I've had Vanessa's Bistro on my mind since about 10 years ago when I found out a schoolmate had worked there while we were both in college. Well I finally got to come here with a friend. My friend and I both didn't have big appetites that night but were open to some tasty tapas, so we split 3 starters with our own drinks and that really made for perfect night bites. The salt & pepper calamari were perfectly fried without being oily and sat on a fresh bed of greens; the honey marinated crispy quail was so moist and juicy and plated in a cute whimsical way, also on a bed of different greens with a different dressing; the fresh shrimp spring rolls rounded out our selection with its fragrant stuffing and smoky sauce pairing (also the shrimp was cooked properly and I've had my share of undercooked shrimp at restaurants, which is terrible for someone with an undercooked shrimp allergy). On top of that I chose a nicely crafted French 75 cocktail which was just the right amount of sweet, cool, and boozy. Needless to say the good food and conversation made a wonderful cozy meal and I highly recommend this place for a classy, affordable, and delicious tapas meal. read more

What an amazing find. This place is unique and food is incredible. We loved our experience here, will definitely come back!

I dined here with my family Saturday night. We had a wonderful experience, and will definitely be back! The filets were cooked perfectly, the tamarind prawns were delicious, and the bouillabaisse was raved over. Cocktails were quite tasty. Above all, the service could not have been better. Can't wait to come back! read more

I absolutely LOVE this place! The food is amazing, I've tried a few different things and everything has been good. Last time I got a crab stuffed fish over potato croquette dish and it was to die for! All their desserts are also amazing. Love the pecan pie and the bread pudding. They also have one of the best dog friendly patios with heating too! The patio is enclosed so it isn't windy and they serve drinks on the patio so that's a plus too. They have some really good drinks and happy hour specials that make the bill really cheap for what you're getting. The best part though is the service! Everybody there has always been really friendly and treat you like family even if they've never met you before. This is one of my favorite places to go eat and drink for sure! read more

Really enjoyed the happy hour with my friends. We passes though abd decided to stay. I enjoyed the lemon drop with the clay pot chicken and shrimp. I will definitely return for happy hour again. My friends ordered the calamari, shrimp and the roasted beet salad. read more

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Up until my last visit, I would have given Vanessa's Bistro SIX stars if possible. After my most recent dining experience there, it pains me to even give ONE, but Yelp will allow no less. My friend and I used to come to Vanessa's once a week to enjoy their happy hour and much more (emphasis on MORE - we were never there to simply get the cheap deals and then bounce). We always sat at the bar, where we were always taken care of by either Tessa or Paul. They got to know us, our personalities, some of our preferences, and we always had a great time. Our drink tab was never less than 3 drinks each, and we always shared an array of appetizers and several other plates. In my eyes (and my eyes are those of someone who has worked as a server, bartender, and all-around restaurant employee for TEN years) we were the perfect customers -- the kind who you actually WANT to have return to your place of business. Not to mention, we never tipped less than 30%. So why the sudden change of heart? Last week, or maybe 2 weeks ago by now, we came in as usual, but on a different day of the week than we had come in the past. Not surprisingly, we had a different bartender. Our bartender was, in fact, "Vi", the DAUGHTER of the restaurant's namesake, and this particular location's owner. Great! ... RIght? Not so much. The first thing she let us know was that happy hour was about to be over (they recently rolled back the end time from 7 to 6 pm, not sure why). Ok, fine. My friend makes a playful, joking comment to me -- NOT TO HER, that immediately gets under her skin and it was downhill from there. Somehow it instantaneously escalated to her having the nerve to tell my friend, who is an African American male, that she could and would call the police if necessary. WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM??!!?? Nonetheless, we both brush off this initial abrasiveness and continue to go about our ordering as if nothing had happened. We get our fist round of drinks and a couple of appetizers but receive very little acknowledgment from Vi. The little attention we did get was 100% directed toward me (white female) as if my friend was not there at all. Second round of drinks? For me, sure. For my friend? No way! Regardless of how close to the edge of the bar he pushed his empty martini glass, there was no chance that he was going to be offered another. By the time we were through with what we had already ordered, both of us were feeling so uncomfortable that the only other thing we wanted was the bill. Strangely, at that time, Vi finally (sort of) offered my friend another beverage. When he declined, she outright said "GOOD". Who on earth would ever say that to a guest? I know that I, myself, have THOUGHT it time and time again, but would never verbalize that to anyone I was serving. Vi had absolutely no shame in the fact that she was intentionally treating my friend like he was already her enemy, and me like I was worthy of top-notch service. Our meal ended in both my friend and I letting Vi know how we felt, and receiving a similar explanation from Vanessa about how she felt. So many things were wrong with what she said, and so contradictory, that I cannot even begin to list them. I know that Vi will read this because I have seen her respond to several other Yelp reviews of the restaurant. I know that she won't care that she has lost us as patrons, or that she offended us. I also know that I have NEVER felt more uncomfortable in any situation that involved public interaction. Her words and actions were truly overt acts of racism, and I have NO hesitation in saying that. Thank you for serving us well until your owner showed us the TRUE colors of Vanessa's BIstro. read more

