Vanessa's Bistro

We’ve always been a fan of this cozy neighborhood gem, recently we’re in the area & returned. The vibe was good, lots of regulars & a lovely bar with good cocktails. Food was delicious, fresh, and remarkably well priced we got stuffed. Family run spot with attentive service & we enjoyed sitting at a little outdoor table for dinner & dessert. Ample Street parking & clean restroom.

I tried the prawns and chicken with vegetables and rice served in a clay pot, and it was absolutely delicious. Every bite was full of flavor and perfectly cooked. For dessert, we shared the apple and strawberry crisp with vanilla ice cream it came out warm and fresh, like it had just come from the oven. Such a satisfying meal from start to finish!

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.

Incredible experience, delicious food, fantastic atmosphere. Big thanks to the entire Vanessa’s team for making tonight’s event a special one. It couldn’t have been better! We had a group of 20 for a birthday party. Vi created a special menu for us. From the salad to the prawns, the garlic short ribs, to the garlic crab noodles, everything was impressive. They were even able and happy to accommodate some dietary restrictions. Again, thank you to the entire Vanessa’s team!

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 .

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.

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.

How have we never been here??? AMAZING FOOD! Good service, ample wine and beer selections, and great selections on the main menu PLUS a full list of specials. Come here quick! Pleasant surroundings and you can watch them lovingly prep each dish. Nothing is prefab here.

Lots of space in here so the wait wasn't long. We were able to pick out our own table. Service was ok, they seemed really busy after we sat and had to be flagged down if we needed anything or wanted to order. The salad I got was ok. Missing something, just wasn't quite my taste, kind of plain tasting. I enjoyed the little dessert we shared. Lovely presentation. I'd probably order something different if I were to visit again.

Wonderful fun restaurant. Delicious food, good value, full bar and great service. Good for dates, family, or celebrations.

First time eating at the popular Vanessa's Bistro. Enjoyed my refreshing Mint Cucumber Martini and the piping hot French onion soup the most. We ordered the Garlic Noodle Stir fry from the specials menu because of the low price and comes with 2 proteins and vegetables. Sadly the garlic noodles didn't have any garlic and it was lacking flavor over all. The chicken lettuce wraps were good but could use a little more sauce or vinegar to liven it up. Overall the service was fast and food tasted fresh. The bar was packed as we just missed happy hour (4-6pm) and the staff seemed to know a lot of the regular customers which is always a good sign. We will come back and try again!

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!!!

A nice family run restaurant with a good vibe and pretty decent food. I must say that the Filet mignon they serve is very good quality not exactly melt in your mouth quality but still very good. I ordered the surf and turf which was a nice 8oz. Filet and 2 jumbo grilled shrimp. It was cooked perfectly as ordered medium rare. I felt that it could have been better seasoned but I think they're relying on you to use the jus that came with it but I wasn't particularly fond of it so I was left with an under seasoned filet grilled veggies and somewhat dry mashed potato tower. The shaking filet salad did have a nice flavor though as it was bathed in a garlic brandy butter sauce with nice fresh greens. My wife ordered the lightly battered crispy pork loin salad was pretty good too. The sauce on the fried pork is sweet but the vinaigrette dressing tames the sweetness nicely. The star of the show for this meal though was the salt and pepper crispy garlic fried tofu. The pieces are perfectly sized and fried to perfection that only a deep fryer can render. The tofu was garnished with jalapeño slices, green onion and red pepper and a bit of savory sauce that finished off what we agreed was the best fried tofu that we've been served a a restaurant. Seriously and I'm Asian and have eaten a ton of fried tofu! lol. I had a pear drop which was nicely made and a Vietnamese coffee martini to finish off my meal and it was enjoyable as well. The flan was of good quality and my wife gives it a thumbs up for flavor even though the caramel was a bit thick and was sticking to the plate. If we lived closer we'd prolly frequent this place but it's not a place that we will go out of our way for.

