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    The Rendez-Vous

    4.1 (100 reviews)

    The Rendez-Vous Photos

    THE RENDEZ-VOUS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Upscale
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - The Rendez-Vous

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    Le Picasso
    Camie K.

    This place is a mood, a delightful one Excellent service. Alberto is spirited and his excitement is contagious Cocktails are excellent beatifically crafted by the owner The burrata with basil, tomatoes, pineapple, watermelon is out of this world. Well balanced acidity. I usually have to brace myself for the tomato acidity but not with this dish! Expensive however. Black cod crudo is succulent and so incredibly fresh. The stringy julienned vegetable slices give the dish an interesting texture to accompany the fish slices. Also expensive. Only complaint is the small portion. Be careful with your wallet, can easily spent $100 on 2 cocktails and 2 plates alone. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the mood for a quick bite (can't be too hungry!) and want to be transformed to an European style cafe with vintage fixtures

    Beau Soleil Oysters
    Scott H.

    This little "hole-in-the-wall" has potential to be a truly fantastic restaurant. First off, the restaurant is a cool, funky space that definitely has "Parisian" vibes, but not in a traditional sense. The bar is beautifully back lit with green lights and has cool Polynesian themed frescos. The service was good and attentive. We sat at the bar and had great conversations with the bartender. She was a great conversationalist! The food was great.. we started with half a dozen Beau Soliel Oysters which came with a horseradish mignonette. We followed that with the smoked trout pate which was probably my favorite dish. My wife and I both ordered the Crab Salad for our mains as they ran out of the Smoked Petrale Sole. It was good but the portion was tiny and at $39 I was hoping for more... it was more portioned like an appetizer. We finished off with the chocolate tart which was also delicious. This place is close to receiving 5 Stars, but portion size needs to be addressed. Plus, having only three entrees and running out of one limits what can be ordered.

    Eliot R.

    Incredible! Though you might pass the restaurant bz the lighting is a bit dim and it's near Children's Hospital, that's a mistake. It's one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The ambiance is colorful, fascinating & innovative. The service? Great And the food? Holy Elvis! The food is exceptional. (I've copied our menu for you.) The quality of our dinner was OFF THE CHARTS! My bride & I went on a mission to sample everything. The chopped egg salad crostini appetizer, the Salad Lyonnaise, the King Salmon Crudo, the Smoked Swordfish Pastrami and the Toasted Sardinian Frregola with short rib ragu! Yes, we had all of these!! Holy Toledo! The food was amazing. Everything!! The chef is so very talented. I love this place! And I will be back!

    The Picasso
    Sabeena B.

    If 6 stars was an options I'd give it to this place immediately!! The service was amazing, we had such a friendly host who gave us a tour of the space and had the most welcoming energy!! The space itself is absolutely stunning with a very rustic feel. I came here for a drink with a friend and got the Picasso drink which was one of the most unique drinks I've had ever. It was definitely strong but so so good!! This will now become one of my regular spots! A must visit and amazing addition to the city of Oakland :)

    Gimlet
    Anthony H.

    This place is great! The service was excellent! Alberto was very helpful. The atmosphere is so relaxing, it really feels like a cafe in Italy. I love the wall paintings and the lamp fixtures. The food is excellent! Every dish and drink was elevated in some way. The bread and compound butter was especially good. Their famous Picasso cocktail is really fun with the presentation definitely recommend if you like tequila heavy margaritas. The presentation of the food was a step above the dishes were all unique and interesting in some way.

    Kelly H.

    Get ready to be transported to the cutest cafe in Paris. This place is so eclectic, stunning, and just overall enchanting. I did not want to leave, and I felt like I was in a dream. The food itself was also incredibly well done, with lots of varied flavors coming together in each dish. We got the special of the day which was the avocado toast with shrimp, the seared ahi tuna plate, burrata, salad, and a side order of the bread. Each dish was divine, and the servicing dishes, cups, etc. were all gorgeous. We also got the gimlet and the Picasso, which of course was a stunning piece of artand the gimlet felt like I was drinking a green juice from the garden. Overall a very magical evening, and the wait staff was incredibly kind and patient. Can't wait to return.

    PINEAPPLE MOUSSE - $14
    Tu-Anh N.