The reviews on Yelp makes you think the food is oh so fancy and great. My group went their and ordered several dishes. From the waiter and Yelp, people seem to say that their dishes are big....I ordered one of their more expensive dishes, because I knew that a somewhat classy restaurant has a smaller definition of big. When my food came, I was surprised at how TINY my dish was. My meat was pretty generic, as was the veggies. It was just well-cooked. What made it good was the sauce that they topped the dish with. In my opinion, that was somewhat disappointing. I tried a clay pot the other person in my group had, and found it okay, at best. The Vietnamese Coffee was bad, BAD. Yes, it is dripped fresh right in front of you. But, believe me, it tastes EXACTLY like the McDonalds Iced Coffee. The taste was somewhat more bitter and stale than it should be. I felt somewhat insulted to have been served a drink to which I would compare it to the running joke of mediocre fast-food. If I really follow what I believe, then I would never return and not recommend this place. However, I believe that one-time experiences are not always recurring. I will return in the future again to give them another shot. Some things will not be corrected, such as portion size, I know. However, their taste could be improved. Earlier in this review, I noted that I thought the portions were tiny. And I meant it. I actually paid for my meal, and then went down to another place on Solano to become satisfied. I was still that hungry. read more

Excellent food. Wait staff, owner, and bartenders are attentive and great people. Recommend if you are in mood was interesting food with a focus on fresh ingredients and herbs. read more

I just wanted a romantic night out with my husband for his birthday... read the other fabulous reviews, thought this place was great, and was VERY disappointed. 1. We ordered prawns and noodles topped with mango salsa. We got an OK noodle dish, with a total of 3 prawns on top, with a few cubes of mango and tomatoes scattered over them (which does NOT "salsa" make). The fact that there were only 3 prawns was fine, though, since they were so rubbery it took a good minute to chew through each one, and they were extremely salty, as was the rest of the meal. 2. We also ordered the duck confi, which was inedible due to the sheer amount of salt in it. We sent it back and weren't charged for it, which is the only reason this place even gets one star. 3. Instead, we ordered chicken with peanuts, which was also way too salty, but edible. 4. We got there when they were about to close (even though I made a reservation for 8 PM and wasn't told that it's closing time). The staff made it very clear that they're closing: A. The kitchen is open to the dining area. I glanced in there when we were done eating, and saw one of the workers STANDING, SHOES AND ALL, ON THE STOVE-TOP. B. Our stay ended with a strong smell of bleach. A romantic night ruined. VERY disappointing. read more

