Went to Vanessa's this week for take out. I don't know how they are doing it, but they are keeping their entire menu going and it is great. I called the order in a couple of hours earlier and they met me at the door with the bag. We really need to support our local restaurants who are trying to stay open for us. I highly recommend the petrole sole/crab dish and the petrole sole tacos. Both were really fresh and just as good as if we were sitting in the restaurant. Thank you Vanessa's!! read more

everything we've ordered here has been delicious! the servers are accommodating and the food comes out very fast. highly recommend!

Went recent to Vanessa'a and found the food as good as ever. I don't know how they keep things going as well as they do during the pandemic. But I give them Credit for doing so well. Some of the best Vietnamese food I have ever had. To bad some of the Karen's had some issues with it. Will be back soon read more

This place is great if you are looking for someplace new. Think vietnamese fusion - french I think it is? Drinks are pricey. Try the garlic butter noodles and the shaking filet mignon. So tender! Service is friendly. Be prepared for how small this place is - I was! When we walked in, we were immediately asked if we had reservations and then were given "the look" (I hate that), so make them if you don't like sitting at the bar or at one of two high tops. Most people sitting at the bar are also eating, so it's not like you'll feel out of place. read more

The staff are nice, which makes me feel bad about giving the food a less-than-glowing review. But there were problems - the wrong bowl used for a green papaya salad (that should have been marinated more). Meat and fish sliced in a way that made you wish you either got the menu to use your knife-and-fork, or that the meat and fish could be cut by your bare teeth alone. Nope. We ordered half a dozen dishes and nothing really stood out, so I won't go about listing them here so they can trend... This place isn't as gourmet or Michelin-star associated as we thought. It might be a casual place to go with friends for a fun snack, but you aren't coming here for the exquisite flavors and textures... read more

This place has fantastic, personable service and awesome food. No complaints here at all. A friend and I came here on a weekday for dinner and there was no wait. We popped in and were seated immediately and our server (who I believe is the chef's daughter) was attentive and great at socializing. We got a Filet Mignon Salad, Maple Leaf Duck Lettuce Wrap, Ahi Tuna Carpaccio, and for dessert we had the Bananas Foster. Both the filet mignon salad and duck wrap were amazing. Words cannot describe how difficult it was to not order another plate of either dish. The Carpaccio was also very good, not the best I have had but far better than the average. What was so surprising was that admittedly, I did not expect the bananas foster to be as good as it was.. and it was good! The Bay Area never ceases to surprise me with how good the food is. read more

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Sorry, wanted to like a local spot but just not a great dining experience, both food and atmosphere.

Apparently they deliver?! Well. Well. Well. This is truly a gem. They have happy hour from 4p-6p ($7 house wine,$7 small plates). We tried the salt and pepper prawns and chicken wings. The prawns were so good we ordered another round. The wings were pretty good too. I hear the pecan pie with ice cream is delish. I will definitely return to this place for more happy hour shenanigans! Our bartender Ray was awesome and joked along with us such a great atmosphere and vibe. There are locals who have been regulars this place for OVER 12 YEARS! it was PACKED TO CAPACITY on a Monday night. Mic drop. read more

The food is excellent!!!!The shakeing filet migon is my fav!The garlic noodles,curry chicken are also top choice.Dessert.....I'll just say the Bannas Foster was the best iv'e ever had!!!!Be back at VB1 for the third time to try the prawns!!! Btw VB2 in walnut creek has the same great food and more!!!! read more

It's supposed to be Vietnamese French, but one of the dishes we ordered was a fish taco, which is neither. We split the coriander and sea salt crusted ahi tuna salad, which I liked, though my husband thought it was only okay, and two fish tacos. It was Mojito Monday -- $5 each -- so three of us had that, but I'm not a mojito fan, so I had a gin cocktail for $11. My husband also had a beer, and our companion had a glass of wine. With tip and tax, it was $160 for the four of us. Perfectly pleasant. read more

Bad service. Both the owner and the daughter are very rude. I've seen how rude they treat their spanish speaking employees.

