Revival Kitchen

Jessika De Jesus

My husband and I went to Revival last night for dinner and it was an awesome experience from start to finish! Our server, Landis (sorry if I’m misspelling!), was so warm, friendly, and attentive. He made recommendations from the menu, checked on us often, and made our first time at Revival a real pleasant experience. We ordered some cocktails (Smooth Sailing and Trip to Trinidad), a half dozen oysters, and two specials (Denver wagyu steaks with chimichurri, broccoli, mashed potatoes, and pickled radish). Everything was delicious!!! We also ordered a pear and caramel sundae with candied nuts for dessert and it was to die for! Special shoutout to Manager Lucy for making it happen—turns out it was a seasonal dessert and they had actually switched to a strawberry rhubarb sundae, but she said they still had pears on hand and was able to make it for us anyway. Lucky us! My husband and I agreed it was the best meal we’ve had in a good long while! We really appreciated the amazing food and service and will definitely be back in the future!

Ay Hay

I was so hungry and exhausted. I didn't want to dine in a samll.whole.in the wall with quick food. I knew ai wanted something good. I came to the corner of the block and found Revival. I am very impressed with the presentation of the food, the warm ambiance inside. Plush seats and open space. Open bar very classy and upscale. Out server was polite, nice and informative. He was patient and offered good suggestions. I will make this my new spot.

Barry Hashimoto

Revival Bar & Kitchen is not a Berkeley student haunt but a fully realized California brasserie—an urbane retreat with spacious booths in dark crimson leather, antique mirrored headboards, and a long, warmly lit bar. The televisions are few; the noise is culinary. Scrawlings on butcher paper nod to its locavore ethos, while an open kitchen sends out the unmistakable sounds of real cooking. Bartenders are unfussy and quick. Fieldwork beers pour well, and the whiskey shelf is deep. What distinguishes Revival is rigorously local sourcing: Northern California meats, produce, and seafood, nearly all within a hundred-mile radius. The baby-back ribs, house-ground burger, Painted Hills steak, and wild king salmon are consistent standouts, well-prepared and seasonally attuned. Wines are chosen with intent, cocktails lean classic, and nothing feels overdesigned. It’s a restaurant that thinks like a city spot—discreetly stylish, serious about food, and just earsteps from campus and downtown. Highly recommended.

Raquel Ramsey-Shelton

This is a vibe. The trout is a must experience. The staff was super accommodating. I will return for the trout for sure.

Andrea lewis

OBSESSED! Delicious, fresh, delicate food. I could eat here everyday. The restaurant is also such a cool vibe, with rustic interiors and attentive waiters.

Jake Nonnemaker

Just popped in for a drink and a snack at the bar. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. The drink and food menu is have seasonal offerings. The Euclidean Plane is a rift on the Paper Plane bourbon cocktail and was fantastic. Also enjoyed the Devil’s Advocate which had a nice smoky mezcal accent and other liqueurs. The vegetarian mezzo plate was delicious. Didn’t get the hand-stretched pizza made with organic heirloom flour but it looked amazing. Definitely will be back for more.

Patricia Lewis

My favorite restaurant in Berkeley! If you’re looking for seasonal food that is creatively assembled revival is perfect. The menu definitely defines and expands upon California cuisine 🙏🏽✨✨✨⭐️

Niki Butera

We came in on the early side so sat at the bar, which turned out to be a great choice, because the bartenders were so attentive, helpful, and full of fun knowledge. We kind of ordered everything, and it was all fantastic, cocktails, cheese board, appetizer, main, dessert, and dessert wine. There's even a parking garage right around the corner. Will definitely be back!

Friendly and welcoming staff, creative cocktails and excellent food. I enjoyed the Gardens of Babylon cocktail (which includes mezcal, white tequila, Douglas fir and beet), local Tomales Bay oysters and wonderful seared scallops in an apple cider reduction over mushrooms, spinach and delicate squash. Great meal.

Food was great. Kitchen and wait staff fell an hour behind because of a large party. However, the friend who brought me had been there many times with no long wait. Hostess jumped right on the problem. Cocktails were also quite good. Decor is lovely.

Michael McGuire

Friendly and welcoming staff, creative cocktails and excellent food. I enjoyed the Gardens of Babylon cocktail (which includes mezcal, white tequila, Douglas fir and beet), local Tomales Bay oysters and wonderful seared scallops in an apple cider reduction over mushrooms, spinach and delicate squash. Great meal.

Bonnie Brown

Food was great. Kitchen and wait staff fell an hour behind because of a large party. However, the friend who brought me had been there many times with no long wait. Hostess jumped right on the problem. Cocktails were also quite good. Decor is lovely.

