So glad Norseman is back in business! I came here for lunch with my Yelp buddy George F. on 02/21/2024. As we were waiting for them to open, we were informed by the Culinary Arts program director that walk-ins were no longer being accepted. This was certainly news to me. Fortunately, he was kind enough to accommodate us and we were able to get a table on the spot. We were seated by a student staffer at a table next to the windows. The interior appeared to have gone through some renovations since the last time I was here. We were told that their four-course prix fixe menu is now ingredient-themed instead of region-themed like the old days. For my "Citrus" theme lunch, I had following: 1st Course - Grilled Moroccan Lemon Quail with Pine Nuts 2nd Course - Tom Yum Soup 3rd Course - Cuban Mojo Duck with Mofongo Dessert - Maltese Blood Orange Tart Everything was very good. The quail and duck were perfectly cooked. The tom yum soup had a really nice balance. It was spicy, tangy, and savory. The orange tart, served with vanilla ice cream, was the perfect end to the meal. Service was excellent. The students were polite and attentive. The price per person was $30 (no T/T since they are technically not a real restaurant). If you want to get on their e-mail list, or want to make a reservation, you can contact Cinthia Chavarria at cchavarria@dvc.edu. BONUS MATERIAL: - They only operate eight weeks or so during the semester. T-TH 11am-1pm. - Credit card payments only. read more

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Harvey K. my Yelp buddy decided to be one of the first patrons in the reopening of the Norseman restaurant since the Covid pandemic. In a way we just lucked out by going today. They are reservations only but the head of the Culinary Arts program allowed us get in. Norseman restaurant is located on the campus of Diablo Valley College and is part of the culinary education program. A Prix Fixed menu with a theme changing every week. Today's theme was "Citrus". Our first courses were Scallops Quail Tom yum soup Duck Pork carnitas tacos Blood orange tart Complimentary lemonade and citrus cake. $30 per no tip policy. Only credit cards accepted. read more

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Hopefully this helps others. The 4 course prix fixe meal is no longer. Everything is ala carte now, and is not particularly good. 2 stars - just because they're students - everyone's gotta start somewhere That said, 10 bucks for a burger... was decent, but small and greasy $12 for a pastrami sandwich that's borderline edible. Bread was fantastic marble rye, however the entire sandwich was just bread, mustard, and a 3/4" thick slice of crazy salty meat. I could barely eat 1/2 because it was incredibly salty. Meat was a quality cut of brisket, but massive error in the salt. $4 for French fries that the kids forgot to bring, so it was a dessert... $8 for mac n cheese. Bit too goopy and starchy, lacked cheese and complexity. Also ordered the Brussels sprouts. Was literally served in a cup for soup. Serving size was super meager. Initially when it was brought out, the server and I thought it was a cup of onions that my buddy asked for to top his chili All in all, as much as I want to support the kids, the menu, portion size, and cooking needs to change before I go back. I was really excited to get a fancy meal, then was met with a salt sandwich. Supposedly the menu is changing a little in the coming weeks, then in a couple months they're hosting a "high tea" at the end of the semester read more

For students serving and preparing the fixe meal.. very commendable. I always wanted to go to a culinary arts lunch service. read more

Norseman Restaurant - Squid ink pappardelle - New American Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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REOPEN!!! Give students experience they need. The Norseman is 5 star restaurant. Highly recommend when it's open.

Fine dining on the cheap with superb food and service!! Much thanks to fellow Yelpers putting this place on my radar! When we went, it looked like they were a bit overwhelmed as there was a huge line and the dining room was packed. We had to wait quite a bit. Despite of that, it was still an excellent meal all around. With the quality & portion of the food and the attentive service, I would have been happy paying normal prices, let alone at such unbeatable low prices! Those chefs-to-be are really talented!Needless to say, I'm extremely happy with this culinary gem! read more

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If you go to DVC and haven't tried this place yet... what are you doing? Everything to the affordable prices to the ambience to the mouth watering dishes is perfect. I'm blown away that we have a fancy restaurant on campus. If you're stressed with homework or exams and have downtime in between classes, eat here. You'll feel refreshed and energized. read more

Norseman Restaurant - Scallops - New American Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

This is my last semester at DVC, but I wish I'd known about this place sooner! The food is high quality and the prices are amazing, especially considering how professionally The Norseman is run. The food is so much better than the prices would have you believe, and each week has a different cuisine, so you're always getting something new. If you're a student at DVC, try checking out this cozy restaurant upstairs; it's much better than the cafeteria. read more