Loved this happy hour - cool little space with really nice staff. For drinks, We had a yummy little cocktail and a glass of wine. For food, we had salt and pepper prawns, papaya salad, and fish tacos. The papaya salad was fantastic, fish tacos were good (mayonnaise-y but I like that), and the shrimp weren't anything special. I think we walked away with a bill of about $44, which means it's an actual happy hour, no tricks ;) 5stars for the overall experience (hospitality) and our sincere appreciation for a quality happy hour! read more

My friend suggested this place, so decided to head over to this place and try it out. It was a hit and miss for me. We ordered 2 appetizers - the tartare and the carpaccio. They were just really bland to us. The tuna just didn't seem fresh to us. I wanted to love it, but we didn't. This was a miss. The entrees came and we got the chicken curry and the seafood claypot. I thought it was much much better than the appetizers - it had flavor. The portions was smaller than the appetizers..weird, but true. We also ordered the garlic noodles which I thought was awesome - YUMMY! This was a hit for me. I will definitely come back, but probably skip the appetizers and order just the entrees with their garlic noodles and maybe try out their dessert. The staff was awesome and personable, so thumbs up! read more

We walked in around 5:15 on a Saturday night and were greeted immediately. We confirmed that we were a party of four without reservations and were quickly seated. Menus and water were presented and we quickly perused the menu as we were all hungry. I'll apologize now that I failed to get our servers name and have to keep referring to him as 'our server'. The service that he and the dining room assistant provided us was terrific. We had read that there was a Happy Hour menu from 4pm to 6pm. I asked our server for the Happy Hour menu and he informed us that on Friday, Saturday (and possibly Sunday but I don't remember for sure), Happy Hour was only available in the Bar Area. However, there was available seating in the Bar Area to accommodate our party. All of the tables in the Bar Area are high tables with tall bar stools. I told our server that our group would not be comfortable sitting on those seats and we would just forgo the Happy Hour Menu. From nearby, Vi, the owner, told our server to go ahead and let us have Happy Hour. She then jokingly walked over to our table and told us that now we had to drink a lot (Little did she know that none of us drink!). We placed our order for Happy Hour first. I also failed to get a picture of the menu so the items with the asterisks are what I remember, not how they were described on the menu. With nine food items on the Happy Hour Menu at $6 each, we ordered eight of them: Papaya Salad with Poached Prawns - 5 - best I've ever had Salt & Pepper Fried Tender Calamari - 4 - somehow I missed that this was a salad Salt & Pepper Fried Prawns - 4 - also a salad. both were good but still salad. Ahi Tuna Capaccio - 5- a very generous portion and quite flavorful Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetable Potstickers - 5! - a pastry with potsticker filiing! Chicken Wings* - 4 - yummy! Fish Tacos* - 5 - not sure that these were Vietnamese or French but still quite delish. Pork with Salsa* - 4 - tender pork easy to shred and a sneaky howdy-do spicyness! We also ordered a few things from the regular menu and dessert: French Onion Soup - 3 - not as salty as most but the mozzarella cheese was odd. Garlic Butter Egg Noodles - 5 - better than most. flavorful and not at all gummy. Sautéed Prawns & Scallops with Vegetables in Thai Basil Coconut Curry -5 - MORE!!!! Bananas Foster with Caramel Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream - 5 - sweet but not overly so. Pecan Pie & Vanilla Ice Cream - 4 - I should have asked to have it heated. That probably would have elevated it to a 5. One other mistake I made was to order 3 Iced Coffees at the beginning of the meal. I failed to realized that they had that AND Vietnamese Iced Coffee. Once served, I had no one to blame but myself. Next time! read more

This review is for delivery only via UberEats. It's a rip-off! For a $9 order of bok choy, we received a miniscule portion that, no joke, had about 10 pieces of baby bok choy. The $18 prawns with garlic noodles filled about 1/2 of a medium-size chinese takeout container. Do NOT order delivery from here. read more

I'm perplexed by how this place got so many high reviews. Let's just say, my experience here has been less than satisfactory. Being that it's a Vietnamese fusion restaurant, I was expecting something fresh and unique, but man-o-man, I was in for a rude awakening. I was shocked by how bad the food was here...and for the price, I was even more appalled. So what did we order? Here's the breakdown: - Salt & pepper fried calamari: Not much flavor and the calamari was a bit too tough. - Crispy chicken rolls: Tasted like frozen egg rolls with very little flavor. Even the fish sauce seemed like it was watered down. - Saigon style vermicelli noodle salad: Probably the best out of all the dishes but it was still just meehhh... - Spicy lemongrass chicken: Another dish that tasted like it was something you find in the frozen aisle of Trader Joe's. - Claypot rice with chicken & prawns: The flavor was OK but the mushrooms they used tasted like they were old. This was by far the worst dish. We could barely eat it. Overall, it was just not good with low quality ingredients. My recommendation is, if you want good Vietnamese fusion food, look elsewhere. read more

