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Fusion food does not have a big draw now. But tasting vietnamese food with French flavors is magic not fusion.

Excellent food at reasonable prices, great happy hour selections of food & cocktails.

Good Happy Hour, yummy fusion food, and decent outdoor space. What else needs to be said?

Wow, the food was amazing, and the staff is awesome

Fresh, delicious food at great pricing. My family loved this place.

Nice tasty honest little restaurant run by Vanessa herself. The best vietnamese coffee.

I love the outdoor seating, the heat lamps, and the food. Love the flavors.

Great service and food overall. It was our second time going and everything was 👌.

Great food, family run and a fun place to hang out in a small environment.

Always an amazing experience. Great food, great food and excellent service.

I had the opportunity of enjoying a catered lunch by Vanessa’s bistro soooooooooooooooooo good!

Great happy hour here. Get here early. Small bar and fills up quickly.

Consistently good. $8.5 for a beer was shocking.

Always great food, service and a very underrated bar

Delicious food and drinks topped off with attentive service

Locals place, lots of regulars (of which I am one). Great food, fun bar.

Good food and great prices. The steak was amazing

Great little spot for a drink and bite to eat. Everything was wonderful.

Great local spot for delicious cocktails and lovely satisfying food

Vanessa is a gifted chef, her restaurant is welcoming, and the dishes are delicious.

Excellent home made food, warm local atmosphere, cocktails, crowd of neighbours

Great small plates to share. Good service

Excellent restaurant. They work very hard.

Great food and decent prices!

Great vegan options and the price is decent

Great food for the right price!

The food is always on point! Excellent!

Nice outdoor seating with view of the sunset

Great food and friendly staff.

Love, love, love this place. Food is great.

New go to Spot.... Kudos to Vanessa!

The food was incredible! The place is nicely decorated. The space is a bit tight and somewhat loud, but we really liked it! You may want to get a few smaller plates and share them.

Small and medium-sized plates in the $10-15 range that really knock it out of the park. If you are a fan of well-prepared French-inspired Vietnamese cuisine, you won't be disappointed. Check out the menu, and my photo, I can't do it justice in words. I would advise sharing 3-4 plates between two persons, with a beer or cocktail. The breakdown: -I love anything with shrimp there. -Full bar and HDTV at the end. -3-4 semi-private, sheltered tables outside. -Free street parking on Solano or side streets. -Bathroom is very clean and well-decorated. -Medium noisy. -Polite, attentive service. -Run by mother and daughter. -They do take-out.

Best Happy hour in town! Food is great. Drinks are good. Andrew, the bartender, is a hard worker and efficient. Had become one of our favorite go to places!

Love the staff that have become friends! But the food speaks for itself - consistent and AMAZING! The Happy Hour deals are great but everything even on the full menu is so tasty. All the duck dishes are my favs and the Shaking Beef salad. But that Filet Mignon is the best bang for your buck, I have to say. Just go! Just go.

Seated outside (our preference) with 5-10 minutes. Our waitress was absolutely delightful! We started with the salt & pepper calimari, the shrimp & papaya salad, and the fresh tofu spring rolls, then the giant prawns with udon noodles, the great lemongrass chicken, and the garlic eggplant, along with a single serving of jasmine rice. There was plenty of food for 4! And it was all delicious! My wife had a bottle of Pelligrino, the other couple had each a glass of Chardonnay, and I had a 12 oz bottle of Asahi Super-Dry for $5 (I believe this was not only a fair price, but slighly less expensive than the 21.4 oz bottle for $9). The food was delicioys, the price quite reasonable (4 dinners for a bit more than $100). We will definitely come back, for the delicious reasonably priced cuisine and the excellent service. And to try their slow-rosted pork with chipotle salsa & chips, an interesting fusion dish for an excellent Vietnamese restaurant!

Wow finally checked this place out and we are delightfully surprised at how tasty and special it was! Walked by the place dozens of times without really noticing it, so glad we spontaneously tried it out. Every bite was noteworthy, so impressed with the flavors. Amazing value for money, and excellent service. Can't wait to go back!

We love Vanessa's Bistro. The food is perfectly well done & colorful. The bartender he is just outstanding at his job & makes killer drinks!!! Mojoto/lychee Martini absolutely to die for. 100 on the restaurant!