    WHEN: Sun @7pm PARKING: I think because it's Sunday, parking was quite easy. My friends found one right in front, and I found a spot just around the corner. It's free since it was after 6pm I really dig the decor here and the lighting mood. The music is quite lout though so it will have more of a fancy bar/lounge vibe. The seating tables are tiny booths that feels like it fits 2 people instead of 4. So get ready to get snuggly! There is one large table by the entrance but I figure it's reserved for a larger party more than 4. Also throughout the whole evening the lighting would flicker every half hour as though the place is haunted. My friends have been here, and based on their recommendations, I had: POULET LIVER FLAN - $22 This huge hunk of poultry pate comes with 3 slices of Crostini which was not enough because it's a huge serving of liver flan, haha. We had to order more crostini for $3 and it comes with just 2 (still not enough so I took the rest home). It's also served with Capers, pickled red onions, and olives. This dish is more of appetizers to share with the table, but ask for more crostini. I really enjoyed this dish! CAESER SALAD - $18 Trevino radicchio, little gems, garlic croutons, anchovy, egg, grana, parsley. I thought it was weird that because our table ordered 2 of these, they mixed it together without giving us a heads up. I mean, I get that the table it tiny (and meant for 2 average Americans), I'm sure there are people who wouldn't like this. Lucky it didn't really bother me, probably cuz I was too busy enjoying it. It's really good actually, so good you forget you're eating a salad. Dessert varies day to day, and is written on the mirror. Don't bother trying it's hard to read so just ask your server. We couldn't decided on which so we just ordered both: LAVENDER CHOCOLATE CAKE - $14 I'm glad this moist rich cake had a subtle lavender flavor to it, so it does not taste like soap! It was well enjoyed. PINEAPPLE MOUSSE - $14 This came out to be better than I thought! You have your mouse, and pineapples chunks, whopped topping and these merengue cookies that melts instantly in your mouth. Quite delicious! I really enjoyed it here--it was a combo of great company over great food!

    Maya D.

    We had a great time here last night! The decor is very cute and unique. We had the duck special and the squid, and both tasted fresh, flavorful and delicious. Cocktails were also great. Things to note are that it is a bit on the pricier side, and most tables are best suited for 2-3 people so larger groups could be tough. I look forward to going back!

    Cat N.

    The Rendez-Vous has charm and potential. There is a lot to be improved, but it seems like the passionate owners, talented kitchen, and fun crew can get it to the level it needs to be to warrant the hype and long waits. I certainly want it to make it because it is a much needed hip, romantic, and tasty spot in an otherwise empty area. The restaurant lends itself to date nights more than dining as a group. It's very pretty and cozy inside, but you'll feel packed like sardines. We sat outside because we were going to be a group of four to five. I'm not sure of the science behind it, but it seems like the location makes it so the patio feels windier and colder. The heat lamps weren't doing much, so if you reserve a large table and know you'll be dining outside, layer up! I had hoped being outside would mean a quieter environment to actually be able to have conversation. It was shockingly loud when I walked into the restaurant. Unfortunately, the music outside was dance club level decibels, and I felt tired and grumpy from almost shouting at my friends who were sitting right next to me. I get that they're trying to feel hipster mom-and-pop with the handwritten menus, but it is very difficult to read and I felt bad for our server who had to rattle of long specials. Just print in a fun but legible font! After our first round of orders, we saw how small the portions were and had to order double of the things we liked. We did like almost all of the dishes, but a reasonably hungry person would have to order two to three dishes to themselves to feel satisfied. For some things, the price felt commensurate because of the priciness of seafood (this is a very seafood heavy menu, so those who aren't big fans keep that in mind) but we had definite sticker shock and were still hungry at the end. This was probably This was probably largely to do with dining outside on a cold night, but none of the hot dishes were even lukewarm and it detracted from the eating experience. I'm hoping the owners take note and look forward to returning once they've hit their groove.

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Excellent bar and atmosphere. Great for meet ups lots of local love from the neighborhood.

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    1 year ago

    Incredible food, super friendly service, in hip bohemian atmosphere. This place is great!

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    1 year ago

    Stumbled into this place. It was so unique. The staff was really lovely and funny and the food was great!

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    Ask the Community - The Rendez-Vous

    Is this the same restaurant that used to be on Solano Ave. in Albany?

    View All 4 Questions

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    The Rendez-Vous - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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