Pompette

It was our first time here. I wanted to try their regular menu but it was NYE set menu only. We had a lovely evening here nonetheless. The food was fantastic though the spaghetti was on the salty side. My favourite dish was the cod. The skin was crispy and the meat was tender. I also loved the butter squash soup. It was so smooth and creamy. Highly recommended! Would go back to try different dishes on their regular menu. Service was outstanding too.

Pretty interested to see the positive reviews about this restaurant. Regrettably, our experience on our one visit there was very different. Since it is so new, we can completely forgive that the server seemed unprepared and overwhelmed and not remotely skilled in answering anything about the dishes or the wines. (I should add that the wine list is odd.... with many French wines, but none from the Bourdeaux region? Which given the menu seemed a big oversight?) The real problem was the food itself. I had a duck leg, and the duck itself was fine. But the vegetable it was served with had clearly be sitting on a heat table for hours and hours, mucky and pasty and completely overcooked legumes. Reminded of bad pub cooking in Britain in the 1970s. My wife similarly had a chicken dish served over salad greens. Again the chicken itself was fine, but the greens really seemed as if the restaurant had purchased a plastic box of pre-washed spring greens at the supermarket, and placed them unceremoniously on the plate and stuck a (fine) piece of chicken on top. I was aware that the other diners in our immediate vicinity also felt ignored by the staff and completely underwhelmed by the dining experience itself. We were looking forward to the Cafe Rouge replacement, but didn't find an experience that makes us inclined to return.

Lovely place and friendly staff. While on a recent trip to Berkeley we ate here for dinner and loved it so much we came back for brunch! For dinner we had a delicious crispy halibut with THE BEST lemon, caper and dill sauce on a bed of summer squash and fennel. We also had the steak frites, which was excellent, and shared a wonderful green bean salad and also corn soup (which was my favorite of the evening.) For brunch we had the croque and the burger. Both were home runs but the hamburger patty was top-notch: tender and so flavorful. The hot sauce I asked for is house made and very good. I had also had a fantastic Bloody Mary. Give this place a try. I wish we lived closer so I could become a regular.

I took my wife for her birthday dinner hoping for the best. When I got there there were only three tables filled which was my first warning. Let me tell you about my experience. The server got to us quickly but when I asked for her suggestions she read the menu off to me and said everything was great. Like I can't read? I asked for a suggestion agen after she got our drinks and she pretty much repeated herself. We were sieved our appetizer in a timely fashion and It was presented well. We had the Charcuterie appitizer. This appetizer is overpriced. The meats are okay but not great. You get 9 pieces of salami and two small pieces of toast with what they call a meat paste on it which tasted like crushed up rib meat with no seasoning. See my pictures I added. While still eating that they brought out our meal which sat for about 8 minutes before we were done with our appetizer. And then we immediately started eating our lukewarm food. We got red wattle pork ragu and the Steak fritas. The pork Ragu was quite delicious but extremely rich and my wife and I both got tired of eating it within a few bites. Be careful with that dish. The steak meal was pleasant however it was probably a 3 to 4 oz cut of meat. (That's about a half an apple) The dinner also came with lots of fries and lots of lettuce with a bitter salad dressing. The people next to me got the halibut and a melon salad. They liked their food . All the meals I saw serve today were small portions. In fact I had to order some more bread just to feel like I was full. Please see my pictures. During our meal the server only checked on us two times. But by that point the restaurant had picked up and two servers now had about 45 people to serve at 12 tables. I think this place needs to hire another person for the dinner rush. This restaurant is like allowed Sports Bar. The tables are so close you barely have enough room to stand in between them and if I was to reach my arm out I can easily touch my neighbor's shoulder. Not a very intimate place for my wife's birthday meal. But it does have its purposes if you want to go to a bar and get something to eat. The sidewalk and parking lot are also on a construction which was kind of a pain in the butt to find a place to park. Overall I give this restaurant 5.5 out of 10. I discussed the matter with the hostess, my server, and the bartender. I told them the problems I had and all three of those ladies told me I'm sorry. No financial compensation no offer for a free dessert for the problems or my wife's birthday. There wasn't even a offer to bring us back another day and repair this. I don't think these ladies care because I told them that I was going to write a review based on their service before I was seated and after my meal. If somebody told me that, I would purposely give them a really good service. I wonder if that was their good service. I will not be going back to this location again. I hope your experience is better than mine if you choose to go dine at this restaurant.

Absolutely delicious. The steak was prepared perfectly. Great cocktails, nice staff, and a good ambiance. We've been twice and will be back again!

I recommend sitting at the bar. The zinc bar they kept from the previous restaurant is absolutely beautiful. I've been there four times now and the bartenders have always been attentive. And most importantly, they make great cocktails. The food is also good. Lovely date spot.

We had the Berkeley restaurant week deal, Cauliflower soup, Pasta with pork ragu and Ricotta ice cream. The soup was not hot enough and was way too peppery so as to overpower, not flavor. The homemade pasta was great and the sauce was very yummy. The ice cream was fantastic, like having the insides of a NY city cannoli frozen. The bread, from Acme, was day old and really pales to such current bread standouts as one finds at Fourneé or Pizzaiolo. Cocktails were quite good. It's pricey though....$70 for two for lunch and that was with the well priced special. Nice atmosphere and not too loud.

Great martini with local vodka Spirit Works, off the chart flavor in the lamb meatballs. These are excellent parts of a great meal, great flavors! And Tim nails the wine selection.