This is a Vietnamese, "tapas" small plate restaurant, in a restaurant laden area in Berkeley. The restaurant is small, and fills up very quickly and early, so it's best to make a reservation. Even though we showed up early, it was getting very crowded. Street parking is difficult, but we had good parking karma and found a space very close by. She mentioned that she always has good parking karma! Just don't share the karma and save it for yourself!! Anyway, we began with the Spring Rolls, which were very good. I needed a little assembly direction. You take some lettuce, carrots, and daikon (?) and wrap it around the spring roll, and dip it in the sauce. We both are not afraid to double dip, so that's a good thing. Even my sister hates it when I double dip the carrots and ranch for family holidays. We're FAMILY for god's sake! Three come in an order. Next came Chicken Potstickers. I know what you are thinking. Potstickers?? Aren't those "Chinese"? What are they doing in a Vietnamese restaurant?? Anyway, it doesn't matter. They were GOOD. More fried than steamed, they were delicious. I looked at the menu on-line and wanted the Ceasar salad, but it was not available that night. No matter ... we had the Green Papaya Salad with Prawns. This was a nice, light and refreshing salad. There are lots of good things inside, like peanuts, etc. Next came the Carpaccio, which I have had before, but this is the best one I've ever had. It comes with slices of lemon, chopped peanuts, and other herbs. It was very tender, and very good. Just be sure to squeeze a bit of lemon, as it helps to break it down a bit. For the main course, we had the Shaking Beef, and the standard Garlic Butter Noodles. Shaking Beef is slices of fillet, on top of salad greens, served with a refreshing lemon sauce. Very nice. I wish the noodles had more garlic, as I am a garlic fiend, and cannot get enough. We also had the Garlic Green Beans and tofu. Those were OK, but I was hoping for some more heat and garlic. Never been a fan of tofu, but this way was pretty good. Deep fried ... evidence that I will eat just about anything deep fried .... except a Snickers Bar, or a Twinkie; that's just wrong. Now for desert! We had the unique combination of Fuji Apples and Coconut "eggroll", with ice cream, and it was very good too. We also had the Bananas Foster, which was served with shredded coconut and more ice cream. The restaurant seems to be run by a one-woman dynamo, who was expertly cooking everything herself, with minimal assistance from others in the staff. I was going to ask if the woman working the front of the house is the owner's daughter, Vi, but I was convinced not to. I'm not all that shy, and would have no problem doing so. I guess that mystery will not be solved today. (Someday, E.O. ..... someday!) Almost forgot about the Vietnamese coffee!! I chose the hot version, which was made in the kitchen. Not sure exactly what was in there, but there definitely was some dairy product. She had the cold version. they bring a cup of ice, and a second cup which had th coffee and filter, on top of cream. Mix it with the ice and you are good to go. Hot for me please ... coffee is not supposed to be on ice! I know this seems like a lot of food, but it is served in "small plate" style, and anywhere from 5 plates and up for two people will do fine. From all the dishes served with peanuts, those with allergies should be very careful. I know one thing .... I'm going back to try more! read more

Bar Area is very cozy! Food aroma totally seduced me ! Staff are secretly & mischievously accomodating. Mojito Mondays, Baby! Will I come back? hellyah!! read more

I came here with high expectations (from lots of hype from my friend who is very picky about her food) and was NOT let down. I also read the reviews prior to eating here so I was skeptical, due to the mixed reviews. Well, I don't know if it had anything to do with the lining of the stars and the moon but the food and service were both EXCELLENT on Saturday night. We sat on their "patio" and it was a bit chilly but still a great experience. And can I say one more time, the food here is absolutely amazing?? You'd never expect dishes this creative and delicious from the looks of the restaurant. Not that it looks ghetto or anything but this restaurant is high caliber and the food very high-end for being on Solano Avenue. You'd expect something like this in the city! I'm glad we got to try so many of the variety of the Vietnamese tapas with a French twist. I know most people read Yelp reviews looking for gems/recommendations so I'm gonna go straight to the point. Here are the dishes you should try: Maple Leaf Duck confit lettuce wrap with fresh basil and roasted peanuts (FAVORITE!!! The duck and everything else was perfect!) Shaking filet mignon salad in garlic brandy butter sauce (Omg, can't believe this plate is only $11) Claypot rice with chicken & prawns ~ fresh shiitake mushrooms ~ baby bok choy (Amazing) Grilled mango & cilantro glazed jumbo prawns with garlic butter egg noodles & mango salsa (Yes, garlic noodles are a MUST here!) Banana bread pudding is soooo good. They also have Bananas Foster but didn't try it this time. I'll save that for my next visit! Vanessa and her children run this great restaurant with passion and lots of flair. If you get a chance, you should ask them to share their story. They serve great food here but also, they tell great stories! read more

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My boyfriend come here every now and then when we go out for dinner and this time we got the filet carpaccio for starters, and the clay pot rice with chicken and Vietnamese lemongrass curry. Everything was delicious! We definitely recommend the clay pot rice! Its amazing. read more