Nice vegetarian options. Wonderful flavor profiles. Something for everyone. Small plates to share. Delicious unique cocktails. Attentive service. Even a varried dessert menu...apple crisp very good!

We had a wonderful experience!g service! Nice atmosphere, though I would remove the TV screens that are over the bar. The food was delicious and fresh, every bite was amazing!!

Very very delicious. No better food anywhere. Small, un-noisy, feels good place, excellent service. Full bar, happy hour. Home made desserts, so very good.

Great food and great service

Vanessa’s Bistro is my favorite restaurant on Solano. Great Vietnamese Tapas that’s healthy @ tasty. Excellent Happy Hour 7 days a week! Try it out you Vi and Vanessa will make you feel at home.

Absolutely awesome Vietnamese Fusion. We shared multiple dishes among our table of 4 and every single dish was a revelation.

I've been a guest since they opened. Great food, great people (the owners, staff and their huge collection of regulars). Always eager to visit.

Delicious creative wonderful food. Highly recommend this restaurant. Great Happy Hour every day.

Love, love, love this place! Great service, delicious food, decent prices. Love the fusion inspired food. The beef noodles are the best!

Probably the best restaurant on Solano Avenue. Great food, good service, friendly atmosphere and a great bartender.

I just love to come here, especially for happy hour. I am always treated like family. Definitely recommend!

Great small plates, great drinks. Loved the pomegranate martini, duck confit wraps, crispy quail.

This place is heaven I mean the garlic noodles are mouth watering and the salt and pepper shrimp is the best the ambiance is perfect for a date and just a girls night out . Best place ever I have been too

Updating review from 5 yr ago. Vanessa's is still awesome. Start with the duck lettuce wraps and beef carpaccio and tuck in!

Good food. Lots of choices. Reasonable prices. Nice neighborhood hangout with good vibes.

Nice surprise. My first time here. Quality of food preparation = very high.

Yummy yummy food, great service, plenty of outdoor seating, and Vanessa is a fabulous host.

We go to this place maybe once a year. I wish we went more often. The food is excellent and the service is really good. The staff are friendly and they always recognize us even if we aren't frequent visitors. Outdoor seating here is lovely, quiet and peaceful

1st time here on Wednesday the 1st if February...Sat at the bar and was greeted by Serene( spelling is wrong). Great happy hour menu...the salt & pepper tofu is my favorite 😍. Had a great time w the regulars & the staff... We will be back!

Stir fry chicken and filet with mixed veggies and noodles was perfect with garlic eggplant! I would order rice in the future to help soak up the sauce. YUM

Great happy hour. Very good wine. Plump salt and pepper prawns . Warm friendly service. Amazing price for 4 glasses of wine and 3 appetizers. We love sitting at the bar .

I love this place and come here frequently! You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu and the wait staff is really friendly 😀

Has the Saigon noodle salad with filet mignon, onion soup, tamarind shrimp with sticky rice, and the broiled filet mignon, a mojito, a margarita, and the flan. Everything was delish! Lovely service, nice friendly ambiance. A great way to spend our anniversary.

O M G we have just discovered a new favorite! How did we never try Vietnamese so close to home? The food was exceptionally great. We both came thinking it didn’t matter where we went because we weren’t very hungry after a giant lunch. We we soooo wrong. The food made us eat like crazy! He ordered prawns on garlic noodles with mango sauce and I ordered prawns and chicken with vegetables and rice in clay pot. We even shared a dessert of apple and strawberry crisp with vanilla ice cream and it was hot like just baked! Everything was prepared in the open kitchen and you can tell the owner lovingly turns out each dish with the freshest ingredients. It’s like Mom is making each dish for you and nothing is canned or microwaved; words fail me but this is a place is a must.

Everyone is sleeping on Vanessa’s and I honestly don’t know why. Happy hour EVERYDAY?! $10 cocktails and $10 select apps, including spicy crispy tofu? You’ll want 2 spicy crispy tofus, it’s THAT GOOD. Options for kids (garlic noodles and potstickers) that keeps them happy and excited to visit. My husband said the steak was the best he’s ever had. So many specials that made us want to visit again very very soon. Honestly everything was so incredibly good, it was the best meal we’ve had in a looong time. Service was great, very sweet towards my kiddos. We will be back and you should go too!!!