Vietnamese French fusion tapas bar, I have been here about 3 times. The happy used to be 4-7, but they recently changed it to 4-6. Also in the past my family was always able to get happy hour, however today with a party of 6, we were unable to get happy hour due to our party size. Aside from that, our food was very good, and service was also very nice as well. For drinks, I ordered an iced Vietnamese coffee, however it came hot (still dripping which I did not mind), however we had to ask twice to get ice to make it cold. We were seated outside since we did not make a reservation for 5, however our server kindly brought out the outdoor heater. Overall my family and I were very pleased with the overall appetizers, main course, ' our desserts! Definitely recommend other to come here, esp during happy hour, just don't bring a large party expecting to get happy hour prices. read more

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Hidden along Solano Ave in North Berkeley, this is a French/Vietnamese fusion food restaurant that provides a unique flavor to food on a street where there are many options. The ambiance and decor from the inside seems nice and uncommon, while the outside shows this restaurant as a small yet inviting place to eat with either a loved one or a small group. The service was very good, as our servers attentively listened to our orders and was courteous to our needs, even with a few rowdy Giants fans making noise every other second. All of their appetizers and entrees are great, though I only remember what we had for dessert, as it was the best finish to a meal we've had in a while. We ended our meal with crème brulée, callebaut white & bitter chocolate panna cotta, homemade pecan pie, and d'anjou pear~ginger tarte tatin, where most of us also got our desserts with vanilla ice cream. My friends, loved ones, an I will frequent this bistro when we're in the area and not in the mood for something too common (i.e. pizza, Chinese or Mexican food). read more

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I had takeout friday. They were about to close, but took our order anyhow! They were great. I had the tamarind glazed prawns, both of us loved it. Had the quail, I loved it more. The prawns were huge & perfect. Moist and sweet/sticky...shell on for max flavor. I wish there were more than 4. The quli came with 2 quail. 28 dollars and delicious. And I truly appreciate the covid service and perhaps due to slow business thay needed to adjust portions??? I would have paid more for a larger order had I known. So maybe come up with a price for a larger meal, or say 4 large prawns. Either way, I will be back because it was SO HARD to choose from the great menu! Thanks again for staying a bit late for us! read more

I've been to Vanessa's several times over the years and I always enjoyed the food. Fast forward to this evening. The food was really bad, particularly the pad thai with tofu entree. It was worse than flavorless. I suggest that the owner oversee quality control. The quality of my meal was a far cry from the past. read more

This was decent food. It is marketed as fusion French Vietnamese but think it is more Americanized Vietnamese food, think PF Chang's Esque. We ordered the Tamarind glazed prawns with mushroom sticky rice, noodle salad, duck confit lettuce wraps. Everything had a lot of oil and sweeter sauces. Though palatable, not my cup of tea. read more

We had high expectations coming in from all the great reviews, so that may be influencing why we feel so strongly against coming back. Food - We ordered black peppercorn cured filet carpaccio, claypot rice with chicken and prawns, five spices maple leaf duck confit, sauteed jumbo prawns and scallops in curry, butter garlic noodles, and a fish wrapped around crab dish. Unfortunately, I don't think I can recommend any of the dishes we tried with a straight face. The fish wrapped around crab and curry dishes were relatively pretty good but neither good enough to try again (or worth it economically), but the butter garlic noodles felt like it needed more butter and garlic and these dishes were even more noteworthy: - Our appetizer was the carpaccio, which seemed to be missing a bit more dressing, sauce, something. For a family that never fails to get collective food comas, we had trouble finishing four pieces. - The claypot with chicken and prawns was an insult from a highly rated restaurant claiming some type of Asian cuisine. The chicken, prawns, or any of the other ingredients mixed in was nothing special, but what made it different is the burnt rice. Claypot rice should stick a bit to the pot, but the rice just should not be burnt. Quite frankly, you can go to any Chinatown and get a better claypot with chicken and prawns for a third of the price. - The five spices maple leaf dunk confit was also not very good. Somehow, the duck was over and the giant piece of potato with which it's served was under. Service - Granted, we came on Mother's Day with no reservation so there is some fault on our part, but the service was abysmal. We came when doors opened and were seated outside, which is understandable because the restaurant was booked for the rest of the evening, but we also left an hour later with the restaurant half empty. Unfortunately, it looked like nobody checked the later reservation times before putting a family outside. (I'm also reading below that there are heaters outside which we didn't know because they weren't turned on for us, so what gives?) What really convinced us to not even consider coming back is we just kept feeling forgotten. It's not good when you're seated outside and have to walk inside to grab a waiter because no one's checking up on you. Happy hour - Big ol' happy hour 4-6 everyday sign was out front when we got there just after 4:00. I guess they forgot to put in the fine print that it's everyday except Mother's Day because we were told there's no happy hour. Maybe everything's swell when happy hour exists. All in all, really hoping it was just an off day because we definitely regret spending an afternoon at Vanessa's. read more