Before I start I need to admit something, my reviews are getting more strict. I think when I first started Yelping 5 stars was too easy to receive from me. Vanessa's would definitely have been a 5 star if it had been one of my first 20 reviews. As it stands however, the food was good and the service was good, but not spectacular and I have to reserve the 5 stars for the truly exceptional kinds of experiences. So, that is the disclaimer. Now, the food is delicious. I ate... Duck confit lettuce wrap with fresh basil and roasted peanuts ~ chipotle & black bean sauce Spicy salmon tartare Pan seared Filet Mignon with garlic bok choy Spicy lemongrass chicken Saigon style Sautéed prawns & scallops Every dish was very good and I am finding it hard to not give 5 stars, but it just wasn't a 5 star affair. I think it is the setting more than anything else... part location, part furnishing. If you take the same food and service and put it into a either a darker wood environment or a more modern environment (somewhere other than Solano - for example Gourmet Ghetto or Polk St. or Cow Hollow in SF) you have 5 stars all the way. read more

There are three things that clearly stand out about Vanessa's Bistro that make me a fan of this Cal-influenced Vietnamese restaurant. First, sitting at the bar. That's what makes dining here a convivial, always enjoyable experience. There's no pretense here and the bartenders are genuine and immediately likable. In a rush, there's always a seat at the bar. Two. Their papaya salad is so close to what I remember in Vietnam. Freshly cut papaya, tangy nam pla (fish sauce) dressing rounded out with the nuttiness of toasted peanuts. But the best part is the combination of the sweetness from the fried shallots and salty, pungency of the fried garlic. And Three. Shaking Beef. I'm not usually a fan of the tenderloin cut of beef simply because it lacks flavor but Vanessa's version is a happy conflict of spicy and sweet, and extremely tender without being undercooked and mushy. All around the food successfully manages to balance the authenticity of flavors that I love about Vietnamese food while taking advantage of the fresh, local produce available to us lucky Bay Area folks. read more

i recommend all you East Bay Areans to dine here. One thing Bay Area is known for is their good food, and I must say Vanessa's Bistro contributed to that. I kid you not, every thing we had ordered was very pleasing to our taste buds. After such great food, i could care less for service but even their service was great. score! Don't be intimidated with that tattooed up waiter/bartender guy. He's really friendly & personable, and constantly bussed our eating area. One thing that came into mind that night was, I wish this guy could train waiters in other restaurants how to wait on their table and how to treat their customers. on to what we ordered: -STEAK CARPACCIO -QUAIL : i have to say that this is by far the BEST QUAIL i've ever ever had. EVER. -DUCK STRUDDEL : this is very interesting. Looks like an eggroll. hint of cheese did it right. -BLACKENED SALMON : sweet potatoes and topped with eggplants. can you get better than this? -CHOCOLATE PANA COTTA : this was delicious. the pastry chef did it just right. What i like about this place is their desserts are all home-made not of the box Vanessa's Bistro is my new favorite place out here in the Bay Area read more

This is good, relatively inexpensive fancy Vietnamese food. Two thumbs up from me. I'm a tough critic of my own peep's food because: 1. I can usually make it myself, and 2. I hate the thought of Vietnamese food being exoticized in a way that suits only white folks. But, honestly, Vanessa's Bistro does it right. Unlike Le Cheval, which is noisy and overpriced, Vanessa's strikes a good balance between quiet (so you can chat with your dinner mates), and fancy but not stuffy. The dishes were also very good, fresh, and inventive. There were four of us and we ordered a bunch of small plates - duck confit wraps, poke salad, papaya salad, garlic noodles, sticky rice, curry, etc. It's kind of a small plates/tapas kinda of joint, so don't expect a big ol' plate of grilled pork and a mound of rice. Rather, you'll get more modest proportions, but each very delicately seasoned. It's definitely quality over quantity here. Dessert was also to die for. We ordered three desserts - a creme brulee, a banana foster, and a fried banana dish. All delicious. Best of all, the bill was very reasonable ($95 for four folks, not including tip). We didn't order alcohol (just hot tea and water). The service was also great. It's a family-run business that does it well. The waiter is the son of the owner and very responsive! I love Ana Mandara, but honestly, I'd return to Vanessa's first because it's close, cheaper, and just as tasty (but in a different way)!!! Highly recommended. ****** I just returned to Vanessa's tonight (12/16/07) and my review has not changed. Five stars. Great food, great service, and nice ambiance. AND, get this, Vanessa appreciates the Yelp community! She sent over a free dish to our table b/c she recognized me from Yelp! And, she gave us a free dessert b/c tonight is my father-in-law's birthday. Awesome. Yelp matters, and it's terrific that there's a restaurant owner who recognizes our community! Cheers! read more

