our food order. Our starters showed up in about another 15 minutes. Expensive and nothing to write home about. The entrees finally showed up at 7:30 an hour and a half after we sat down. I had ordered the seafood linguini. $34. Two shrimp and some small chunks of fish with the skin on on a pile of over cooked pasta with the saddest tomato sauce ever. Chef Boy Ar Dee? So bland and no Parmesan offered no freshly ground pepper. No salt or pepper on the table even. No nice basket of bread and butter. There was no spoon in my cutlery if I had wanted to scoop up some of the sauce We could never figure out who our waiter was. They had no clue as to who ordered what. I had a slice of the Autumn pizza $24 for a plate sized pizza that again just had nothing going for it. Boring kinda chewy crust. You know you can just tell when no love goes into the food. The staff seemed overworked and not happy. Folks maybe it was a bad night but at these prices there is just no excuse. read more

We have been to this establishment several times in the past, yet will not return again (if I have any say in the matter). I intended to leave a review after our last bad experience there, two years ago, but I am sooooo fed up that I am now ready to rant. But first, allow me this... We have eaten and imbibed here several times, strickly because we thought that it was a great find, with a superb location. Prior to a movie at the Shattuck or California theaters or a show at the Berkeley Rep, Revival is centrally located, within walking distance of many attractions and potential friends/colleages meeting places, along the way. Stepping in to Revival, the first impression that you'll be greated with is a dark, comfortable "Speakeasy" stylized establishment. The seating is quite comfortable and the lighting that was once rather unique, seems dated now that many restaurants and bars are utilising the faux, exposed bulb fixtures. (What, did Ikea have a sale, in the lighting department?) Yawn. The food is ok. The prices are ok, as well. The menu is kind of hit or miss - just because it sound good on the menu, there is no guarantee that you will be satisfied. I have had buyers remorse and envied my partners dish, on more than one occasion. The servers are polite, yet sometimes aren't as professional as they purport to be. I'd say, check it out for yourselves, you may have a better experience than we did. Yet still, I'd say that we had so-so meals, on our many visits. Now, to the real reason why we will not be returning: the bartender. Smarmy. Stuck up. Attitudinal. Man-hater? ...well, I certainly picked up that vibe. Saturday afternoon and there's only five people at the expansive bar. I'm waiting, and waiting and waiting. She finally comes over to where I am sitting and flings (note - does not hand) a rather large menu at me, which I thought was for food. "I'll just have a Bulliet Rye Manhattan, up", I say. "We don't have that, only what's on the drink menu" she says (or, as she inferred - read first, order next). I open the drink menu and there it is - Bulliet Rye. I look up only to find that she has already gone to the far end of the bar where she is making someother persons' cocktail, and then has to "straw sip" that drink, before serving it. (Now, this has always amazed me and until, only recently annoyed me about bartenders - why is it that these so called "mixologists" are always having to stick a straw into every single drink that they are making and then sip on MY drink? Is this so that I'll know that they REALLY do care about my cocktail experience ?!? I am not buying it. Have you ever seen a bartender straw sip a cocktail and then thrown it out? Never. Come on, let's face it - you bartenders are either closeted alcoholics or OCD control freaks that cannot keep your GDamn fingers out of my food! And just because you are the key link in me getting my cocktail doesn't make you anything special, just dictorial.) Ok, so now my girlfriend has returned from the restroom. "...where's our drink?" she asks. I tell her that we are leaving. And you know what - it just doesn't matter. Our movie starts in twenty minutes and I am not in the mood to play this silly game and do this dance with the only bartender that we have to choose from. No amount of tatoos, piercings or whacky "I'm an individual, dammit" clothing are going to mask that dismal attitude of yours, my dear. There are way too may establishments in this area. And, I am voting with my feet. Sayonara, Revival. ...and no, it hasn't been all that fun. read more