Super delicious Vietnamese fusion restaurant in a quaint and safe Berkeley neighborhood! I've been coming here for over 10 years. Tasty dishes and I've never had a bad meal here. Their appetizers and main dishes are so tasty and hits the spot! Their salt and pepper fried calamari or prawns are a must order. So freshly battered, not heavy or overly oily. Love the salt and pepper flavor every time. I also love their crispy quail and shaking beef salad. Their spring rolls and lettuce wraps are also very good. To be honest, I haven't had a chance to explore the other parts of their appetizer menu because I always go to my favorites! For main dishes, I love the garlic noodles and prawns. That's my go to. Their clay pots and filet mignon are also very nice. You really can't go wrong with what you order, it's just about picking what you are in the mood for and pacing yourself! Cocktails are also really good and they have a full bar with an excellent wine list. The owners are incredible and genuinely care about building relationships with their customers. Vanessa is so friendly and an amazing chef! Vi is so sweet and hospitable, she will make sure you have a good time! They can get quite busy because they have regular patrons who love their food as much as me. I would recommend to try to get a reservation if you can. However, they do take walk-ins. Ample street parking. Bonus: They are dog friendly and have an outdoor area as well! Your dog will be treated like a king or queen because they love dogs. I recall there were heat lamps too to keep you warm. They were also so sweet to make our pup some unflavored chicken. He ate the whole thing in a gulp!

Consistently fresh, delicious and fairly priced. I've tried their shaking filet mignon salad, vermicelli noodle salad, crispy quail, and garlic butter egg noodles - all excellent. I also appreciate how they accommodate special requests like adding chicken to the garlic noodles. It's a small detail but one that makes such a big difference. I've only ordered takeout over the phone, and experienced friendly service each time. Looking forward to trying their desserts in the future. Their bread pudding and Vietnamese coffee cheesecake sounds tasty. If they ever add fried bananas and vanilla ice cream to their menu, I'd be there multiple times a month.

Staff is excellent, Vanessa herself (when she's not in the kitchen) is very personable, and nice to talk to. The food is of consistently high quality. It's a friendly place for delicious food. We go there at least three to four times a month.

One of the best restaurants in the Bay Area. The Berkeley location just hits different! When we walked in I saw Ms. Vanessa and her daughter sitting down, having a meal before the dinner rush. Ms. Vanessa dressed to impress and a glass of wine (how you will find her anytime she's at either location). We had the pleasure to have Ms. Vanessa and her daughter chef it up for us on our Saturday date. We arrived during Saturday happy hour! The food was amazing, the ambiance was elegant, drinks strong (forgot to photograph the drinks), and hospitality 100%. The food is always flavorful and well plated. This is a true gem! Thank you for the delicious food and wonderful food experience. I love Vanessa's Bistro

Always appreciate going to Vanessa's walking distance and in our neighborhood. Tasty food and drinks that hit the spot. Service is friendly and attentive. We sat at the bar this time. A staple go to is the chicken wings and this time we tried the salads and sweet and sour soup. Salads were large portions and soup made for a nice warm meal on a cold rainy day. Inside there's enough seating for 1-2 larger groups and then mostly tables for 2-3. We'll be back!

My husband and I tried Vanessa bistro. Overall everything was very tasteful. Drinks were made really good as well. I would have given 5 stars but only thing is portions are a bit small. Also we went during dinner time at 5pm and people were there for some drinks and I feel like they are missing some music for a sensible environment especially for those that go for happy hour. Overall I recommend you try Vanessa's bistro.

I love this place! It's has really good cocktails and food! The service is always good. They have great happy hour :)

More a 3.2 - I really wanted to like this place... but the food was mediocre at best. Ribs were dry and needed flavor. The garlic noodle (on the special menu) was just okay, not garlicky enough per my husband. Soup I ordered had so many croutons that they basically soaked up all the soup and became a pool of soggy bread pieces... Aioli separated as well as the jus for the steak. Service was good and according to my kids, the panda cotta was good. Other than that, just okay...

Very welcoming place with excellent food. We had the vermicelli, the beef salad, the yellow curry, and the eggplant. I especially loved the beef salad. The servers were really nice when I asked about gluten in the dishes (and they said there wasn't any), but I am pretty sure there was soy sauce in the eggplant. Maybe they used tamari but I wasn't sure so I stopped eating it. Would definitely be 5 stars if they would label their menu for the main allergens.

Absolutely 100% recommend this place! Great for: Happy hour drinks Happy hour menu Friendly service (won't kick you out!) Accommodating service (put three tables together for my group) We had G&Ts, mojitos, and pear drops. YERM. We also had the chicken wings, garlic noodles, garlic fries, beet salad... Everything was delicious! Can't wait to go back again!