I like Vanessa's bistro because of their daily happy hour menu from 4-6pm I like the papaya salad it tasted fresh and citrusy. I recommend getting the shredded pork and wings. read more

Excellent, creative menu! I loved the shaking beef & lemongrass pork chops... bright, fresh flavors, perfectly cooked and artfully presented. The iced vietnamese coffee (served with the filter) was a nice way to end the meal, a refreshing drink to awaken and cleanse the palate. The bar area is nice and spacious, plenty of seats to dine solo if needed. The staff is really friendly and engaging. Come here for a contemporary, refined take on Vietnamese cuisine. read more

I have to say, I was disappointed. I really wanted to like this place. It has my name! It does French-Vietnamese fusion small plates! It sounded like my destiny. We were squished into a small table, but that wasn't really a problem, and the place was cute. Service was excellent and friendly, but not enough to save the blah food. The presentation of the dishes was very pretty, and they came out at just the right time. Everything was, well, fine. Not great, but fine. The food just sounded like it was going to be so much more exciting than it was, but it was pretty bland and mediocre. We had the five spices maple duck confit with steamed bok choy, miso glazed alaskan halibut with vegetable pad thai, salt and pepper fried tender calamari, and perhaps one more seafood dish? Sounds amazing, right? But eh. Nothing was bad, and the noodles in the vegetable pad thai were pretty tasty, but I felt like it could have been much more interesting, especially based on the descriptions. I don't think I'd go back for the price. I'm sorry, namesake restaurant! I wanted this relationship to go places. read more

There's culinary school and there's cooking class. I don't think the chef here went to either. VERY mediocre food at best. Reading the reviews here, I MUST have had the worst dishes there. There's a lot of ice berg lettuce. I had the calamari, the baby back ribs, and the ahi tuna salad. I've had better calamari at TGIFridays. The baby back ribs were BREADED and meat chewy. The ahi tuna salad came out maybe 2 mins after we ordered it. I thought maybe the dish was sitting there waiting for me to order it. To be honest, the iceberg lettuce garnish on some of the dishes might have been the best part of the dish. Oh yeah, the service is here is hilarious. definitely very unpolished. Its one of those restaurants where you get your son, your daughter, their friends and cousins to do the serving and do it poorly. Our waiter was nice enough, but we had to laugh at some of the faux pas, rudeness, etc, we saw around the restaurant. Anyway, we ate these three tapas dishes and cut our losses, paid and left. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT everyone else who gave this place 5 stars is talking about. read more

Yep, this place is bomb. Loved everything we had here and were hungry for more! Friday night we had a reservation as it was our aunt's birthday. We got: salt and pepper prawns, shaking beef salad, potstickers, claypot chicken, chicken curry, sole tacos, and duck strudel. For dessert hubs and I shared a vietnamese coffee cookie cheesecake- wow! I'd say out of all of these I'd probably pass on the potstickers again. they were just too doughy for our liking. Our favorites were hard to single out- I loved the dipping sauce with the prawns and my hubs could not get enough of the fish tacos. We all LOVED the duck strudel, but I'm glad we split that dish into smaller pieces cause it is RICH. Service here is on point- they were all over helping us. I gotta say though, but drinks i tried- the jasmine cooler and the pomegranate martini did not taste all that great. But I got them for happy hour prices (4-6) so that was nice! We'll be back. read more

I've eaten here twice so far and each time I leave I feel really satisfied. They have a huge menu, tapas style so it's great trying things I might normally never order if it were an entree. My favorites are garlic noodles, filet mignon carpaccio, quail dish, tiger prawns and grilled filet mignon. I haven't tried everything yet, but i plan to. I found it's good to go with about 3-4 friends so that you really can order a lot of different dishes and taste a bit of everyone's. If you have a party larger than that it doesn't look like this is the right place, though. They only have a few tables and a bar that seats i'd say about 10. They have the perfect size of staff to serve the "intimate" dining area so it makes sense. They have a plasma t.v. there which was showing sports (to my delight) the first time i was there, but it was off the second. I guess it's by customer request. read more