We went during their Happy Hour which was a great deal. It was busy so that is why I gave it 4 stars for service. Our server was distracted with the many tables and left in the middle of taking our order. Otherwise I highly recommend it!

Great small bites. The salt and pepper calamari were perfectly seasoned, the breading was light and they weren’t greasy at all. Lettuce wrap chicken was also superb, the sauce was really good and not overly sweet. Produce used was all very fresh. We also had the Dungeness crab salad that was not outstanding but very refreshing.

I wanted to take a friend out for her birthday. Vanessa's was perfect for us. Small and cozy, perfect drinks and tasty duck.. I am sorry their hours are limited or I would go more often. Sadly they are closing at the end of December 2025.

Food is excellent. Neighborhood bistro that makes you feel like part of the family. First time visiting and the server came over treating us like regulars. The food came quick, hot, and was delicious. I look forward to the next visit. Highly recommend.

Lauren G

Stir fry chicken and filet with mixed veggies and noodles was perfect with garlic eggplant! I would order rice in the future to help soak up the sauce. YUM

Julian Orozco

I love this place and come here frequently! You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu and the wait staff is really friendly 😀

Naka Ishii

Has the Saigon noodle salad with filet mignon, onion soup, tamarind shrimp with sticky rice, and the broiled filet mignon, a mojito, a margarita, and the flan. Everything was delish! Lovely service, nice friendly ambiance. A great way to spend our anniversary.

Lynn Watkins

Great happy hour. Very good wine. Plump salt and pepper prawns . Warm friendly service. Amazing price for 4 glasses of wine and 3 appetizers. We love sitting at the bar .

Linda M

O M G we have just discovered a new favorite! How did we never try Vietnamese so close to home? The food was exceptionally great. We both came thinking it didn’t matter where we went because we weren’t very hungry after a giant lunch. We we soooo wrong. The food made us eat like crazy! He ordered prawns on garlic noodles with mango sauce and I ordered prawns and chicken with vegetables and rice in clay pot. We even shared a dessert of apple and strawberry crisp with vanilla ice cream and it was hot like just baked! Everything was prepared in the open kitchen and you can tell the owner lovingly turns out each dish with the freshest ingredients. It’s like Mom is making each dish for you and nothing is canned or microwaved; words fail me but this is a place is a must.

Kristin N

Everyone is sleeping on Vanessa’s and I honestly don’t know why. Happy hour EVERYDAY?! $10 cocktails and $10 select apps, including spicy crispy tofu? You’ll want 2 spicy crispy tofus, it’s THAT GOOD. Options for kids (garlic noodles and potstickers) that keeps them happy and excited to visit. My husband said the steak was the best he’s ever had. So many specials that made us want to visit again very very soon. Honestly everything was so incredibly good, it was the best meal we’ve had in a looong time. Service was great, very sweet towards my kiddos. We will be back and you should go too!!!

Lorraine Mautner

We went during their Happy Hour which was a great deal. It was busy so that is why I gave it 4 stars for service. Our server was distracted with the many tables and left in the middle of taking our order. Otherwise I highly recommend it!

Deborah Malbec

I wanted to take a friend out for her birthday. Vanessa's was perfect for us. Small and cozy, perfect drinks and tasty duck.. I am sorry their hours are limited or I would go more often. Sadly they are closing at the end of December 2025.

Sarah Moats

Great small bites. The salt and pepper calamari were perfectly seasoned, the breading was light and they weren’t greasy at all. Lettuce wrap chicken was also superb, the sauce was really good and not overly sweet. Produce used was all very fresh. We also had the Dungeness crab salad that was not outstanding but very refreshing.

Carrie Whitsett

Food is excellent. Neighborhood bistro that makes you feel like part of the family. First time visiting and the server came over treating us like regulars. The food came quick, hot, and was delicious. I look forward to the next visit. Highly recommend.