I tried calling in an order. The guy said he couldn't hear me and "it was breaking up." I could hear him perfectly and it sounded loud, noisy, and busy on his end. I've never had any complaints about phone calls on my 5G phone and 1GB internet-in fact I'm on calls and Zoom meetings 10 hours a day. He complained again and just hung up on me; he seemed checked out. I ask the owners here to hire better staff, otherwise you will alienate old and new customers (or even better, put in online ordering like many of the businesses on Solano, and you don't have to hire rude staff). Or don't take phone orders - but what just happened was unacceptable. I see from other reviews below that bad customer service is a common complaint here. read more

I actually didn't know what to expect, but I was AMAZED at the preparation and focus it took to make a spectacular dinner let alone a party of 25 or more! The staff was very accomodating never hesitating to make their guest happy! The food was phenomenal and prices are very reasonable! A surprise visit from the owner and chef of the delightful meal! The faith and determination that the mother-daughter combo have for each other is do apparent in their eyes! I wish I was able to give a Michelin star but I am not. I highly recommend this worthy establishment to everyone who would like to engaze in the fine cuisine of Vietnam with a West Coast flare! AND IT IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE PHO OR COFFEE PLACE AS SOME MIGHT THINK! Thank you once again for inviting me into the delicasies of Vietnamese dining! Happy yelpping fellow Yelppers! read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Look at this fish... the party had 4 orders! Complements to the chef/owner! - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Small dishes with big flavor and a great knowledgeable staff! It's taking me a long time to get to this place, because my husband is not an adventurous eater. I absolutely adored the seafood curry that I got. The scallops were fresh. Can I repeat that a few times? How often are scallops that fresh in a dish? The last time I had any this fresh were in Italy right on the ocean. My husband's chicken dish was really lively and delightful. Can't wait to go back! read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

We stopped in to Vanessa's for a bite it. It is a very quaint place. It seemed like all the customers were friends. They knew their customers by name. The service was great and the food was good. Vi made us feel right at home. This will definitely be one of my go to places on Solano. Gary read more

I go here a lot. I like to sit at the bar, but it's often hard to get a spot during peak hours. I've only eaten off the happy hour menu. I love the fish tacos. I literally crave them. My spouse loves the bbq pork with chips. Drinks and bartenders are great! read more

Gio had a $50 certificate went on 1/2 price wine Wednesday 2/7/18 Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Rose @ $25 good with papaya shrimp salad, honey roasted quail, lemon grass shrimp/calamari, ( calamari star of the meal the rest of which was fine if not memorable) but paleeze! the service was rushed & impersonal..really detracted from wanting to return..and while they tout being able to take your bottle home (which we did) the server covered the top with plastic wrap?? no extra corks around??? it spilled going home... read more