Best place on Solano Avenue. Food, service, ambiance, and bartender are all outstanding.

Food was amazing! Service was incredible! The stir fry noodles were so flavorful and delicious the chicken was so tender. The sticky ribs had a crunchy exterior while the meat fell off the bone...never in my life have I had better ribs

It was a little pricey but the food was superb (crispy quail was hands down my favorite) and beautifully presented. The outdoor seating is really pleasant, but inside is just as great -- fun and friendly. The staff is super helpful and always willing to lend a hand with ordering. One tip we got from our waiter was if Vanessa's in the kitchen, you have to order something stir fried!

This such a great, family run restaurant, we are glad to have this option in our area. Staff are always nice and provide good service. The food and beverages are great. I sometimes have a tough time choosing from among the menu options. Great wine options at reasonable prices, as well as delicious cocktails. Check out their happy hour options, too. We brought a friend here recently for his first visit and he definitely will come back as well. And so will we!!

The food is outstanding, the service is 5 + and above....mom & daughter in the kitchen ( feels like home!) The ambiance is cozy,clean and beautiful. Vietnamese/French fusion. My fiance and I walking along just shopping and we wanted a cocktail and ever since we've been coming here for sometime now...you're missing out!!!

We love to eat here whenever we are in the Berkeley / Albany area. Super sweet family owners, nice bar in front and tasty food. Easy parking out front & it's a nice area to walk around. Now that it's shelter in place, we called in for take out to go eat at Berkeley Marina for a scenic meal. Shrimp garlic noodles, fish taco, papaya salad were delicious we ate every bit, ready exactly on time as promised. There's happy hour ( even on Sunday! And to-go!)

Great food and exceptional prices. Vanessa's is a real treat--excellent menu with several daily specials. Beer selection is good and so are prices compared with other restaurants. We ordered three dishes to share--all under $20. Garlic noodles with filet mignon and chicken was a special, as was a salad with snow crab. The crispy pork loin was a unique and tasty menu item. There are many restaurants on Solano Ave, but Vanessa's is a real stand out for taste and reasonable prices. Service is laconic but they get the job done without any rush. You can enjoy an exceptional meal here for prices that don't really exist elsewhere. Better than trying to find someplace good near the Berkeley campus and no hassle parking.

TLDR: very pleasant experience sitting outside but food and drinks were thoroughly mediocre. Staff were very friendly and helpful. ------------------------------------------------ We were there with another couple. Sat outside. Staff helped set up the umbrella to shade from the sun and later the heater. Server was friendly and helpful. Food came out quickly. Arrived for happy hour: ordered 4 items from the bar food: papaya salad, roasted beets salad, chicken wings and chipotle pork. Beet salad was the best of them. The papaya salad and chipotle pork were flavorless. The wings were so deep fried that they were assigned to me, the others refusing to eat them. Yes, too fried, but meat OK, sauce unnoticeable. We got the Pear Drop and Mojito cocktails. Didn't like them. 3 stars bc we had an enjoyable, relaxed time with our good friends-our main purpose for getting together--sitting outside and helped along by the friendly staff. Food and drinks were a definite disappointment.

Watch them on the drink charges. Ordered 7 beers and the tried to charge for 8 beers and then acted like they were doing me a favor by taking one beer off the ticket for our group. Their excuse was that there were two servers. They also charged us for 8 tequila shots, but we got seven. Food was great, and atmosphere was great too. Using the excuse that they had two servers to charge us more was shady.

A Diamond in the Rough. This was my first time visiting Vanessa's. Jenny and I thoroughly enjoyed our meal. I had their Surf and Turf with a fine glass of wine "Cabernet" that Andrew recommended. Andrew was the star of the evening. His service and recommendations were spot on. Thanks Andrew. We are coming back very soon. Keep our table warm. Cheers.

I loved coming at night seeing the lights in the restaurant and the outdoor seating. I wanted to try a variety of things (as you can see by too much food haha) instead of the vermicelli noodle salad that I had eaten before. They were all good, but my favorite was the Shaking Beef Salad and the lemon type dressing on the side. Definitely adding that to my new favorites list and coming back. Staff was fun and chill, good service fir me, so no complaints.

Service is impeccable, food is the best on solano ave of you're in the area!! The ambiance is awesome and the staff are very welcoming when you get there.