Next time I will go for the cocktails and the witty staff. Our party of six (I see you OGs) got a reservation on Sunday night using the convenient Open Table app and those of us who got there ahead of time were promptly seated. The interior is cool and trendy, with mood lighting suitable for both dates and family occasions. Dress a little classier than your sweatshirt and basketball shorts though - it might be Berkeley but the establishment holds itself with a certain amount of pride. We got a booth in the back and when our party finally assembled itself (half an hour after the reservation time regrettably), the waiters appeared almost immediately. One of our wait staff was having her first day on the job, but did her best to answer our questions and also made sure to refer us to one of the senior staff who was very cynical and joked with us throughout the evening, including the awkward moment when he caught us taking selfies with a DSLR. Can you believe the guy had gauges in his ears? But somehow still managed to seem way more sophisticated than three-quarters of the room. Revival prides itself in its integrity in dealing with meat. They locally source their food and utilize everything, from "snout to tail". Meat entrees are all between $20-$30 so don't come here when you're penny-pinching. Trusting our waiter's recommendation, we shared a large order of the Charcuterie (and unofficially a glass of one of the best port wines tasted by our uncultivated tongues). For those of you as confused as we were, a Google search and our waiter's description basically amounted to a sampler plate composed of cuts from every part of an array of animals. And I mean every part: - Coppa di testa is quite literally head cheese of a pig. You're getting the jowls, skin, tongue, etc. All wonderfully seasoned, of course. Just don't think too much about it. - Country pâté, an unassuming raw meatball-esque mixture of ground meat, fat, and spices. Gets better with subsequent tastes. - Veal rillettes were another spreadable meat paste on the menu that evening. Slightly chunkier than our pâté and great even without the crostini. We had two other meaty creations on the plate, along with a plate of fresh crostini and pickled vegetables and mustard. This plate is not for everyone, but is definitely worth trying. I followed up with the Mussels and Pork Belly. I'm not a shellfish person, but I had to see what this combination was like and to tell the truth, it was probably wasted on me. The meat itself had stewed enough to be tender and infused with broth flavor, but I couldn't really get myself to enjoy it or the tiny cubes of pork belly I had to fish out from the soup. I also sampled my friend's Duck Bits Flatbread, a choice I wish I had similarly taken. They certainly know how to balance a flatbread and I was impressed by the freshness of it. The bathrooms are beautiful and nearly spotless, with a refined but not overly pretentious air. It's a place of peace. Overall I was slightly underwhelmed by Revival, especially since we sat there with our water glasses empty for the second half of the meal (how else am I supposed to dilute the brininess of the mussels?). I sneaked a peek at the table next to ours and their mixed drinks are visually stunning and hopefully taste just as good. read more

