B.
Google
First time ever coming here 8/21/25, for lunch, and I walked in immediately after a couple entered. It was empty inside, and I assume there were people out back already, but it was clearly not busy. There was a sign saying “please wait here to be seated,” but the couple walked right past it. The staff member greeted the couple, took them to the patio to seat them, then came back in and noticed me before going back out with a tray. I figured no problem, they’re probably needing to prioritize, so I’ll wait.
I waited for over 10 minutes, again in a completely empty interior, at the same spot the couple had been greeted (past the sign), in plain sight of the staff member who had come back in, and was fully aware of my presence, but ignored me and started tidying glasses - no greeting, no support/info, no offer to take my order, no offer to sit down as the couple had gotten before me. The reviews here look amazing, and I was excited to sit down for a long leisurely lunch and treat myself to their impressive menu. I would have loved to have tried their food, but the staff acted like I wasn’t even there. I eventually said something to her before deciding to just leave and get better food and service elsewhere.
Does Babette not want business? I’d expect basic kindness from a place that bills itself so highly among so many other established standout options in Berkeley, but I genuinely felt invisible and unwanted here. I’ve been planning a nice date evening for this weekend and had considered Babette, but cannot recommend this restaurant.
I’ll add that the hours were listed incorrectly on Apple Maps (no one’s fault), so I had already sat and had a latte at a nearby spot while waiting for Babette to open for lunch. I had invested over an hour into this experience and had had high hopes, but the whole thing was a hurtful disappointment.
ps. I really hope that this is not relevant, but the couple was white and I am not.
Update upon reading the owner’s reply below:
When your staff indeed obviously said hi to me before seating the couple, I did get the firm impression that she was aware of my presence. The combination of the sign verbatim saying to wait to be seated, and simultaneously seeing the patrons before me warmly greeted and shown to their seats on the patio, gave me no reason to believe that subsequently being ignored at length meant anything other than being deliberately and painfully snubbed. I’m glad that you’re publicly supporting your staff, but it is frankly none of my business whether the waitress hurting me was upsetting for her. And it would have felt inappropriate to seat myself in that situation if I had even thought to do so, which I certainly did not, out of respect for the clearly communicated boundary.
So I do hope you’ll fix your lunch hours’ signage to align expectations so the lone chef and server can focus on their respective duties. And if the staff does fully welcome and seat anyone, to offer this service universally rather than selectively. If it was genuinely that she saw me on my phone and assumed that this meant I didn’t want service, I hope she has learned from this. I cannot imagine anyone in my generation not using their phone while waiting their turn at an establishment. Not “staring” at it. Using it normally, like anyone else under 50 who has been standing around for 10+ minutes in an empty place without being approached after explicit directions to wait. It would be some time before I could work up an attempt at a meal here again. But I heard you’re closing for business and don’t see our timing aligning.