Too oily, none of the Vietnamese freshness or spice. Slow, understaffed service, should have told us we needed to order rice extra. Maybe it qualifies as mediocre "Asian fusion" but there are definitely better Vietnamese restaurants.

Wanted to eat at a restaurant that offered indoor seating and stumbled upon this gem in the Oakland/Berkeley area. They had a nice outdoor set up outside with lights and heat lamps but also allowed indoor seating at 25% capacity. There was a bar area where a couple people sat but other than that we were the only table. Every table inside was separated by more than 6 feet and each table had hand sanitizer so we felt safe even indoors. We ordered the calamari, chicken curry and chicken and shrimp clay pot rice and everything was fresh and tasty. The calamari was piping hot when it came which made it all the more enjoyable to scour down quickly and it was gone within minutes. Thought there would be more considering the price but the taste made up for the small portion. The chicken and shrimp clay pot rice was my absolute favorite, it came sizzling and all the ingredients were so fresh i couldn't stop eating it! I rarely finish my food (bad habit of mine) but this was so delicious i ate every bite of this. It came with chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, bok choy, lettuce and carrots and it was the perfect balance of veggies and meat. The curry on the other hand was just ok, definitely had better at other Thai restaurants but it was very filling and flavorful nonetheless. Overall definitely recommend! Delicious and fresh southeast asian food and with a great happy hour menu too.

One of my fav spots - Vi, Vanessa and staff have made Vanessa Bistro a community and family staple. The food is Slammin, nothing over the top like a lot of spots. It's elegant delicious and approachable. Plus the bar gives ya that Cheers vibe with elevated dishes. Yup, the filet salad, spring rolls, calamari go well with a Martini and company. Love this spot!

My husband and I were looking for an early dinner before the dinner rush. We parked and looked up. Vanessa's was the first restaurant we saw. Decided to sit down and try it. I got the tamarind prawns and sticky rice which was on point with flavor. My husband wanted to try the steak and fries. He says it's almost like how his mother used to make it.

Vanessa, the owner, is arrogant. She has to have her chair at the bar empty for her. She never says " thanks for coming in". i used to own a restaurant. That's what you do. Nice bartender. Good happy hour prices. but.....

First off, the wait personnel were excellent. Attentive, but not hovering. When they mistakenly gave us 2 orders of an order they were gracious enough to give it to us gratis. We had the ribs and sweet potato fries, veggie pad thai, spring rolls, steak salad, garlic tofu and the butter noodles which were the hit of the evening! The wine was excellent. The hard drinks were strong and they happily provided us with juice to weaken them. NOTE: not complaining about the strong drinks, it's just we are kind of wimps with anything other than beer) They have a happy hour, which we enjoyed, and do not take reservations. We had a swell time and will return. Kudos to you all.

Everything I've tried here is fresh and delicious. Service is friendly. The space isn't beautiful, but the food makes up for that.

Strong $8 cocktails during happy hour (4-6pm on weekdays). This is a cute and cozy spot. It's not very crowded and I appreciated the easygoing environment. You get a lot of individualized attention and care from the staff since it's not busy. Honestly, the food is so good that you can't go wrong with anything! The bar bites do run on the smaller side so you'll probably need a few to fill yourself up, but it's a great strategy to taste multiple items on the menu. The calamari came in strips, instead of the typical rings I'm used to, but it was still hot and fresh and delicious. The shrimp was also very fresh and juicy. The garlic noodles were thick and hearty, with a perfect dose of garlicy goodness. I liked that all of the fried food was crisp, but not greasy. This is definitely a little hidden gem in the middle of Berkeley and you should check it out!

The place is cute and has very limited outdoor dining. They have a bunch of small plates to share, we ordered garlic noodles, egg rolls, shrimp, pork loin (strips?), and bok choy. Everything we had was more on the salty side but everything was flavorful. We finished most of our dishes since the portions were small enough for two people. The establishment is more of an upscale western Vietnamese spot, not your traditional pho or vermicelli items are on the menu.