charcuterie plate: $19 ( + ) duck liver mousse - My favorite of all the choices on the plate. ( + ) smoked ham - Also enjoyed this. It tasted like what ham should taste like but far superior to ham from the grocery or deli. ( = ) smoked coppa di testa ( = ) country pate ( - ) pork rillettes - Skip this. I couldn't get over the texture, color or shape. We got the small plate which was enough for four people, especially since we got so much food. We brought half of it home. STARTERS ( + ) orange-cumin lamb sausage flatbread: $14 roasted cauliflower, goat yogurt, garlic oil, spring onion, mint Pronounced cumin flavor. Yummy but order only if you like cumin. ( + ) confit duck + roasted beet flatbread: $15 pickled rhubarb, cress, goat cheese, pecorino Delicious but the duck confit was a little dry. The beets were definitely the star of this dish. They were unbelievably sweet with just a hint of earthiness. Who knew beets on pizza would be my new obsession. A far cry from the beets in a can your grandmother made you eat as a kid. ( + ) fried artichokes + sunchokes: $13 meyer lemon aioli, pickled beech mushrooms, favas, watermelon radish, nasturtiums I loved the sunchokes which had the same consistency and look as potatoes, but tasted like artichokes but milder. I also liked the pickled mushrooms. SIDES ( + ) house-cut french fries with blue cheese aioli: $7 Served in a little lined fry basket. The aioli was addictive. I usually find aioli too oily and feel like I am eating straight mayo. This particular aioli was delicious The strong smell and taste of the blue cheese was tempered by the fat in the sauce. I knew I had to save room for the main course, but I couldn't stop eating. LARGER PLATES ( - ) mixed grill: $27 Mindful Meats Beef steak, lamb chop, pork crepinette, gigante beans, house bacon, fresno chili, cress, anchovy pesto, worcestershire demi Least successful entree. Beef was tough. Lamb was yum but was more bone than meat. Crepinette was like a bad sausage patty. It was so lean that when cooked, the pork turned dry and tough. ( + ) Marin Sun Farms roasted leg of lamb: $26 cauliflower soubise, shoestring purple potato cake, olive-artichoke salsa Lamb was delicious but the potato cake was an inedible garnish. The potato strings were compressed into a cake and fried until brown. The cake was so hard, it was impossible to cut. ( + ) Liberty Farms duck: $24 roasted breast, confit leg, rutabaga + apple gratin, pickled apples, upland cress, roasted cipollini, cider-maple jus The roasted duck breast was my favorite entree of the night but the confit leg was dry. ( + ) Marin Sun Farms pork chop: $26 Alsatian braised kraut with house bacon, duck fat potatoes, apple chutney, mustard beurre monte DRINKS Cocktail of the week: Alpaca You a Punch $10 Oro Pisco, fresh citrus, apricot liqueur, sparkling Torrontes Green Faerie's Gimlet: $11 Half Moon Orchard gin, fresh lime, cane sugar, Douglas Fir Eau de Vie, dash of absinthe The bartender was a little too generous with the Eau de Vie. I thought the piney taste overwhelmed the whole drink. Non-alcoholic rhubarb lemonade: $5 SERVICE Slow. Noticeable lag between courses. This was a catch-up dinner with friends so company was great. However, everybody was hungry and we would all look up as servers headed to our tables, thinking the food was ours, only to see them pass us by. 3.5 stars generously upgraded to 4 stars. read more

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Wow, I haven't been here for about a month...I took some friends from out of town and talked this place up the amazing burgers and awesome Happy hour....the burger changed and not for the good, they were so salty, small, sad, and I ask for no onions on mine- I still got onions so ask the girl that delivered if they can remove the onions in the kitchen so I didn't have to because it was melted on the cheese. Happy hour is from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Some guy set next to us at 5:29 and was told he had a second to order by the bartender...well he miss it by a second so he paid $8.00 for a short glass of margarita half full of ice, we all talked and, it was his first time here when his wife they left after the first drink. Bartenders are not friendly anymore and there is a new little one, who was huffing and puffing when making drinks as if it was too much work! Lol we used to come here when the bar was super packed and bartenders will make tons of drinks perfectly and with a huge smile on their faces and super aware of their surroundings and customer needs...maybe this place was sold just like Venus in Berkeley. read more

Amy Murray has been doing the farm-to-table thing in the East Bay for a very long time - so when she says it's Berkeley's turn for a revival, I believe her. Her latest venture is the newly opened Revival Bar + Kitchen - where she describes the menu as "snout to tail, root to shoot and all from scratch". She's the Chef/Co-Owner of Venus Restaurant - also in Berkeley (where she's been dishing up seasonal, organic and sustainable food for almost 10 years). Michael Brennan did an excellent job with the design, which features reclaimed wood, great plaster effects and lots of turn-of-the-century fixtures and accessories. One review I read describes the bar as "sexy saloon-meets-bordello vibe, with atmospheric lighting". I'd say that's spot on - just like their cocktail recipes. Try the Spring Fling - gin, basil, ginger and a splash of fresh lime or the Farmer Jane - bourbon, orange tea liquor, strawberry, lemon, honey mint and soda. read more

