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Home Destinations USA Oakland & Berkeley Restaurants Chez Panisse Café & Restaurant

Chez Panisse Café & Restaurant

$$$-$$$$, American, Berkeley

User Rating: *** 3.4

Fodor's Review:

At Chez Panisse, even humble pizza is reincarnated in new ways, with innovative toppings of the freshest local ingredients. The downstairs portion of Alice Waters's legendary eatery is noted for its formality and personal service. Here, the daily-changing multicourse dinners are prix-fixe ($$$$), with the cost slightly lower on weekdays. Upstairs, in the informal café, the crowd is livelier, the prices are lower ($$), and the ever-changing menu is à la carte. The food is simpler, too: penne with new potatoes, arugula, and sheep's-milk cheese; fresh figs with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and arugula; and grilled tuna with savoy cabbage, for example. Legions of loyal fans insist Chez Panisse lives up to its reputation and delivers a dining experience well worth the price. Visiting foodies won't want to miss a meal here, upstairs or down; be sure to make reservations a few weeks ahead of time to avoid disappointment. And, yes, it's that good.

User Reviews & Ratings:

Divine

Posted by Luvero from Florida on 8/17/07

It was a little hard to get to but was worth the trip. Limited selection menu but every item was divine.

FOOD: 5.0

ATMOSPHERE: 4.0

SERVICE: 5.0

VALUE: 4.0

RATING: 4.6

Very disappointing - will not be back

Posted by Judy from Bay Area on 2/7/06

We went for lunch on a Saturday and we were unimpressed. My pork loin was dry and overcooked, the warm goat cheese on my blah salad had a very nice crust on it which was the best part. The goat cheese was the most flavorless one I have ever had. My daughter had the pizza and another blah salad - nothing special about either one. No wine, no drinks, no dessert - bill was $67. Won't make that mistake again - we could have gone across the street to the Cheese Board and had a better lunch and saved $50.

FOOD: 2.0

ATMOSPHERE: 3.0

SERVICE: 3.0

VALUE: 1.0

RATING: 2.2