What a great surprise. Delicious food, and a fun environment! Since the place is small, the noise level made it difficult to hear conversation within our group. We adjusted and enjoyed being part of this lively scene. A full house on a Tuesday, this place is definitely doing something right. The dishes were tasty. One dish was less flavorful than the others, almost bland. But one out of 5 things ordered is excusable. I will definitely return. Thank you for the exceptional service.

Drinks were delicious, Food was delicious, service was good, I had the yellow curry with chicken and im looking forward to my leftovers. Nice outdoor setup for eating during Covid.

Lisa Cortes

What a great surprise. Delicious food, and a fun environment! Since the place is small, the noise level made it difficult to hear conversation within our group. We adjusted and enjoyed being part of this lively scene. A full house on a Tuesday, this place is definitely doing something right. The dishes were tasty. One dish was less flavorful than the others, almost bland. But one out of 5 things ordered is excusable. I will definitely return. Thank you for the exceptional service.

Jason McGuire

Drinks were delicious, Food was delicious, service was good, I had the yellow curry with chicken and im looking forward to my leftovers. Nice outdoor setup for eating during Covid.

Good service good food..i took my 12 yr. Old granddaughter is go back

Food was very good and creatively conceived and presented.

Food is wonderfully flavorful. Wine list is just right.

Excellent food and quaint old time atmosphere.

Very good happy hour!

I went to Vanessa's Bistro for a friend's b-day dinner. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a pri-fix menu (about 8 dishes) and it was a GREAT value. My co-worker had told me he loved this place but it was a bit pricey, so I was expecting expensive, but as it turned out, it was very inexpensive. The only hitch was that it wasn't a dish per person. It was family style tapas, so everyone had to share, which was fine because by the end of the meal, everyone was pretty full. Every dish was cooked perfectly. I am usually very picky about Vietnamese food because I grew up on it, but I'd say Vanessa's Bistro is spot on in terms of flavor, presentation and price. Because it was family style, I didn't want to be a piggy and hog everything, but I could have hogged everything and then be needed to be rolled out..hehe The drink selection is great also. Everyone I was with was satisfied with their drinks. Service was great. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. The place is a bit small, so it is probably recommended that you make reservations.

I love Vanessa's! Creative cocktails, with inventive Asian-French fusion dishes. Great portions, for reasonable prices. If you are looking for a more upscale-feeling date spot, without the huge price tag, Vanessa's is perfect.

The food was excellent, unlike anything I've tried before and the prices were quite reasonable. The servers were friendly and attentive without being intrusive. I'll be making special trips there to share this discovery with my friends.

Very tasty food at a reasonable price in a bar like setting. Great spot for a low-key mid week dinner.

Happy hour was a great bargain. Those tacos ooh la la! Raspberry Cosmo my new fab. So going back!

I really Liked The Service and The Food.The Bartender was Very Sweet.. V the owners Daughter. Vanessa is also the Cook V's Mother.

I was disappointed with the food. Usually, the food is good, but on this visit it was lackluster.

Veggie options (tofu etc.) were underwhelming, unfortunately (as I'm a vegetarian!). Maybe the other dishes are better? Good atmosphere and we were there during a wine special which was appreciated! Seems like they have some good happy hour deals.

Based on the VERY high rank of this restaurant on Google we want to eat in this restaurant. There is no connection between the rate on Google to the quality of the dishes! Such a low quality dishes in term of test!

Not sure where all these high reviews are coming from. Starting with the good, the cocktails were actually amazing. And the sweet potato fries were cooked perfectly, and well seasoned. However some of the food was underseasoned to being totally bland (the calamari being the particular standout here). Both our dishes were sitting in pools of indeterminate liquid - my risotto was more of a soup actually, and my partner's plate of duck and vegetables also sat within some kind of meat juices Service was fine, although they pulled the "do you have a reservation?" card when there were plenty of open spaces. The worst of it all was the price though. The quality of the food was passable, but the value for money was abysmal. We left still hungry after two appetizers and an entree, which shouldn't be possible at 45 a head.

It has been a favorite gathering place for us for years, but the pleasant outdoor seating is presently closed; check back, they were good, good happy hour menu, but too dark and tiny inside so need the outdoor seating.