The ambiance deserves 3-4 stars. I just didn't really think the food was good...AT ALL. Or the drinks. I hate writing less than perfect reviews but the cocktail I ordered was supposed to have a smoky mescal flavor. It tasted like berry flavored hookah toke. The duck pate was almost inedible. The crostini were crisped so hard they almost chipped ur teeth, and no matter how I tried to arrange for the perfect bite combo with the condiments I ended up having to spit it out into my napkin. The cauliflower flatbread was directly proportional to the name....tasteless and it lacked depth on top. Even the bread/olive oil/butter that we requested had no flavor. I understand now why there was absolutely nobody in there and there were waits at the places nearby. Next time instead of being lazy about waiting, I will tough it out for a better taste in my mouth. On a side note, the waitstaff is very nice and accommodating. This review doesn't reflect my opinion on them or their service. read more

Food Over Priced, Poor Service and Long Wait for the food This was my wife and I first time and last time to visit Revival Bar & Kitchen. The food was over priced with small portions and the food took a long time to arrive to our table. And our waiter wasn't very good either. I had looked online at their menu early that same day to see what I would like to eat but at the restaurant the menu was different then what was online. They didn't have the dish I had seen earlier. The highly recommended swordfish dish by the waiter was salty/dry and come in very small piece and the lamb dish was overcooked. $9 Vanilla ice scream was one scoop and it is just not worth the price. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant. They need to up their game. read more

Good food in an attractive space marred by noise. We had a terrific salad, good fried green tomatoes, delicious bread, a tasty lamb shank, and fine spicy pork wontons. It's a dark room, so the noise level from conversations zinging off the walls and ceiling was a bit incongruent, and indecipherable music only made it worse. It was in the background - an unidentifiable, irritating bass line. read more

Revival is the sort of place that attempts to do everything well, and succeeds. Cocktails are a must at Revival, with Nat Harry's delectable libations taking center stage. I would highly recommend the "Brooklands" and the "Inflatable Raft", or simply asking Nat to whip you up a unique concoction, she's a master of her craft. The wine list, though not extensive is well curated, with local selections predominant. The food, although not as outstanding as the cocktails is very well done, with fresh, local produce and meat as centerpieces of the menu. The flat-breads are consistently delectable, as are the marrow and charcuterie. The beef cheek entree I dined on was delightfully tender, and well portioned. Service is unobtrusive and efficient, although on busy evenings cocktails can be rather slow in being brought table-side. I can honestly recommend Revival as an outstanding example of fine dining and drinking in the Berkeley area. read more

We had a delicious meal two-course meal and a great Oregon pinot here. The service is not to the standard of what the restaurant strives to be--I found myself folding my own napkins and pouring my own wine (the atrocity!) for a good portion of the meal, and our server did not seem extremely knowledgeable about the wine list, although he was young and probably inexperienced. The food on the other hand was great. The sausage on our flatbread appetizer was made in-house and the difference in taste and texture was noticeable. For our entrees, we had duck breast, which comes with a duck leg, pork chop with bone-in, and the salmon. The duck breast was exceptionally tender and paired extremely well with our wine choice. The pork chop was cooked a bit too dry on the sides but the center was more juicy and flavorful. The ambiance is welcoming and homely with upscale clientele--didn't see too many college-age people but we did go as the school year just got rolling. I'd come back here to try the other items on the menu; I think most of the negative reviews come from isolated experiences that ruined an otherwise good, tasty, quality meal. For the price, Revival is a great deal. (food quality is comperable to Five down the street but the price difference is significant) read more