I've been to Vanessa's a couple times and each time was excellent. My first visit was actually, beleive it or not, school related. As a sociology student at UC Berkeley, i came in to conduct research for a paper i was writing on the social meanings of wine and wine bars. After making a stop at nearby Solano Cellars, my friend and wine drinking buddy stopped at Vanessa's to eat at the bar. We both discovered a fabulous Viogneir. Needless to say, the food is quite good and the atmosphere is chic but not intimidating. Seating can be a little cramped so if your looking for an absolutely private place, you may want to keep looking. But if you don't mind the next guest sitting only a couple feet from you, then i'd definately sit down and try some delicious food. read more

Amazing service. GREAT food, the ambience and plating was spectacular! Vi the owner was nothing but nice and courteous and very accommodating. This is a great place for a date or to take your mama! Get the banana fosters!!!!! read more

Is very good neighborhood place with interesting food and reasonable prices. The cuisine is a Meld if Vietnamese and French - completely unique in the neighborhood - wh read more

really 3.5 stars. so i finally get to try vanessa's bistro after being rudely shunned away by a bitchy hostess on a friday night. mmm tasty is what i say! my date and i ordered a lemonade, garlic prawns on butter egg noodles, coconut curry with chicken and for dessert, the bread pudding. prawns were a tad bit over cooked (somebody should know better). coconut curry didn't come with rice? were we suppose to eat it like soup? and the dessert had caramel, it tasted like it was freshly burnt sugar (appropriate right?). i generally like tasty snacky foods, and the lower expense of smaller portions allow me to order more than i would otherwise. though the menu reads "vietnamese tapas" and the food isnt exactly expensive for the quality and the level of service, its still not $2 for a small plate and a drink. i dont know what i mean but maybe you do. read more

Had a lovely evening at Vanessa's last Friday night. Short wait for a table for 4 outside, very attentive and friendly service (she hustled and juggled several tables) and delicious food. We've been coming to this fantastic local spot for years and so appreciate how hard they all work to offer our community great food and vibe. I recognize it has been extra challenging for small establishments these past 18+ months, and even now with staffing shortages and sometimes grumpy customers, it's not all back to "normal". Yet the team at Vanessa's consistently provides top notch food and service, and is such a local gem. Big thanks! read more

I'm only giving two stars because of service. The food was excellent (especially the filet mignon salad and the salmon tar tare). This place needs to get some trained, professional servers STAT. This isn't a coffee shop; your 22 yr old son doesn't cut it as a waiter. Or how about this: why staff the inexperienced people at 7:30 on a Friday night? It was at least ten minutes before they came and gave us water, menus, etc. We ordered drinks, they came, and then it was another 15 minutes before someone came back to take our order. Okay.... Someone in our group ordered halibut and rec'd the salmon instead, and when this was pointed out it was apologized for, but the waiter sort of stood there like, Uh, what should I do? As if it was up to us to make it right. We ate it anyhow because we didn't want to wait (and it should be noted that the fish arrived five minutes after everyone else's food, and we'd started to eat because things were getting cold). The whole night was spotty...we had dessert menus, and then he flew back to the kitchen without asking if we wanted coffee. We had to flag him down for it. I'm giving it one more shot because the food was excellent-- the prawn and scallop curry, the duck confit, the ribs--and we all raved over our dishes. But service matters. I realize this is a family place. Maybe not everyone needs to be on the floor. This place could really be fabulous neighborhood gem--think the much-missed Grasshopper in Rockridge-- but the upscale vibe they're going for is diluted by the frat boy service. read more

This place is family owned and is on solano ave in Albany (expensive). The mom cooks and the kids run the floor. Sometimes you have to sacrafice time for good food. The food rocks out! Not the best, but definately tops any food around that area. The soups are made from real stocks and the spices are right on. We waited for 15 minutes for the server to take our order, but in order for this restaurant to stick around, they need good customers. We appreciated each dish that came out, each was very beautiful and delicately prepared. Since tapas is the theme, order alot and share everything, it's worth the wait. Try the bread pudding....seriously. Update: the food has fallen in our past experiences. Too many issues with the food; burned our halibut, but decided to serve it to us anyway. Drinks are nice, but the food needs to consistently impress, instead, it seems like the same flavors are getting put with newer items, making the menu lack excitement. Portions have gotten smaller, but the lettuce that holds your food has doubled in size? I like this place, but they need a chef to keep the excitement alive. read more

