Well what can a man who loves Thai food say! I've driven by this place thousands of times. I kept hearing the HH was the bomb. I also heard the dishes were Thai fusion-ish. Which may have influenced my tardy attendance to check it out. My loss! The place was busy on a Friday night post HH. But immediately Vi, the bar tender/owners daughter apologized up front that they were short staffed. All that means to me is we are taking our time and enjoying watching the warriors beat up on the star-less 76'ers to snap a home loosing streak. A great game where I knew none of the warriors except Andrew "rock chalk" Wiggins, and none of the sixers! We got a free entree for our trouble, not because the slowness of the service but apparently"Vanessa" the owner "is too vain to put on glasses and messes up orders" according to Vi. All of it was so tasty, creative and filling. Vi said jokingly, well I'm really glad you like it, we are open tomorrow!. I will be here in a shift and hopefully all the staff shows up as well.". I said we were going to dinner with my brother Saturday so you never know. What helped sell us was her conversation about how so many regulars come in 1-2 times a week but due to the Corona Virus things had slowed. That's when a regular and his wife ambled in sat at the bar. Vi, without a word mixed and served his favorite cocktail then hers were promptly placed in front of them. Then "hey how are you guys!" She nodded with aplomb to us to offer validation of fact there are regulars. Bae commented half singing it a bar "where everybody knows your name". I sent a yelp link the next day to my bro and he immediately said thumbs up to the suggestion. We got there 10 minutes to 6 for a 6 pm reservation in order to get a couple of drinks under our belts as my brother doesn't imbibe. The look on Vi's face when we walked in less than 24 hours later, was priceless! She said "wait... you know I was joking... right?" She obviously thought her mere suggestion was enough to hypnotize us back in. We reassured her it was the food, and my brother who is persnickety about where he eats agreed to meet here for dinner. She looked at the reservation and called out his name. Yep I said' "Wow that's never happened! We are certainly grateful and appreciate the opportunity to serve you again so soon! " she said with palatable humility. My persnickety brother was blown away with everyone's orders that we ate and shared .He too said he would be back. Well maybe not tomorrow...but soon for sure. Why not, great food great ambience, awesome cocktails friendly fun in the neighborhood... maybe Vi will start serving us our favorite cocktails upon arrival soon too! read more

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Too oily, none of the Vietnamese freshness or spice. Slow, understaffed service, should have told us we needed to order rice extra. Maybe it qualifies as mediocre "Asian fusion" but there are definitely better Vietnamese restaurants. read more

One of my fav spots - Vi, Vanessa and staff have made Vanessa Bistro a community and family staple. The food is Slammin, nothing over the top like a lot of spots. It's elegant delicious and approachable. Plus the bar gives ya that Cheers vibe with elevated dishes. Yup, the filet salad, spring rolls, calamari go well with a Martini and company. Love this spot! read more

My husband and I were looking for an early dinner before the dinner rush. We parked and looked up. Vanessa's was the first restaurant we saw. Decided to sit down and try it. I got the tamarind prawns and sticky rice which was on point with flavor. My husband wanted to try the steak and fries. He says it's almost like how his mother used to make it. read more

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

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I love this place! It's has really good cocktails and food! The service is always good. They have great happy hour :)

Vanessa, the owner, is arrogant. She has to have her chair at the bar empty for her. She never says " thanks for coming in". i used to own a restaurant. That's what you do. Nice bartender. Good happy hour prices. but..... read more

A friend introduced me to Vanessa's by taking me to the one in Walnut Creek and found out that there is one closer to my house and they have Happy Hour deals everyday from 4-6pm! We have been a few times now, bringing different friends and trying out the entire Happy Hour menu. The food is delicious and very affordable at $6 for each plate. Here's what I've had: *Ahi Carpaccio *Cured beef filet Carpaccio *Papaya Salad with prawn *Fish tacos *Slow Roasted pork *Calamari Everything is always really fresh and flavorful, great portions for HH appetizers and filling. We love the quality of food and the service is great. Put this one on your Happy Hour aka Early dinner list. read more

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Today (8/11/2021) around 5:30p, I arrived at Vanessa's and I was really excited to try this place. I recently read an article how they were struggling during the epidemic so I was looking forward to supporting a local business, and also catching up with a friend. Then, that excitement took a 180 degree turn. With no host at the front door, I walked up to the bar and said, 'hello' and asked the bartender if there was any outdoor seating. The bartender said, 'Yes. But, you can't sit at the bar because I just had it done.' His tone sounded like I was going to mess up his bar just by looking at it. Not even a 'hello' back or 'can I help you?' So, I brushed it off and found out it would be about 15-20min wait. I noticed people inside waiting on a bench seat so I asked the waitstaff if can wait at an empty table inside. The waitstaff deferred to the bartender and he said,'He can wait outside or walk around' and did a circular motion with his hand. What struck me again was his rude tone and lack of people skills. At that point, I had enough and walked out. About 30min went by while I was waiting for my friend to find another restaurant. I was about 200 feet from Vanessa's, and, out of nowhere, the bartender approaches me and asks if I still wanted a table. I said, 'No. You weren't very friendly to me. It didn't seem like you wanted me there. So, why would I eat there?' He then said, 'your choice' and walked away. Exactly. There is NO EXCUSE for bad customer service. I happily spent my money at Taqueria Talavera about a block away. EAT THERE because they know how to treat their customers and they have $2 taco Tuesdays! read more

There was a human error in the bill written with a pen, which could happen again. High time they change, it's almost 2020 Lemon chicken is 13$ Hope this helps. Helpful customer read more

Vanessa's Bistro - There was a human error in the bill written with a pen, which could happen again. Lemon chicken is 13$ Hope this helps. Helpful customer - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

The food was outstanding! Vanessa's menu is as eclectic and accessible as always. Once ordered, the food came out quickly. It was nicely plated and was delicious! Prices were also relatively reasonable given the quality of the food and the cost of living in the Bay Area. Service, however, was uneven. It ranged from efficient and pleasantly professional, to odd and over the top weird. Some of it may have been our being seated outside. It was harder to get the attention of wait staff for sure. There was someone stationed outside but it was unclear what his job was. He was out there the entire time, but he never greeted anyone, and was clearly not a server. Maybe kitchen staff on break? It was strange because he was internally preoccupied and laughed to himself at times. He did not appear to be on duty and I didn't feel comfortable approaching him. A couple of things surrounding the service bear mentioning. My friend got a margarita instead of a mojito and it caused a bit of a kerfuffle. My friend saw the mistake immediately. She didn't drink it and had to explain the obvious differences to the server. Not a big deal for us-mistakes happen-but we had to do some convincing and the server seemed nervous to get it fixed. The part that concerns me the most was the way the check was handled. I paid cash and there was no one outside to receive the payment. So, I took the check and the money inside. I asked the guy behind the bar who I needed to pay and he said he could take care of it. I handed him the check and the payment plus tip. He asked me if I wanted a receipt. I said yes. He proceeded to remove the bottom receipt portion off the check, then wadded it up and threw it into the sink full of dirty water and glassware. He started laughing and handed me back the top portion and said "here you go". I asked again for a receipt and he laughed and said "that part works". Inappropriate and weird. Now I wish I didn't give a 30% cash tip. Thank goodness the check I received was the carbon copy, because at first I thought he was trying to pocket $131 plus change in cash. So Vanessa, if you came up short on July 29, the guy behind the bar did it! read more

First off, the wait personnel were excellent. Attentive, but not hovering. When they mistakenly gave us 2 orders of an order they were gracious enough to give it to us gratis. We had the ribs and sweet potato fries, veggie pad thai, spring rolls, steak salad, garlic tofu and the butter noodles which were the hit of the evening! The wine was excellent. The hard drinks were strong and they happily provided us with juice to weaken them. NOTE: not complaining about the strong drinks, it's just we are kind of wimps with anything other than beer) They have a happy hour, which we enjoyed, and do not take reservations. We had a swell time and will return. Kudos to you all. read more

Think Vietnamese and Mexican fusion with refreshing, fruity drinks. We stopped by for happy hour on a Friday (HH ends at 6pm) to try out their HH food and drink offerings. FYI their happy hour is only in the bar area. They offer discounted drinks and selected food items are all $7. We got 4 items that was totally satisfactory as our dinner for 2 people: 1. Fish tacos with avocado: loved how crispy the fish was and the avocado was a great touch! 2. Wings: just ok. Not a lot of meat on the bones, but the sauce was good. 3. Papaya salad: probably my favorite food item! Was super refreshing, had just the right amount of spice, and I loved the chips it came with for crunch. 4. Pulled pork with tortilla chips: really great flavor and a generous amount of meat. I also got the pear drop, which was refreshing and tasty. Not too sweet, which was a plus. We were greeted right away when we walked in and seated at the bar right away, but I did find it quite odd that it took about 10 minutes for either of the 3 guys behind the bar to make eye contact with us (and we were definitely trying to make that connection). There's outdoor seating and we were able to find free parking right out front on Solano. read more

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Delicious food and drinks. Good service and great taste under the trying circumstances that most restaurants are experiencing.

Watch them on the drink charges. Ordered 7 beers and the tried to charge for 8 beers and then acted like they were doing me a favor by taking one beer off the ticket for our group. Their excuse was that there were two servers. They also charged us for 8 tequila shots, but we got seven. Food was great, and atmosphere was great too. Using the excuse that they had two servers to charge us more was shady. read more

Service is impeccable, food is the best on solano ave of you're in the area!! The ambiance is awesome and the staff are very welcoming when you get there. read more

Best Vietnamese infusion food, beautiful ambiance, try and you will love it too! Deliciously cuisine Ann R read more

I used to frequent this place because it's a local hangout and it's close to my house, but recent encounters has proven this young owner to be rude, arrogant, selfish and dislikes her customers having what would be seemingly a good time. Even her employees are embarrassed by her crassness. Food is also becoming very bland and it looks like they're scrimping on servings. The extra star above 1 star is for being a neighbor for many years. read more

Omg!! The food was exceptional! We ordered a bunch of happy hour food (6) and 2 entrees for only two of us. I thought we will have some left overs for tomorrow but the food was so so tasty that we devoured all of the food. The server and Vi (owner) were very nice. All the customers in the restaurant were seated 6 feet apart. All workers were wearing mask. We felt very safe and social distanced to enjoy our meal. Would definitely recommend this place to our friends and family. Can't wait to go back to try other dishes on their menu read more

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HOW HAVE I NEVER REVIEWED VANESSA'S????? Such fresh & yummy food. Many vegan options. Love the salt & pepper tofu, veg curry & eggplant. Awesome cocktails! Also a good wine list. This places closes early :( I respect you want to let your staff have a life LOL but I wish they were open for late night drinks read more

I was really disappointed by Vanessa's yesterday. I've been here multiple times and loved it before! I thought everything was so delicious and fresh but my last visit made me never wanting to come back. I ordered the shaking filet beef salad. The last time I had it the meat was to die for. So tender and flavorful and juicy. This time there was no flavor and the meat tasted like it's gone bad a little. The salt and pepper prawns... which I had before as well.. were again extremely bland the the fry on it was not crispy at all. Last time it was a little spicy, tart, super crispy and light. This time it was heavy, soggy and flavorless. We also ordered the lamb risotto which was good but nothing to rave about, the prawns and scallops in Thai curry, which was the best dish by far, the curry was extremely flavorful, and the five spice duck... which was again bland, dry, boring and sad. I don't think I'll ever come back again. read more

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Went out to dinner with some friends and luckily got a table right before the end of happy hour (6pm). Service was unfortunately a bit slow with only one server managing both tables outside and inside, but kudos to her for doing it all! Most things that we ordered didn't wow me, but the salt and pepper tofu was the best out of all of them and would order again if I ever end up back here! read more

We dropped into this great neighborhood bistro. Happy hour 7 days a week? What is not to like? We had the calamari and the wings. We preferred the wing portion size. They serve a Seattle brand of gin called Big Gin. I tried the one aged in bourbon casks. OMG the gin and tonic made from this was incredible. A slightly bourbon hint with a clear gin flavor was amazing. If in the area we will definitely come back. The bar keep Raymond was great. read more

We hadn't been here in a while but the food is always consistent and flavorful. The staff is always happy and ready to serve and very friendly. But, oh my, the food! Give this place a try if you want to enjoy a homemade meal in a restaurant. read more

Excellent service , food is really good , steak was cooked medium rare , chicken wings so tasty and crunchy. Over all highly recommended read more

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Everything I've tried here is fresh and delicious. Service is friendly. The space isn't beautiful, but the food makes up for that.

Since I was reviewing their Walnut Creek branch, I realized that I haven't updated my review of the original Berkeley one that Vi is normally at since I first went back in 2010. Since then I have returned again and again with many different friends and family and each time it has been a huge hit with not just me but my dinner companions as well. Since I have been working my way throughout almost the whole menu, I will just point out a few memorable faves and must haves since it is so hard to choose sometimes. Prawns with garlic noodles - prawns perfectly cooked and flavorful and makes the garlic noodles even better than the side order. However, the garlic noodles here are so good, you would want that extra side. Tuna and salmon poke - Eat poke all the time in Hawaii but find this tropical twist on it refreshing and coming back for more. Fish tacos - You might want to get an order for just yourself as once you bite into the juicy tacos, you will not want to share even though it comes with 3. The only downside is we never have room for dessert but there's always next time. See you again soon Vi! read more

Pros: - Very quick, clean, and safe pickup services! We called, placed an order, and showed up 15 minutes later to a bundle of hot food. Sanitizer available outside the door. - Relatively inexpensive for dinner prices. We each got an entree which was $13. - Z's claypot rice was pretty delicious. There was a nice grilled/smoky flavor in the rice. If I could reorder I would go with this one. - Free delivery within 3 miles M-F from 4-8 pm. Cons: - A little bland? I got Vanessa's Yellow Vietnamese Curry with chicken (breast). Some of the chicken's texture was almost too soft and resembled vegan chicken somehow. The curry was watery and had little flavor. Hope we can try this place out in person when it's safe to do so. The inside looks cozy and intimate; the bar space could also be a relaxed place to meet for drinks. read more

Have been coming here for years. Quality has gone down hill in a big way. Menu has changed and recipes have changed for the worse. Food has very little flavor and drinks are bad. This not a one time thing btw. The service was ok but the staff was highly disorganized and there was an extreme lack of professionalism. We got the sense that the owner was sitting at the bar couldn't less and really was there to just hang out rather than help or greet patrons. Sadly this is the last time we will be going back there. I am a local and this does not feel like a local spot anymore. read more

This is our go-to neighborhood bar! Nice family run establishment - an increasing rarity in this crazy world. Great food, service and atmosphere. Fun to visit with friends or follow a basket ball game. One of the best steak dinners anywhere, and at a great price to boot. The clay pot dishes are also stand-outs. Nice selection of cocktails - the pear drop is especially good read more

Disappointed that the food quality isn't as high as it was before. Very unfortunate. We went there many times in the past and were very happy with the food, the last two times was disappointing, we will be looking for a new place read more

Super yummy food.. great service ! Nice happy hour menu.. their cocktails are really good too.

Plenty of outdoor searing. Liked all the dishes we ordered. Will return for another meal.

Hubbers and I wanted to check this place out on a SunDate dinner... why not. We started out with their salt and pepper fried prawns. I like that they were placed in a bed of a salad mix as it does make a difference when put together along with their sweet and sour sauce. We also tried their ahi tuna carpaccio. That was NOT disappointing. I got a lot of different flavors swirling around each bite. I'm a sucker for French onion soup, so decided to try it. It was different that they used a puffed pastry (instead of the traditional bread) but the flavor of the soup was right on. Not too salty, not too cheesy, but just right. For an entrée, hubbers decided on the chicken coconut curry and a side of white rice. He let me have a taste, and I gotta say - I've had my share of coconut curry, but there was definitely something about theirs that just stood out. It was so yummy!!!! I ordered the stuffed petrale sole for my dish. It came with capers and special sauce in the bottom along with a fried eggplant and bok choy on top. I tried the sole first (with nothing else) and that was quite pleasant. I tried it again with a little bit of everything and it was phenomenal. Would definitely order that again! What makes this place even better is it's really good for the money!!! It's too bad I live in SoCal. Would love to visit this place again and again and again! read more

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Came here on a fluke one weekend not too long ago, and the experience was incredible. Thanks for the food and drinks always! read more

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Love this place! Family owned and operated. I absolutely love supporting small businesses. The bartender Jenn was super helpful with explaining the menu and helping me choose a drink. She made a tasty paper plane for me. I had the papaya salad, 2 chicken and pork entrees and they were all flavorful and unique. It was a very interesting spin on traditional Vietnamese food. The place was very busy for a Sunday night and mostly regulars. It had a very homey feel. Would totally recommend again! read more

I was looking for Asian Fusion this popped up. I looked at the reviews and stars and decided to try. Everything was great read more

Vanessa's Bistro - The food was very tasty. I will be dinning here again Grilled Jumbo Prawns - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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All along, I harbored this misconception that Vietnamese cuisine is mostly just pho. I have to stop living like a frog in a well! It was sheer genius on the part of Vanessa's to present a French-Vietnamese fusion of mostly small dishes that helped me expand my horizon. Tapas style by Vanessa's made it easier to sample a wider cross section of the menu. The food might lack the finesse in execution of fine dining but certainly not lacking in taste. Let me get down to the nitty gritty. Vanessa's weren't fancy schmancy but featured basic, no frills and unpretentious home style cooking. It was a good bang for your buck during Happy Hour when every item was priced at $6! Ambiance was minimalistic. An exotic picture of Vietnamese women working in their paddy (rice) fields broke the monotony on the bare wall. Our server, Raymond, told us to watch out for lots of fish sauce, herbs to include mint, cilantro, lemongrass, meats and seafood, fresh tropical fruits, French inspired sauces and the inevitable influences from Vietnam's neighbors like China, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. In addition, Raymond was cordial and helped us navigate the somewhat complicated menu. Did I say every item in the HH menu was a steal? The first item from the HH menu was not new to me as Thais have a similar salad. Spicy Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad was tasty and refreshing! Like I expected, the tastiness came from the dressing, which was a concoction of fish sauce, limejuice, garlic and sugar. Adding to the symphony of flavors was the unripe papaya that left a tangy rather than a sweet aftertaste. The prawns were halved and perfectly poached. Amazingly, the shrimp chips were fresh (not stale like in many other places), crackling and crispy with good shrimpy flavor. (4/5) The next HH item uses a similar dressing. Instead of prawns and papaya, it was plated with thin slices of filets cured with black peppercorn like a carpaccio. This dressing was versatile and just as tasty with raw beef although thinner slices of beef were preferred. The presentation was colorful topped with roasted peanuts, cherry tomatoes and cilantro. It was like chomping into an Asian beef ceviche! (4/5) One last HH offering was a Mexican taco, which made me wonder about its authenticity. But frankly, it didn't bother me for I was not about to miss out on a panko crusted petrale sole wrapped in a warm tortilla. No, it wasn't slathered in salsa but a good garlic cilantro aioli. It was especially good for someone on a low sodium diet as it needed more salt. (4/5) Going off the HH menu, I hit the jackpot with the Five Spices Honey marinated Quail with a savory peppercorn dipping sauce. ($7) It almost sounded ridiculous to fall for a small bird like quail! Not too many non-Asians have tried quails. I highly recommend it when marinated with the famous Chinese 5 spice with honey. The bird was intoxicatingly flavorful especially when the skin was slightly charred and sweetened from the honey marinade. The meat remained crispy and aromatic and sent me to cloud 9. (5/5) Another dish not quite as euphoric but nonetheless very tasty was the Maple Leaf Duck confit lettuce wraps ($9). The accompanying sauce was the bomb but it overwhelmed and bombed the taste of duck right out of the water! Neither was I able to taste much of the mushroom basil. The sauce could have been a mixture of hoisin and black bean sauce that imparted such strong flavors. It was a bit of work and messy to eat that I almost needed a bib. (4/5) It was quite a culinary experience for me that definitely warranted a return trip. But this time, I will try their other location in Walnut Creek and like the proverbial frog; I would leap over the well so I can explore what else are authentically Vietnamese. read more

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-1 star for the rude bartender last night. We've decided to never come here again. Condescending and very mean bartender guy. There is no excuse for being mean in the hospitality industry. read more

Had dinner there last night -- a Wednesday about 7 pm. VERY NOISY, very slow service (no one came to take our order for 20 minutes). I ordered Atlantic salmon clay pot -- fish was tender but broth was extremely salty. All-around disappointment. read more

Last night there was a table for 4 outside, but they wouldn't let the 2 of us have it. It wasn't reserved. It was around 7:30 so not the peak time. They were not even nice about it. We went down the block and dropped almost a hundred dollars for dinner and wine, and generous tip. Walking back to the car, the table was still empty. I will never go back again. I used to like them. read more