Started out promising. They sat us eagerly. A bar tender cane to take our order and brought us our BM drinks fairly quickly. After we ordered our food, it took forever to receive it and once we did, we didn't exist any more. No one checked in for our dinner or asked if we would like more drinks. So strange. After waiting for over an hour, we finally asked some guy to bring us our bill and while he smiled, he looked confused. Once it was obvious we signed our credit card, the bus people, were cleaning up our table and we hadn't even stood up yet. Very odd. By the way, the mezze platter was just OK. The portions are tiny and the bread served with it was way too salty. There were 2 tiny pieces of pink cauliflower, 5 thin slices of pepper and between a teaspoon to tablespoon worth of the other food items that were supposed to be included. The 2 vegetable kabobs were quite tasty but again, tiny. What a shame. read more

I had written this review of my 1/28/2012 dining experience on opentable but it was not posted. Our server was awful. She was rude, inattentive, and really ruined the dining experience. The food read delicious on the menu but was very pedestrian once we tried it. Fried onion rings turned out be less no rings and all shriveled leftover onion bits with more oil than cornmeal batter. The chickpea fritter was not a fritter, just a fried puréed cake with the consistency of saltless soft tofu... Like expensive baby food. The flatbread with pork sausage was so bland and the flat bread was so dry, it was difficult to eat without taking sips of water with each bite. Unfortunately, our waters never got refilled despite several requests. Basically, it was a total bummer of an experience and two of the four of us vomited when we got home. read more

RBK has the BEST French toast I've ever had, and Manny is AWESOME. Dude always makes sure we have a good experience when we go in. The food is great but he really makes our brunch outings special. I always look forward to running into him when we go! read more

There aren't many restaurants that tickle my fancy. Of course I like and expect all the regular stuff in a great restaurant. Fantastic food...check. Excellent decor...check. Great staff...check. Yup, Revival's got all that...but it's got more; a little something extra...a soul. A big part of that soul is the lovely Amy Murray. She of the charming restaurant a few blocks down, Venus. I've always enjoyed her restaurant and was delighted when I heard she was the owner and executive chef of Revival Bar + Kitchen. So delighted I figured I've have a party for 26 there. Actually, it was my company's party, but I had the privilege of working on it with Amy and Gerald (the GM). One of my coworkers had already dined at Revival and could speak to the quality of the food. However, a dinner for 2 in a brand new restaurant is worlds apart from a dinner for 26 that included picky eaters, serious carnivores, vegetarians and vegans. As it turned out, we were the very first event in their "private dining room". We planned the dinner in about a week, and the menu itself in about 2 days. Since the menu is so seasonal and market driven, you really can't go wrong. We did a family style menu with an appetizer table during the cocktail hour featuring goat meatballs (I had some odd looks about the goat...until the guests tasted them), gazpacho shooters (some with shrimp and some without), and a wonderful flatbread with arugula, and blue cheese. We were a very happy bunch. So happy, in fact, the noise level in our dining room kept rising...and rising. I was sure the whole restaurant could hear us, but when I stepped three feet outside our room, our boisterous bunch wasn't noticeable. Our dinner was a smashing success. I won't bother with too many details of the rest of the dishes since you might be depressed if you couldn't order them when you go. The point is that the menu was perfectly designed to highlight the best of the season. The pork, goat and chicken were all delicious, but the surprise hit was a zucchini papardelle that was completely vegan if one skipped the cheese offered on the side. It tasted just like early summer...which it was. Speaking of summer, can there be anything more incredible than grilled apricots and little gem lettuce with a lavender honey vinaigrette? Don't think so. The calamari was a stunning dish and the bay shrimp/avocado/hearts of palm salad was a tongue-tingling treat. But back to the soul. Amy has nurtured her staff-family and brought out the best in them. Our servers (oh how I hate to use that word, but what else is there? Waitrons?) Tricia and Ashley were warm and gracious and kept us happy in our little back room world. Our bartender Romero (or was it Romeo?) was a master of mixology. Gin Marvin Gardens! Virgin Farmer Janes....and the wines, the wines! And more kudos to the kitchen itself. I can hardly wait to go back and see what's "in season"! Brava Revival, you are a new restaurant with an old soul! read more