What a gem of a place. What has taken me so long to eat here? My husband and I decided to wander down the street and try somewhere new for dinner last night. We had heard good things about Vanessa'a Bistro so we decided to stop there. Boy was that a good decision! We were lucky enough to get the last table in the place. After we cam in a long line appeared. I would recommend getting reservations. We share well so we stuck to the small plates. Everything was incredibly well prepared and presented. Each dish was both beautiful and delicious. We had a range of dishes from the papaya salad that was light and tasty to the maple leaf duck strudel which was rich and buttery. We loved it all. The service was also great. Our waiter was friendly and prompt despite the place being packed. Our dishes came quickly but we were certainly never rushed. Even though they could obviously use the table, the waiter made us feel very comfortable taking all of the time that we needed to enjoy our dinner. When the check came we were also pleasantly surprised that even after a great meal, it was not at all ridiculously priced. I will definitely make it back here more regularly. read more

Modestly tucked away on Solano Ave, Vanessa's bistro really pays homage to great French/Vietnamese fusion food. The ambiance is quaint, romantic, and inviting. The service is attentive, but not smothering, and although we didn't get the pleasure to meet the wonderful Vanessa herself, rumor is that she frequents her restaurants in Berkeley and Walnut Creek rather often. The salmon and tuna poke was a great starter. The rich, buttery salmon and avocado was paired beautifully with lightly pickled julienned carrots and daikon, bite sized crisp cucumber, sweet mango, and amazingly fresh tuna. The five spice duck confit was beautifully prepared, succulent, and served piping hot with a nice full-bodied beurre rouge with the meat literally falling off the bone with a gentle coaxing from a fork. Scallop rissoto was comforting, rich, and warmed my tummy. The scallops were perfectly seared with a nice crispy surface and perfectly done sweet center. Can't wait until my next visit! read more

Scrumptious I went to Vanessa's Bistro for a friend's b-day dinner. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a pri-fix menu (about 8 dishes) and it was a GREAT value. My co-worker had told me he loved this place but it was a bit pricey, so I was expecting expensive, but as it turned out, it was very inexpensive. The only hitch was that it wasn't a dish per person. It was family style tapas, so everyone had to share, which was fine because by the end of the meal, everyone was pretty full. Every dish was cooked perfectly. I am usually very picky about Vietnamese food because I grew up on it, but I'd say Vanessa's Bistro is spot on in terms of flavor, presentation and price. Because it was family style, I didn't want to be a piggy and hog everything, but I could have hogged everything and then be needed to be rolled out..hehe The drink selection is great also. Everyone I was with was satisfied with their drinks. Service was great. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. The place is a bit small, so it is probably recommended that you make reservations. read more

I went to Vanessa's after looking up some good places to eat on Yelp and headed on over for lunch. They don't usually do lunch daily, but they happened to be open for lunch that day. It wasn't crowded like they say it is in the evenings, which was great. The place has a really nice ambiance and is very neat and clean. They have an outdoor patio as well. I sat at the bar and ordered my food which tasted fantastic. The only thing is that the food is pretty pricey. You pay about $6 for one egg roll that has been really dressed up. But I'm rating on quality not quantity. The food here is great and I highly recommend it. Needless to say I had to order something else from the menu...the french onion soup which I highly recommend. And when they make Vietnamese Coffee (Cafe su da), they make it properly and let it drain in front of you, which is a nice entertainment aspect. I was served by both of Vanessa's son and daughter and though I didn't get to talk to them, they were very nice. There were two other gentlemen behind the bar a seat away from me and we started a conversation. I realized that this place is great for that. Vanessa joined in later on. These gentlemen are pretty much regulars of this place and I can see why. I would totally come back again and look forward to my next chance to do so. It's a wonderful mix...family owned restaurant run in such a professional style. read more

