Shelby’s Restaurant

Excellent cooking, pleasant low key environment, outstanding service Wienerschnitzel and bread pudding w rum are outstanding

I had just got off a flight from LA and I wanted to meet up with my friend and get a beer and some lite bites. It was going on 9:30 PM on a Wednesday night. I did a Google search and Shelby‘s looked pretty good. I was not disappointed. We had a great time chopping it up with the bartender, eating empanadas and chips and salsa. We were drinking beer fresh off the tap. After the flight into town, it sure did taste good. The ambience here is warm and cozy yeah it’s got a little bit of an edge to it. Looking forward to going back again

Lovely experience for lunch. The menu had a lot of diverse offerings (including wine and dessert) and the food was beautifully plated and tasty. Service was friendly and professional, and they didn't mind us sitting there for two hours to catch up over lunch (we lost track of time and they just went with it). The atmosphere is light, open, and inviting. Parking is a little tricky since Orinda is tiny, and the entrance to the restaurant took a bit to find (just FYI, so arrive early if meeting someone). The bathroom is shared with other restaurants and is outside, across the walkway, and has a single stall. That's not a factor in my review at all, just setting the expectation. I world definitely eat here again. I recommend the BLTA salad (and wedge salad, if it's on the menu) and cappuccino.

Always friendly and attentive. The food is very fresh and nicely cooked with obvious care. Pork Schnitzel wonderful; Greek Salad Lamb fab; Crab cakes great; great crisp fries; short ribs delish; black bean chili very good; salads super fresh...

This place has excellent food and super friendly staff. I recommend coming here for a kick back lunch because it is off the road and has a great outdoor seating area that is quiet and has a super nice atmosphere. Tons of healthy options as well. I had the burrata and pulled pork quesadilla which were delicious but I cant wait to come back and try one of the salads as well!

Lucia L

Excellent cooking, pleasant low key environment, outstanding service Wienerschnitzel and bread pudding w rum are outstanding

Mavis Walters

Shelby’s is great. Best East Bay burger and fries. And plenty of other delicious options. The service is always welcoming, friendly and efficient Prices are very fair and plenty of free parking

Matt Byrom

Food is always great, and Arno who runs the place is a very likeable fellow.

John Maull

Attractive restaurant with big windows in Downtown Orinda. The pork chop with squash puree and Brussels sprouts was delicious

Sam Behnam

We had a birthday party here. Food was great, service and staff were amazing. Everybody had a good time

Deborah Kuchar

I had just got off a flight from LA and I wanted to meet up with my friend and get a beer and some lite bites. It was going on 9:30 PM on a Wednesday night. I did a Google search and Shelby‘s looked pretty good. I was not disappointed. We had a great time chopping it up with the bartender, eating empanadas and chips and salsa. We were drinking beer fresh off the tap. After the flight into town, it sure did taste good. The ambience here is warm and cozy yeah it’s got a little bit of an edge to it. Looking forward to going back again

Colin Anderson

Nice dinner on a warm summer evening. Bolognese special was great, wife liked the lamb. Good times.

Matthew Lewis

This place is a local gem. Great assortment of healthy food options. Everything I’ve had on the menu is solid. Short rib is a go to.

Lily Doherty

Always friendly and attentive. The food is very fresh and nicely cooked with obvious care. Pork Schnitzel wonderful; Greek Salad Lamb fab; Crab cakes great; great crisp fries; short ribs delish; black bean chili very good; salads super fresh...

Randee T

Amazing food and wonderful owners. Brunch is the best. Great outdoor seating. Always get the french fries.

Sue Brown-Moore

Lovely experience for lunch. The menu had a lot of diverse offerings (including wine and dessert) and the food was beautifully plated and tasty. Service was friendly and professional, and they didn't mind us sitting there for two hours to catch up over lunch (we lost track of time and they just went with it). The atmosphere is light, open, and inviting. Parking is a little tricky since Orinda is tiny, and the entrance to the restaurant took a bit to find (just FYI, so arrive early if meeting someone). The bathroom is shared with other restaurants and is outside, across the walkway, and has a single stall. That's not a factor in my review at all, just setting the expectation. I world definitely eat here again. I recommend the BLTA salad (and wedge salad, if it's on the menu) and cappuccino.

Natalie Furtado

This place has excellent food and super friendly staff. I recommend coming here for a kick back lunch because it is off the road and has a great outdoor seating area that is quiet and has a super nice atmosphere. Tons of healthy options as well. I had the burrata and pulled pork quesadilla which were delicious but I cant wait to come back and try one of the salads as well!

Scarlett Freeman

This is a review for the caesar salad, which I ordered on DoorDash. Omg, it is soooooo good. The dressing is really delicious, well worth it, though the price is reasonable to begin with. It's about $11.50 for the salad. Next time I'll try it with dungeness crab salad on top. I was so surprised at the quality of the salad dressing. Sorry for underestimating any restaurant, but I moved here from New York, the home of Carbone. The caesar dressing is on par with Carbone's tableside caesar salad in terms of the flavor. The lettuce was also high quality, clean and dry, no mushy or old pieces. A $20 caesar salad for almost half the price. Yay!!