I couldn't have been more dissatisfied with the food here. It was insanely pricey for incredibly small portions of overcooked, under-seasoned food. Both my duck and my partner's risotto were swimming in mysterious broth. My duck was sweet but also tasted distinctly like vinegar? We also had calamari that was both boiling hot and rubbery. All around terrible! The only saving grace was the cocktail menu. Still pricey, but delicious and well made. The staff was pretty friendly too. Overall I wouldn't recommend. Try somewhere else on this street first.

Karen Lawson

It has been a favorite gathering place for us for years, but the pleasant outdoor seating is presently closed; check back, they were good, good happy hour menu, but too dark and tiny inside so need the outdoor seating.

Amanda Cuoco

I couldn't have been more dissatisfied with the food here. It was insanely pricey for incredibly small portions of overcooked, under-seasoned food. Both my duck and my partner's risotto were swimming in mysterious broth. My duck was sweet but also tasted distinctly like vinegar? We also had calamari that was both boiling hot and rubbery. All around terrible! The only saving grace was the cocktail menu. Still pricey, but delicious and well made. The staff was pretty friendly too. Overall I wouldn't recommend. Try somewhere else on this street first.

Food was not very tasty.

This restaurant has lost its mojo. Way to noisy, made worse by the tv blaring. Pot stickers hard and old. Shrimp roll old and tough. Same with their pecan pie. Cold and drafty.

The food we ordered was good. The salad with the filet mignon was delicious . The meat was very tender. The service was bad : very slow , they never came to refill our water nor take away the plates we used for the salad. Also, the waitress brought the receipt forgetting our main dishes. She tried to blame us by saying she came to ask us if we need mes anything else, but I told her that she took the whole order for us when we asked. I mean if she forgot about it just accepted and apologize.

Food is mediocre Service is hit or miss Not worth the money

The owner is very rude. They treat their employees poorly. The food is also below average for the price

Haven’t had such a bad food in a restaurant in years! Really disappointing!!

So Vanessa's is literally across the street from my work and so it SHOULD be super easy to call in a take out. Last time I called in, the lost my order. They were busy so I let it go and got something from Sweet Basil Thai downstairs from my clinic. I gave them another chance tonight. It's a busy evening in my clinic so I only had 20 minutes to run over pick up dinner before the evening rush set in. I called way in advanced and before their Friday night Happy Hour rush. They said it would take 10-15 minutes, I gave them 20 before I walked over. The place was empty, maybe a hand full of customers at most, no orders in the kitchen going. The waiter took my money and tired to hide that my ticket was still on the counter in the front house. Guess who forgot to give it to the kitchen......seriously? Instead of 'fessing up to the mistake and offering to make my order for free,they tried to hide it and told me it would be out in just a minute........Really? Claypot takes quite a while to make up......they were going to just stir fry the whole thing and let it pass as good. The head waiter apologized and when I asked why the order wasn't ready......he told me he didn't know why the kitchen didn't make the order, it was back there the whole time. What B-!!SH!#@$.....I JUST SAW THE TICKET ON THE COUNTER! So now I have a whole evening to work with no dinner........I'll never come here again.......

This restaurant dropped in quality of food, service et atmosphere. The food was of low quality, the "garlic noodle dish with filet mignon and chicken" was not as described. There were very little noodle and it was not garlic noodles as described in the menu, it was more like Chow mein and the portion of noodle was minimal. The filet mignon was not fresh.. We order also French fries of half the portion were little bits left over and cold - no seasoning... (Mac Donald French fries are better). We also had fish tacos that were tasteless. Food is below average and pricey for what you get. It is no longer a good restaurant!

Went with a friend at 4.30 PM. The server was extremely rude. She told us belligerently that she was the only person working. While we were deciding whether to sit at the bar she said we should sit down or were welcome to leave !!! My friend, a long time Berkeley resident said she had never encountered such behavior before. Anyway, we will not be returning. There are a number of Thai and Indian restaurants on Solano!

Raji Patel

Went with a friend at 4.30 PM. The server was extremely rude. She told us belligerently that she was the only person working. While we were deciding whether to sit at the bar she said we should sit down or were welcome to leave !!! My friend, a long time Berkeley resident said she had never encountered such behavior before. Anyway, we will not be returning. There are a number of Thai and Indian restaurants on Solano!