Excellent pre-theatre restaurant. Quick and friendly service. Really tasty food, well prepared and presented. As appetizers, we had Kenebec potato chips,duck confit legs, and focaccia with three dips, all perfect to start. Then margarita pizza - sauce tasted out of a jar but really good base; little gem Caesar - good dressing but so-so croutons, and crispy pork belly -the star dish. All in all, great food and pretty good value. Great atmosphere.

It's one of the oldest Ace classic bar and restaurant in Berkeley. Location is great with accessible with central Berkeley and good for walking around before or after visiting this place. Therefore it's a resort for people waiting for a show or theater close by making Friday nights or weekend nights very busy and gets suddenly calm like after 7ish when shows starts! Food is delicious with good varieties. Service is relatively quick with responsive friendly waiters. There is full bar with good variety of cocktails. Good for gathering, groups, meetup and dates. Parking is a hassle in general in downtown Berkeley but doable.

Burstock

Excellent pre-theatre restaurant. Quick and friendly service. Really tasty food, well prepared and presented. As appetizers, we had Kenebec potato chips,duck confit legs, and focaccia with three dips, all perfect to start. Then margarita pizza - sauce tasted out of a jar but really good base; little gem Caesar - good dressing but so-so croutons, and crispy pork belly -the star dish. All in all, great food and pretty good value. Great atmosphere.

Max Kay

It's one of the oldest Ace classic bar and restaurant in Berkeley. Location is great with accessible with central Berkeley and good for walking around before or after visiting this place. Therefore it's a resort for people waiting for a show or theater close by making Friday nights or weekend nights very busy and gets suddenly calm like after 7ish when shows starts! Food is delicious with good varieties. Service is relatively quick with responsive friendly waiters. There is full bar with good variety of cocktails. Good for gathering, groups, meetup and dates. Parking is a hassle in general in downtown Berkeley but doable.

M D

A really nice spot for dinner or even appetizers. Great place to meet before a show and after.

An early New Years Eve dinner with the family. Ok, I didn't like the recent price increases or, their dropping the steak and burger from the menu or, their passing on a 3% credit card fee, but overall the portion size was good and the food better than average. We had the cabernet by the glass, oysters, foccaccia, fish stew, short ribs, risotto, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate torte, a Shirley Temple and expresso. The only other disappointments were having to ask for more water and the servers failure to put in our pizza order (though we were so full we asked her not to at the end of our meal).

Anthony Marzo

An early New Years Eve dinner with the family. Ok, I didn't like the recent price increases or, their dropping the steak and burger from the menu or, their passing on a 3% credit card fee, but overall the portion size was good and the food better than average. We had the cabernet by the glass, oysters, foccaccia, fish stew, short ribs, risotto, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate torte, a Shirley Temple and expresso. The only other disappointments were having to ask for more water and the servers failure to put in our pizza order (though we were so full we asked her not to at the end of our meal).

Jordana Ponticelli

Superb staff, the chef/ owner was very kid friendly and came to our table a few times. Food was fresh and very well cooked. Atmosphere was chill and rustic. Must have chicken breasts with grilled Brussel sprouts.

I came here to try the double smash burger. I love smash burgers and try them wherever I can. As a smash burger connoisseur, I can say that I was quite disappointed in this one. In my opinion the $24 price was not justified. The meat was overdone even though I ordered "medium rare", and was too dry as a result. (In my experience smash burgers don't usually come with a choice of doneness because the patties are so thin anyway.) The bun was too thick, dense, and also dry. The fries, however, were great. The "warm olives" I ordered as a starter were room temperature at best. They were ok, as far as olives go. I tried the 2017 Storybook Mountain Zinfandel, and it was lovely. It's possible the other food is better. I don't know. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is ok. It was relatively quiet and decently lit, though the decor is a bit incoherent.

H

I came here to try the double smash burger. I love smash burgers and try them wherever I can. As a smash burger connoisseur, I can say that I was quite disappointed in this one. In my opinion the $24 price was not justified. The meat was overdone even though I ordered "medium rare", and was too dry as a result. (In my experience smash burgers don't usually come with a choice of doneness because the patties are so thin anyway.) The bun was too thick, dense, and also dry. The fries, however, were great. The "warm olives" I ordered as a starter were room temperature at best. They were ok, as far as olives go. I tried the 2017 Storybook Mountain Zinfandel, and it was lovely. It's possible the other food is better. I don't know. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is ok. It was relatively quiet and decently lit, though the decor is a bit incoherent.