Loved the stylish interior and the warm, inviting vibe of this place. The salad was fresh and well-balanced, while the French dip was hearty and flavorful — perfectly satisfying without being too heavy. A great spot to relax and enjoy a comforting meal!

11/3/22 The Beet (yes, Beet not Beef) Carpaccio is a favorite as well as the Chef's Seasonal Special, the German Appetizer, zehr gut! 6/26/22 The Spinach and Duck Confit salad was amazing! Memorial Day 2022 I like the seasonal variety of the Menu here! You can see their weekly menu on their website. Easter 2022 We had brunch here today, the huge Brussels sprouts salad and the Mexican Oaxaca scramble. A little on the spicy side and not too filling. 3/19/22 We had an excellent dinner here this evening! The small dinner salad, Beet Carpaccio, Shoestring fries with herbs and garlic, and the outstanding Corned Beef and Cabbage. The latter made even better when served on a hot plate! 2/14/22 The Lamb Stew and Salad were excellent for me but, lacking any vegan options on the menu is limiting for us.

Grace Lin

Loved the stylish interior and the warm, inviting vibe of this place. The salad was fresh and well-balanced, while the French dip was hearty and flavorful — perfectly satisfying without being too heavy. A great spot to relax and enjoy a comforting meal!

Erik H

11/3/22 The Beet (yes, Beet not Beef) Carpaccio is a favorite as well as the Chef's Seasonal Special, the German Appetizer, zehr gut! 6/26/22 The Spinach and Duck Confit salad was amazing! Memorial Day 2022 I like the seasonal variety of the Menu here! You can see their weekly menu on their website. Easter 2022 We had brunch here today, the huge Brussels sprouts salad and the Mexican Oaxaca scramble. A little on the spicy side and not too filling. 3/19/22 We had an excellent dinner here this evening! The small dinner salad, Beet Carpaccio, Shoestring fries with herbs and garlic, and the outstanding Corned Beef and Cabbage. The latter made even better when served on a hot plate! 2/14/22 The Lamb Stew and Salad were excellent for me but, lacking any vegan options on the menu is limiting for us.

Had a lovely salad with very fresh shrimp and an excellent Bloody Mary. However, I went in with friends on A VERY hot day and there was no AC on inside and no fan, and the owner was reluctant to turn on the climate control. My friend had to ask for it to be turned on. It was much more comfortable afterwards, but on a 90+ degree day with no breeze, AC is a necessity! We ended up having a nice lunch, but goodness... With ovens blazing in such heat, AC should be a no-brainer. I'm not even a fan of the cold, it was just such a hot day, even I was a little shocked. But the food is consistently good, as are the cocktails, so I'll go back for sure.

Emily Hilton Wetzel

Had a lovely salad with very fresh shrimp and an excellent Bloody Mary. However, I went in with friends on A VERY hot day and there was no AC on inside and no fan, and the owner was reluctant to turn on the climate control. My friend had to ask for it to be turned on. It was much more comfortable afterwards, but on a 90+ degree day with no breeze, AC is a necessity! We ended up having a nice lunch, but goodness... With ovens blazing in such heat, AC should be a no-brainer. I'm not even a fan of the cold, it was just such a hot day, even I was a little shocked. But the food is consistently good, as are the cocktails, so I'll go back for sure.

Been here a few times and it's always a disappointment. The food is just OK, the servers are running their tails off but the place is super disorganized. Food took over an hour to be served today and almost that long the last time. Conclusion: meh.

Jory Sandusky

Been here a few times and it's always a disappointment. The food is just OK, the servers are running their tails off but the place is super disorganized. Food took over an hour to be served today and almost that long the last time. Conclusion: meh.

We had an ok time there last year. The food is good, while the ambiance is lacking. We cancelled our reservation las weekend because of the ridiculous proof of vaccination policy.

OC Gretchen

We had an ok time there last year. The food is good, while the ambiance is lacking. We cancelled our reservation las weekend because of the ridiculous proof of vaccination policy.

Worst dining experience I can remember. Valentines Day, so we were prepared for service problems. But waiting 80 minutes to get one of two appetizers ordered and after 100 minutes receiving a tableside visit from the self-identified owner of the restaurant who told us to “calm down, the food will get there when it get’s there” was enough, so we got up and walked out. Hospitality business owners that show such contempt for their customers should find another line of work.

Mark Archer

Worst dining experience I can remember. Valentines Day, so we were prepared for service problems. But waiting 80 minutes to get one of two appetizers ordered and after 100 minutes receiving a tableside visit from the self-identified owner of the restaurant who told us to “calm down, the food will get there when it get’s there” was enough, so we got up and walked out. Hospitality business owners that show such contempt for their customers should find another line of work.