Chez Panisse
discussons in the past 3 months.
1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 548-5525 GO TO WEBSITE
MAKE RESERVATIONS (opentable.com)
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photos
- HOURS:
- RESTAURANT: Closed Sunday DINNER (two seatings) Mon-Thu 6-6:30 pm & 8:30-9:15 pm Fri-Sat 6-6:30 pm & 8:30-9:30
- PRICE RANGE: $$$$
- CREDIT CARDS: Yes
- ALCOHOL: Full Bar
- OTHER FEATURES:
- Reservations Accepted
- TAGS:
good to know
Chez Panisse started in 1971 by Alice Waters. is known as the birthplace of California cuisine, focusing on in-season, local, largely organic ingredients.
This is the downstairs restaurant; for the upstairs cafe, see http://www.chow.com/restaurants/917367/chez-panisse-cafe .
Fixed price only, price and number of courses varies with the day of the week
Monday night menus are generally simpler and more rustic or regional than what the restaurant serves on other evenings. Friday and Saturday night menus are somewhat more elaborate
Reservations essential, can be made up to 30 days in advance, often fully booked within a few hours
Sample wine list on Web site is sometimes out of date, scroll down to the bottom to see when it was last updated.
Special dinners include Japanese Soba Dinner, Parsi New Year Feast and Bastille Day. Check website for details.
quick reviews (4 Reviews)
»Chez Panisse; wonderful as expected
We finally made it to Chez Panisse and had a wonderful meal and a great experience. We went there 3 20 2010. The food, service and ambience were impeccable. We got there at 5:30 and asked if we could go upstairs for a drink and the maitre' D ( I think ) said yes and escorted us upstairs and said to order from the bar. After a nice glass of wine I went up to the bar and asked if we should go...+READ We finally made it to Chez Panisse and had a wonderful meal and a great experience. We went there 3 20 2010. The food, service and ambience were impeccable. We got there at 5:30 and asked if we could go upstairs for a drink and the maitre' D ( I think ) said yes and escorted us upstairs and said to order from the bar. After a nice glass of wine I went up to the bar and asked if we should go downstairs or wait until 6 .... the upstairs maitre'd then went downstairs to check for us and said they would come up and get us when they were ready. About 5 minutes after 6 they brought us down to a great table across from the velvet curtained entry. The food was incredible, every taste came through. The appetizer was a small plate with 2 little fava bean toasts. The flavors of fava beans, olive oil, sea salt and a herbal flavor all exploded off 2 tiny little triangles of toast. The apperitif was Proseco with their own infusion of simple syrup that tasted herbal and fruity. Every dish that followed managed to provide distinct flavors of fresh food. I asked if I could look in to the kitchen and take some pictures, they said go all the way in if you like so I wandered all the way back to the pastry area and get this: Jean Pierre said Hello to me! It was worth the money and effort (we stopped in while driving from Bellingham WA to Los Angeles)-COLLAPSE
Should you choose Chez Panisse, customers are welcome in the kitchen area. It's not like sitting at a chef's table for your full meal, but maybe that will fulfill some cooking voyeurism. REPLY (30 Replies)
I'm not the biggest fan of Monday nights for out-of-towners. I love it for locals, because the meal is cheaper and more relaxed, but when I have taken people from elsewhere who wanted the true Chez Panisse "experience" they were disappointed on the Monday night (even when I loved the same meal). REPLY (4 Replies)