Nice selection of food items on the menu, and I got to taste a few appetizers as well as a special of scallops, the steak main and the sea bass main. On the whole, the food was attractively prepared and tasty, but I would say a little bit overpriced, and the fish a little bit overcooked. For example, 4 sea scallops cost $38. They were good, but not quite that good. I would say the food was one notch down for where it should be for the prices but otherwise was quite good. However, the thing that really annoyed me and kind of shocked me is that their list of cocktails is premade. Moreover, I ordered a special old-fashioned from the menu list and requested that it be a bit less sweet than usual. They served it to me and it was a bit too sweet. Only later did they tell me that it was premixed. So they should’ve told me this in the first place and they absolutely should not charge $21 for a cocktail that a bartender is not actually making on a drink by drink basis, especially when a customer asks for a minor modification and is not even told about this. This is not bartending. For this reason, I give them one star less than I would otherwise. Personally, I will avoid anywhere that does not make cocktails as they are ordered. The restaurant was full of people going to the theater. Despite this, the service was attentive enough, and the food came in a timely manner.

We stopped for dinner at the counter before the theater. Service was impeccable, our waitress was smooth, attentive and professional. Pizza was good, wine by the glass had a good selection. However, the duck breast served with the leg confit was hard as a rock. It was inedible. I cannot understand how the kitchen could serve it. The menu said it was smoked but it difficult to believe any chef could do that to duck breast served.

Service and drinks were great. Food was good, but not good enough to justify the high prices. The tables were densely packed and although the restaurant was nowhere near full, it was very, very loud - nearly impossible to hold a conversation. They added an unannounced $3 charge to the bill for paying with a credit card.

Jennifer Listgarten

Nice selection of food items on the menu, and I got to taste a few appetizers as well as a special of scallops, the steak main and the sea bass main. On the whole, the food was attractively prepared and tasty, but I would say a little bit overpriced, and the fish a little bit overcooked. For example, 4 sea scallops cost $38. They were good, but not quite that good. I would say the food was one notch down for where it should be for the prices but otherwise was quite good. However, the thing that really annoyed me and kind of shocked me is that their list of cocktails is premade. Moreover, I ordered a special old-fashioned from the menu list and requested that it be a bit less sweet than usual. They served it to me and it was a bit too sweet. Only later did they tell me that it was premixed. So they should’ve told me this in the first place and they absolutely should not charge $21 for a cocktail that a bartender is not actually making on a drink by drink basis, especially when a customer asks for a minor modification and is not even told about this. This is not bartending. For this reason, I give them one star less than I would otherwise. Personally, I will avoid anywhere that does not make cocktails as they are ordered. The restaurant was full of people going to the theater. Despite this, the service was attentive enough, and the food came in a timely manner.

Pretty disappointing experience. Nothing particularly bad, just would not recommend among the options in the area. Was really excited about the cocktail menu but my martini ended up extremely sour/bitter not balanced at all, tasted like lemon juice mixed with gin…. Needed sugar or something to help it. Awful. Food was over cooked. Fries were skinny as I like but way overdone and minced into tiny pieces you couldn’t really eat. With a fork OK, and the dip sauce was nice just only given half a portion with the fries. Saving money on mayonnaise? Duck wings were mostly bones with remnants of charred or fried to oblivion scraps of duck jerky clinging to them. “With pickles and arugula”— literally TWO quarter pickles…. Come On guys. Just not generous. Looking around at other tables seems like pizza might be the thing to order, but with so many awesome pizza places in the city, why bother going here? Fun ambiance with really high ceilings and nice decor but slow and confusing service and terrible/overpriced food. Sorry….

Kyla W

Pretty disappointing experience. Nothing particularly bad, just would not recommend among the options in the area. Was really excited about the cocktail menu but my martini ended up extremely sour/bitter not balanced at all, tasted like lemon juice mixed with gin…. Needed sugar or something to help it. Awful. Food was over cooked. Fries were skinny as I like but way overdone and minced into tiny pieces you couldn’t really eat. With a fork OK, and the dip sauce was nice just only given half a portion with the fries. Saving money on mayonnaise? Duck wings were mostly bones with remnants of charred or fried to oblivion scraps of duck jerky clinging to them. “With pickles and arugula”— literally TWO quarter pickles…. Come On guys. Just not generous. Looking around at other tables seems like pizza might be the thing to order, but with so many awesome pizza places in the city, why bother going here? Fun ambiance with really high ceilings and nice decor but slow and confusing service and terrible/overpriced food. Sorry….

We used to eat at Revival all of the time, many years ago. I decided to go back because I couldn’t remember why we stopped. Unfortunately, we discovered why. The food is average, the service the same and it’s too damn noisy. I had the tuna tartare, it tasted like nothing, had I not ordered it I wouldn’t have known I was eating tuna. The pork belly was only okay. It all sounded so good and then just proved to be a disappointment.

Katie Minks

This place was way over priced for very small portions compared to other restaurants in the area. Additionally, the food was very bland and the things the dishes featured were barely present. For example I ordered the heirloom tomato salad with chicken. It contained a ton of cherry tomatoes and 4 chunks of heirloom tomato. There was less than a cup of chicken on my plate. Would never eat there again. I would also recommend finding another spot unless you’re just looking to get drinks before going to the theater.