The food was outstanding! Vanessa's menu is as eclectic and accessible as always. Once ordered, the food came out quickly. It was nicely plated and was delicious! Prices were also relatively reasonable given the quality of the food and the cost of living in the Bay Area. Service, however, was uneven. It ranged from efficient and pleasantly professional, to odd and over the top weird. Some of it may have been our being seated outside. It was harder to get the attention of wait staff for sure. There was someone stationed outside but it was unclear what his job was. He was out there the entire time, but he never greeted anyone, and was clearly not a server. Maybe kitchen staff on break? It was strange because he was internally preoccupied and laughed to himself at times. He did not appear to be on duty and I didn't feel comfortable approaching him. A couple of things surrounding the service bear mentioning. My friend got a margarita instead of a mojito and it caused a bit of a kerfuffle. My friend saw the mistake immediately. She didn't drink it and had to explain the obvious differences to the server. Not a big deal for us-mistakes happen-but we had to do some convincing and the server seemed nervous to get it fixed. The part that concerns me the most was the way the check was handled. I paid cash and there was no one outside to receive the payment. So, I took the check and the money inside. I asked the guy behind the bar who I needed to pay and he said he could take care of it. I handed him the check and the payment plus tip. He asked me if I wanted a receipt. I said yes. He proceeded to remove the bottom receipt portion off the check, then wadded it up and threw it into the sink full of dirty water and glassware. He started laughing and handed me back the top portion and said "here you go". I asked again for a receipt and he laughed and said "that part works". Inappropriate and weird. Now I wish I didn't give a 30% cash tip. Thank goodness the check I received was the carbon copy, because at first I thought he was trying to pocket $131 plus change in cash. So Vanessa, if you came up short on July 29, the guy behind the bar did it!

Well what can a man who loves Thai food say! I've driven by this place thousands of times. I kept hearing the HH was the bomb. I also heard the dishes were Thai fusion-ish. Which may have influenced my tardy attendance to check it out. My loss! The place was busy on a Friday night post HH. But immediately Vi, the bar tender/owners daughter apologized up front that they were short staffed. All that means to me is we are taking our time and enjoying watching the warriors beat up on the star-less 76'ers to snap a home loosing streak. A great game where I knew none of the warriors except Andrew "rock chalk" Wiggins, and none of the sixers! We got a free entree for our trouble, not because the slowness of the service but apparently"Vanessa" the owner "is too vain to put on glasses and messes up orders" according to Vi. All of it was so tasty, creative and filling. Vi said jokingly, well I'm really glad you like it, we are open tomorrow!. I will be here in a shift and hopefully all the staff shows up as well.". I said we were going to dinner with my brother Saturday so you never know. What helped sell us was her conversation about how so many regulars come in 1-2 times a week but due to the Corona Virus things had slowed. That's when a regular and his wife ambled in sat at the bar. Vi, without a word mixed and served his favorite cocktail then hers were promptly placed in front of them. Then "hey how are you guys!" She nodded with aplomb to us to offer validation of fact there are regulars. Bae commented half singing it a bar "where everybody knows your name". I sent a yelp link the next day to my bro and he immediately said thumbs up to the suggestion. We got there 10 minutes to 6 for a 6 pm reservation in order to get a couple of drinks under our belts as my brother doesn't imbibe. The look on Vi's face when we walked in less than 24 hours later, was priceless! She said "wait... you know I was joking... right?" She obviously thought her mere suggestion was enough to hypnotize us back in. We reassured her it was the food, and my brother who is persnickety about where he eats agreed to meet here for dinner. She looked at the reservation and called out his name. Yep I said' "Wow that's never happened! We are certainly grateful and appreciate the opportunity to serve you again so soon! " she said with palatable humility. My persnickety brother was blown away with everyone's orders that we ate and shared .He too said he would be back. Well maybe not tomorrow...but soon for sure. Why not, great food great ambience, awesome cocktails friendly fun in the neighborhood... maybe Vi will start serving us our favorite cocktails upon arrival soon too!

Have been coming here for years. Quality has gone down hill in a big way. Menu has changed and recipes have changed for the worse. Food has very little flavor and drinks are bad. This not a one time thing btw. The service was ok but the staff was highly disorganized and there was an extreme lack of professionalism. We got the sense that the owner was sitting at the bar couldn't less and really was there to just hang out rather than help or greet patrons. Sadly this is the last time we will be going back there. I am a local and this does not feel like a local spot anymore.

This is our go-to neighborhood bar! Nice family run establishment - an increasing rarity in this crazy world. Great food, service and atmosphere. Fun to visit with friends or follow a basket ball game. One of the best steak dinners anywhere, and at a great price to boot. The clay pot dishes are also stand-outs. Nice selection of cocktails - the pear drop is especially good

I used to frequent this place because it's a local hangout and it's close to my house, but recent encounters has proven this young owner to be rude, arrogant, selfish and dislikes her customers having what would be seemingly a good time. Even her employees are embarrassed by her crassness. Food is also becoming very bland and it looks like they're scrimping on servings. The extra star above 1 star is for being a neighbor for many years.

A friend introduced me to Vanessa's by taking me to the one in Walnut Creek and found out that there is one closer to my house and they have Happy Hour deals everyday from 4-6pm! We have been a few times now, bringing different friends and trying out the entire Happy Hour menu. The food is delicious and very affordable at $6 for each plate. Here's what I've had: *Ahi Carpaccio *Cured beef filet Carpaccio *Papaya Salad with prawn *Fish tacos *Slow Roasted pork *Calamari Everything is always really fresh and flavorful, great portions for HH appetizers and filling. We love the quality of food and the service is great. Put this one on your Happy Hour aka Early dinner list.

Delicious food and drinks. Good service and great taste under the trying circumstances that most restaurants are experiencing.

Today (8/11/2021) around 5:30p, I arrived at Vanessa's and I was really excited to try this place. I recently read an article how they were struggling during the epidemic so I was looking forward to supporting a local business, and also catching up with a friend. Then, that excitement took a 180 degree turn. With no host at the front door, I walked up to the bar and said, 'hello' and asked the bartender if there was any outdoor seating. The bartender said, 'Yes. But, you can't sit at the bar because I just had it done.' His tone sounded like I was going to mess up his bar just by looking at it. Not even a 'hello' back or 'can I help you?' So, I brushed it off and found out it would be about 15-20min wait. I noticed people inside waiting on a bench seat so I asked the waitstaff if can wait at an empty table inside. The waitstaff deferred to the bartender and he said,'He can wait outside or walk around' and did a circular motion with his hand. What struck me again was his rude tone and lack of people skills. At that point, I had enough and walked out. About 30min went by while I was waiting for my friend to find another restaurant. I was about 200 feet from Vanessa's, and, out of nowhere, the bartender approaches me and asks if I still wanted a table. I said, 'No. You weren't very friendly to me. It didn't seem like you wanted me there. So, why would I eat there?' He then said, 'your choice' and walked away. Exactly. There is NO EXCUSE for bad customer service. I happily spent my money at Taqueria Talavera about a block away. EAT THERE because they know how to treat their customers and they have $2 taco Tuesdays!

everything we've ordered here has been delicious! the servers are accommodating and the food comes out very fast. highly recommend!

Went out to dinner with some friends and luckily got a table right before the end of happy hour (6pm). Service was unfortunately a bit slow with only one server managing both tables outside and inside, but kudos to her for doing it all! Most things that we ordered didn't wow me, but the salt and pepper tofu was the best out of all of them and would order again if I ever end up back here!

We hadn't been here in a while but the food is always consistent and flavorful. The staff is always happy and ready to serve and very friendly. But, oh my, the food! Give this place a try if you want to enjoy a homemade meal in a restaurant.

Think Vietnamese and Mexican fusion with refreshing, fruity drinks. We stopped by for happy hour on a Friday (HH ends at 6pm) to try out their HH food and drink offerings. FYI their happy hour is only in the bar area. They offer discounted drinks and selected food items are all $7. We got 4 items that was totally satisfactory as our dinner for 2 people: 1. Fish tacos with avocado: loved how crispy the fish was and the avocado was a great touch! 2. Wings: just ok. Not a lot of meat on the bones, but the sauce was good. 3. Papaya salad: probably my favorite food item! Was super refreshing, had just the right amount of spice, and I loved the chips it came with for crunch. 4. Pulled pork with tortilla chips: really great flavor and a generous amount of meat. I also got the pear drop, which was refreshing and tasty. Not too sweet, which was a plus. We were greeted right away when we walked in and seated at the bar right away, but I did find it quite odd that it took about 10 minutes for either of the 3 guys behind the bar to make eye contact with us (and we were definitely trying to make that connection). There's outdoor seating and we were able to find free parking right out front on Solano.