We were in Berkeley for Vday, attending an appreciation party for the cooking school I volunteer for, and decided to stay there for a nice dinner at Vanessa's. Based on the positive reviews, I was sure we'd enjoy a nice meal and I wasn't disappointed. Shortly after arriving for our reservations, we were seated at the bar with a number of other diners. The bartender slid tangy mojitos our way, and we sipped our libations while perusing the menu. Not knowing which items to select, we asked him for some recommendations, and settled on a few things. The shaking filet mignon was delicious. Generous cubes of beef tossed around the pan with a slightly sweet glaze, served atop organic greens and a dipping sauce. The beef was tender and chewy, pink and juicy to the core as the heat barely cooked it through. The five spices honey marinated crispy quail was also quite palate pleasing, though I think it could have used just a bit more of the five spice powder. I ordered the oven baked john dory stuffed with crab and mozzarella, served over ratatouille and white beans. It was definitely light tasting, but not quite as delicious as I had been told it would be. Neverthless, it was tasty and cooked well, so the fish was moist and flaky. The ratatouille was not quite what I expected either. It was more like a minestrone soup. He thoroughly enjoyed his peppercorn crusted angus rib eye with garlic mashed potatoes, which I also enjoyed. A solid dining experience, particularly for Valentine's! read more

The food is really tasty without being too salty. Tapas always scares me, because I love to eat a lot, but the portions were big enough to not require hundreds of dollars worth of tiny plates, so no worries to those who like to pack it in. The service was fantastic. Water glasses always full, we always had what we needed. The server was not pushy, and he seemed to be extremely attentative towards us. Mention your food allergies without apprehension, they definitely wanted to make sure we got our food the way we wanted, and took really good care of us. Great service, looks like the bar was fully stocked with lots of wine options as well. I'd go here again =) read more

Sweet Chibas. The food here is excellent...no one can deny the shaking beef salad. Or the salmon tartare--I got my "I'll never eat raw fish" friend from Minnesota snarfing it up before she even realized she was eating tasty, tender, matched so perfectly with avacado raw salmon. It could be because we were all slurping up the AMAZING garlic egg noodles. I also love the 5-spices quail--the only regret is that quail, being quail, are small, and I always want more. Vanessa is actually back in the kitchen herself--COOKING--making sure every dish is right every time. Mike, the bartender, is friggin fantastic. I can strongly recommend the (strong) Manhattans, and they have a nice selection of reasonably priced wines as well. I recently went to Tamarine in Palo Alto and was disgusted with both the ridiculous prices and the food compared to Venessa's. Get your snack on here! read more

The concept is interesting: Vietnamese tapas. The location on Solano Ave. is great. The menu has tons of great options. The servers are helpful and attentive. The food? The food is disappointing - not because it's bad, but because it doesn't live up to the expectations set by all the things mentioned above. And even for tapas the portions are small. The beef salad is almost entirely bereft of beef. If I wanted a salad (which I never do) I would have ordered a salad (which I would never do). Still, the food and environment are good and it's a place worth visiting, just be sure to lower your expectations a tad. read more

I'm not giving this place 5 stars because my friend just so happens to own this restaurant (Hi Vi!), but this place gets 5 stars for the OUTSTANDING food and GREAT customer service! I think I've tried almost every dish they have to offer, and each one never seemed to disappoint me. Full of flavor!!! My favorite has to be the shaking filet. The restaurant itselt is small, but very well decorated. I even liked their bathrooms. It made me feel so comfortable that I could do a # 2 in there... Haha.. I'm just kidding... But really, their bathrooms are nice and very clean, and I can't really say that about other restaurants that I've been to. I must come here again soon....... read more

Perfect spot to have a nice dinner out with your girlfriends on a Friday night. I came here with three friends and had a reservation for 7 on a Friday night. The servers are VERY friendly and were able to put up with a friend of our's being super late, and that in turn, made us not able to order for a while. But instead of being snide about it, like a lot of restaurants, they were friendly and in turn, made us feel even more guilty :[ The food was fantastic, everything ranging from salmon poke, savory bread pudding, steak, garlic butter noodles, salt pepper squid, green beans was all very tasty and just the right portion so you can order a variety of food even if you're just a small party. Very intimate settings and nice dark interior. Mojito was top-notch and that made me happy. Overall, a great dining experience and a terrific find in Albany. I would love to come back, with friends or the bf. read more