~CASH ONLY~ There is the "buffet line" (often a fan) or if you have more time, then try the "sit down" menu with FULL Service wait staff (haven't tried it yet). The buffet style menu is simple and FAB. In general, the food is perfectly cooked and usually kinda bland. I've never added salt, but often hoped for some kind of spice or something. *The various Salads are 95% on point; the house-made dressings are delicious and the greens are ALWAYS very fresh. They occasionally get super chinzy on the portion size (even as an individually purchased side). IF you're hungry between 11am-1pm head to the Norseman (looks over the fountain); for $1 you can get something delicious to hold you over until the next class *wink* IF you're really hungry then get the Entree + 2 side for $4 and you'll be pleasantly surprised. I've NEVER had never had a "bad meal" here. Although the portion sizes are often on the small side. I'll try the "sit down" restaurant and let you know... read more

Norseman Restaurant - Green Salad $1 - New American Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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I have eaten here twice, neither of which were when I was a student here. While the prices are better at Contra Costa College's Aqua Terra Grille, you still can't get fine dining for a better price in the 925. You can even get a prix fix meal for $16 here! Students make all kinds of dishes from the Mediterranean, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe, and they are delicious. Service is also excellent; student servers are attentive and friendly and I have never seen one on their phones. The head of the culinary department can often be seen checking in on people. Limited hours for lunch during the school year, but be sure to check it out! read more

This is my last semester at DVC, I wish someone would have told me earlier about the Norseman! The food is beautiful and delicious with a price tag hard to match. Although it's not part of the Norseman but next to it, they have an AMAZING bakery! I buy cookies and loafs of bread daily. The only downside: if you're not a student, you'll have to buy a day pass for parking. read more

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Finally decided to check out the restaurant at DVC. Wow, I wish I had tried this place sooner! Its entrees were $12-$13 each, or you can get the fixed menu for $15, which included soup or salad, choice of entree, and dessert. I had the steak, girlfriend had rack of lamb. I really enjoyed the broccoli cheese soup. It had chunks of roasted broccoli in it, which added a great smokey flavor. The complimentary bread was also soft and warm, and great to dip in the soup. Girlfriend had the salad...looked fine. The steak was pretty good. Its a little on the small side, as expected with the prices, but it was well seasoned and grilled nicely. The steak was pretty thin though, so it wasn't really medium-rare. The mashed potatoes and asparagus were both excellent. The rack of lamb came with only 2 small pieces, felt like one or two more was needed. Desserts were really good. I had the caramel cream, which was sort of like an ice cream. Also had the orange chocolate marquis, which was a chocolate cake with sauce, and it was really tasty. Service was attentive (though a tiny bit awkward, but that's fine, they are students), place was pleasantly decorated, and from 11:00am to noon, it wasn't too crowded (got to about half full by the time we left at noon). Just make sure to check the dates they are open, because 11/7/2019 was the last day of service until next semester. read more

Our favorite dinner experience during our month in NL! Lovely setting, excellent food and service and we enjoyed meeting the owners!

Some of the reviews don't reflect the current setup. Here's how it works as of 2015: In the nice new HSF building on the Diablo Valley College campus, there are several places to eat. There's a cafeteria downstairs. Upstairs, there's the Express, the Pastry Shop, and the Norseman. The Express is good quality steam table food. The Pastry Shop is an excellent patisserie/bakery. The Norseman is a sit-down, white tablecloth restaurant. All of these upstairs eating spots are part of DVC's culinary programs, so students are preparing and serving the food. The Norseman is a mix of casual (because it's on a college campus, staffed by students, patronized by whoever's around) and schmancy (excellent ingredients, interesting dishes). The prices are low because it's a learning experience for the students. If you're in the area and have $3 for a parking pass, you should give it a try. You can order ala carte or do the prix fixe option, which is a great value. Everything I've eaten here has ranged from "fine" to "outstanding". P. S. M-Th lunch only, short hours. read more

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If you are a student at DVC or work near this college campus, you need to check out this hidden gem! It's been about 15 years since I went to DVC....but now my Mom is retired and going back to school to get her culinary degree as a pastry chef. We stopped in here today to check out their restaurant because my Mom heard really great things about it. It's a restaurant ran by the hotel and restaurant management teachers and students. Today they were serving a French menu. For an appetizer we ordered the fried gnocchi and shared a beet salad. Wow....for college campus food it was phenomenal! I was totally blown away by how good it was!! The beet salad consisted of red and yellow beets marinated on top of spinach salad and yellow cherry tomatoes with a sweet vinaigrette dressing! YUM! The fried gnocchi was devoured quickly. Little bites of gnocchi fried and drizzled with a browned butter sauce with garlic. I couldn't stop eating them. Very very good! My Mom and I both got the Beef Wellington rare that was served with florets of broccoli and mashed potatoes that were not your ordinary mashers. They were crispy on top and mashy and tasty in the middle. Mmmmm! We got dessert too and had the strawberry crepe filled with strawberry yogurt and drizzled with butterscotch. Service was excellent as well. