Chez Panisse

Excellent food with fresh and innovative flavors

Best of Berkeley and San Francisco

Great, food and expertly prepared but a little less creative than other options around this price point for the fixed menu. Still excellent overall. Would like to try the cafe next time.

From the moment I showed up for lunch in the cafe as a party of one I received excellent service. Sunchoke and carrot soup, chanterelle pasta, and blood orange sorbet. Sparking pear cider Bev. All simple and elegant homages to ingredients esp California citrus. Dessert was the stand out and prices were reasonable for quality. I can't wait to try the course meal downstairs!

We had lunch in the cafe on a rainy day. The atmosphere and surrounds of the upstairs were so warm and welcoming. However service was spotty. We were given the wrong dish once and multiple times were left without serving utensils. The food overall was excellent. Every vegetable tasted like the essence of its flavor plus more. But the main chicken dish had a very uninspired accompaniment (a puree) that led to watery plating. Dessert, a ginger cake, was a perfect ending. The service charge business was not. If it costs more to run the restaurant why not reflect this in the prices rather than a confusing extra charge?

Upscale, famous farm to table with a fixed menu each day. Several parts of the meal were extraordinary. The prosecco aperitif and the non-alcoholic citrus sage alternative were pleasant. The bread was very good. The chicory salad had good texture and complex, subtle flavor. The Monterey Bay squid pasta was phenomenal. it had tart, complex sauce with delicious and crunchy bread crumbs and perfect fresh pasta. The steak, alas, was oversalted and too rare for three of our party of four. They served with it a small piece of roasted meat that was wonderful. But the steak itself was disappointing and not very big. The dessert, a hazelnut éclair, was also exceptional, with honey and nuts and candied kumquat slices. The meal finished with tiny shortbread cookies work berry centers and chocolate dusted almonds and a very light mint tea. At the end, I don't think I liked it as well as when I visited the upstairs Cafe several years before. But the service was very attentive and friendly. The kitchen is visible and very interesting - and clean. Much about the meal was excellent. But I can't help feeling disappointed when three of the guests disliked the main course.