This place is awesome. I went there for my 21st birthday and everything was fantastic. It was a bit pricey for example when my entree arrived I had finished my cocktail so I asked what wine went well with steak and the waiter brought me a $12 glass of wine without warning, but I was tipsy enough by the time the check arrived to find it hilarious. I still tipped him generously as he was very friendly, speedy, and on top of every thing the whole night. My girlfriend and I had the bone marrow with fig, red onion, and arugula flat bread to split for starters and we couldn't stop making orgasm faces while eating it. The faces only became more inappropriate as the night wore on. I had the sassafras daiquiri(as my first legit cocktail ever) since I thought it might taste like root beer, it did not taste like root beer, it did taste delicious though. It was very lemony and complex and gave my mouth lots to think about. I had the steak(which I ordered bloody) and my girl had the spinach pasta with lobster mushrooms and butternut squash. Her entree tasted like fall. It was delicate and delectable. My steak was cooked perfectly and even the end pieces were buttery- tender. The steak came with a fat slab of fried green tomato(I wish there had been two D:), an arugula and cherry tomato salad and a dollop of marrow butter. The marrow butter melted onto my plate, mixing with the blood from my steak and soaking into the fried green tomato making a gorgeous sauce to let everything soak in while I slowly minced away at dinner. The wine the waiter brought me to drink with my entree was very well balanced and enhanced my food beautifully. For dessert we had the stone fruit cobbler with the house ice cream which was vanilla but also had a spicey, nutmeggy taste to it which helped enhance the fruit in the cobbler and they even put a candle in it for me to blow out. The cobbler was delicious, not phenomenal but worth the price and over all I had an amazing, lovely evening. read more

I've been underwhelmed. The service was really great and everything on the menu looked so yummy, but it's nothing to write home about. The food had potential, but the flavors were lacking a little sha-zam. This place seems like they are trying to take a little bit of Gather's magic, but is falling flat at it. It's more expensive and less tasty. I know Gather's waits can be a tad long, but I think next time I'd rather wait then be revived! read more

Note - this review is only for drinks, service, and atmosphere. Service: my boyfriend and I walked in and were waiting on 4 more people to join. The bar area was more crowded than we thought - but there is ample seating, and the waitress was very nice and accommodating in trying to help us figure out the best seating arrangement for when our friends arrived. Although we sat at the bar we were greeted and served throughout the evening as if we were dining there - we were immediately brought water and bread, and our orders were promptly taken. The waitress really could not have been better. Drinks: Silk Road Sour = yum. Most, if not all of their drinks are great, but I particularly liked the Silk Road Sour. Atmosphere: Loved the lighting - my boyfriend had previously been to lunch here and said that it looks way better at night. You can really forget that you're in downtown berkeley. Drinks are a little pricy for Berkeley but great quality, I will definitely be back for cocktails soon! Friends of ours also tried a dessert (the baked Alaska) and enjoyed it, and had said that the Toffee dessert (which they were out of when we went tonight) was also good. Overall seems like a great place for drinks and dessert - and a very good date atmosphere, too. Can't yet comment on the food, though. read more

Tasty brunch. Great coffee, and the shakshuka was yummy. Don't forget to check in and get your free fries. My sister had the fried chicken special and licked the plate. read more

Excellent variety of delicious American fare, with a flair for sumptuous presentation, originality, great service and with a menu that evolves with the seasons. Revival is one of the marquee restaurants in Berkeley. It's good for an intimate dinner for two or visiting with relatives and friends. Dinner at Revival is like entering into another world; you simply forget that you are on Shattuck, downtown; all that disappears in the warmth of the atmosphere. It's not on the regular menu (see the bar menu), but their charbroiled burger is epic. It's up there with the best I've ever had. read more

Haven't tried the food but the cocktails were good. I think the bartender was a little intimidated by our orders, but managed to fulfill them with minimal mishaps (well, sliced open his thumb while cutting garnish and broke a glass). The bar area is gorgeous and the atmosphere is pleasant. The staff were nice to us, but sitting next to the spot where the servers picked up their drinks, we had to hear them being particularly unkind to each other. read more