I personally LOVE Asian fusion so when we were visiting Berkeley area, and I looked up some healthy fare options, I found Vanessa's. I made a reservation through Yelp, and we were quite early to our reservation since we were from out of town and didn't know if maybe they can fit us in earlier. On a Sunday evening, it was packed. We weren't seated until about 5 mins before our actual reservation. One thing about this place is that it's super busy, but it seems like they just don't have enough staff. So I'd say we weren't serviced after being seated for a good 10-15 mins (meaning no hello from our staff - I'm still not sure who it was). The guy who seated us was decently nice, and he did take our order. Because of lack of service, I seriously verbally diarrheaed all our order as soon as he stopped by. When we wanted to add to our order, it took another good 20 mins of looking around and trying to flag someone down. I didn't downgrade the rating so much despite the slow service. Once we had service, they were really nice. We ordered TONS of food for family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids). We started off with a beet green salad and sweet potato fries (which are more like steak fries). They were delicious! We ordered duck confit wrap and fish tacos as entrees that my husband ordered. I found the duck to be a little more salty than necessary especially because it came with black bean dipping sauce which I didn't use because of the salt content. The wrap was good w/o the sauce, though. I may have been missing out some flavor for the duck, but that's okay because the wrap was tasty on its own with the marinated daikon and carrots, mint, and lettuce. The ingredients tasted pretty fresh and homemade. I made sure that they didn't add MSG like some cheap restaurant, and I was glad that my spidey senses didn't detect any. (No migraine today! Yay!) My 9 year old ordered some baked chicken potstickers and french onion soup that he finished completely (and unwillingly shared 1.5 homemade potsticker with his 6 yr old sister). I'd say they were a hit! We didn't opt for dessert, but I don't mind trying them next time when I'm not on a special diet. In general, I thought everything was flavorful without using premade sauces and MSG (Asian restaurant cheats). I appreciate the effort to present Asian fares with fresh ingredients and flavors. However, the service could be much better and attentive. We may be back in the future and hope for better service then. read more

I came for happy hour. The food was ok to good. Drinks were good to very good. That would give them a 4 star review. Why am I giving it 2 stars then? Why serve happy hour snacks in red and white paper plate/bowls? So not classy. One of my snacks came in a real bowl, but 3 of them on paper plates that look like something you get at a country fair or festival. People who ordered dinner and not happy hour appetizers all had real dishes. Paper plates are not classy. AND terrible for the environment. COVID is not spread on dishes so it can't be to reduce handling dishes (all the dinner orders come on real dishes). If you're going to serve throw away dishes at least make them compostable. We're in Berkeley/Albany, ya know. People care about the environment and food presentation. My food would have tasted better in a nice dish and not on a cheap carnival paper plate. You can do better, Vanessa's! read more

A favorite of mine. Interesting food, good service, and amazing prices. Very much a neighborhood restaurant, which I appreciate.

Amazing amazing food! Restaurant co-owned by a Mother/Daughter duo and the place has amazing waiters and bartenders! FAVORITE place to eat hands down. read more

Oh my gosh... Vanessa's... where do I even begin?! If I was more talented this would be a love letter to thee, in Shakespearean style, expressing my undying love for the friendly warm hearts that work here (and work hard) for you to have a wonderful evening. From the bartender to the busboys to the kitchen. The food is impeccable-- tasting and plated. The flavors are so fun and vibrant. The cocktails are amazing. I was the happiest, all around, than I had been yet so far, living in Berkeley. Perfect place for a date. Perfect place for a mojito night with the girls (or guys) as they have a mojito night! And the mojitos are WORTH EVERY PENNY. We came on taco night (not on purpose) where you get two tacos and a marg for 9$. Tacos are DELICIOSO and the margs are too! We got two main courses after that which were THE BOMB (so good they made me actually say 'the bomb'). Apparently they also have wine bottle nights where you can get inexpensive-priced wine. We intend on coming back! This is a well-loved place, it's clear. read more

The food here is super bland and uninteresting. I decided to take my friends here because of the reviews but this place is wayyy off and should be a 1 Star. The chef needs to put more effort into making the food actually a quality dish. Instead, I think my cooking is even better than this. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is officially my favorite spot in Albany. Great food, friendly service and reasonable prices. It's a nice place to have a grown-up dinner but also relax while watching sports (there is a TV). read more

Great place with excellent food and gracious staff and management. Our go to place in Berkeley for happy hour or dinner

What a great find! Hadn't heard of this place before but it was schmackin'! The calamari was crispy on the outside but still soft & juicy on the inside! Prawns were JUMBO & DELICIOUS! Chicken wings were pretty good....better than most restaurants! Can't wait to hit Taco Tuesday's next week! read more

We had a great experience at Vanessas for happy Hour recently and are planning our company party at the end of September with them. The small plates are great, rolls fish and salads are fresh and delicious, reasonably priced and the bartender is a real pro with the Mohito's and other exotic drinks. read more

Great Happy Hour! Variety of drinks and bar food. Lots of older folk (like us!) are there for the goodies.

Went to pickup some takeout. Shocked to see about 6 people inside the restaurant, only one wearing a mask. I was so surprised I didn't know how to react. I just picked up the food and got out as soon as I could. Even the staff were not wearing masks, though the lady that took the payment put her mask on to process the payment. Definitely never going here again, and thinking about reporting them to the county. read more