The bartender looked into my eyes and said he saw the sorrow of a thousand worlds. I left with the sorrow of ten thousand worlds (aka whiskey d***). read more

I came here election night after seeing some cheaply made posters (by posters I mean b/w text on an 8.5x11 printer paper) advertising election viewing. Good call on their part, because I never would have thought to come here, let alone to watch the election. It was a little false advertising though, because they only have one TV at the bar. We sat at the bar area, but when the crowd starting growing, it became impossible to see the screen. The layout/atmosphere of RBK is nice, but definitely not somewhere you want to be watching something on TV. Good food though. Just really bad service. The crispy kale salad is HEAVENLY...warm mushrooms and squash on a bed of super fresh green kale. I'm a kale fanatic, and this has to be one of the best kale dishes I've had. The flatbreads are also a must try (I had the fig with duck bits). They're good for about 2-3 people depending on what else you order. The fries are really salty, but if you're looking for quantity, you might like that they serve you an impossibly large bucket of them. They have a pretty big cocktail selection if that's your thing. I highly recommend the Moscow Mule, but I'm more of a beer drinker, so I wish they had a larger selection of that. The charcuterie was a hit or miss. I loved the mousse, but not some of the others. They're really cheap on the crackers that come with it though--we had to ask for more about 3 times. Which leads me to the service. Really uncoordinated. We didn't really have one server...it was just whoever stopped by, so it was a lot of inefficiency and comments like "wait, you wanted the xx right?" And maybe it'd be better if they actually took down our order instead of trying to memorize it. It was also really slow, and I noticed other people around us had this problem too. Thank goodness we had the election to watch, so it wasn't AS bad waiting 20-30 min between each dish. read more

Re Amy M's comment regarding my star parsimony: Please don't feel slighted. I rarely, rarely give out 5 stars; my review is not lukewarm, but warm. It was truly the removal of the burger that bumped it down from 4. If I could do 3.5 I would, but there is no such gradation possible. Your burgers were close to the best ones I've had in the Bay Area, and I think they were one of the high points of the menu. Note that my restaurant reviews are not based just on restaurants in Berkeley - I moved here from Manhattan a few years ago and am admittedly spoiled when it comes to dining out. I have not been positively blown away by the other food on Revival's menu. It's good, but not life-alteringly good, and yet of course your restaurant is not a "dive" which could get a higher rating for low prices. The service, wine, room, are all excellent and I will indeed be back. I empathize with the difficulty of running a business, especially in the direct-democracy era of Yelp, and I try to be fair. There are a lot of unsophisticated diners out there and a lot of thoughtless or rude people on the internet, and they all seem to congregate on Yelp. But please do bring the burger back - I'm desperate! read more

Painfully understaffed and particularly bad food. The hostess spent the time checking our IDs and vaccine cards, only for us to look back in the kitchen and see people without masks preparing food. That was our first clue that this was not gonna be good. Our server was probably one of three in a busy restaurant that was ridiculously understaffed. We waited and waited and waited to even be approached. Fishy tasting drinking water, waited forever for drinks and we ordered some appetizers which were absurd. Teeny tiny portion of calamari, the saltiest french fries I've ever tasted and stale bread. With that we grabbed our tab and left for dinner elsewhere. Really disappointed. Had heard good thing about this place but not right now. read more

My wife and I had another equisiite dinner at Revival Bar + Kitchen. We brought two friends to whom we owed a big favor, and coming to Revival was the perfect place to show gratitude to and for them. Both couples ordered the baby back ribs and trout...and they were perfectly cooked. We have a couple appetizers: the Mezzo and the freshly cut potato frieds (with a yummy aoli). Even though it was a very busy Saturday night, we had our drinks and food arrive at the perfect time. read more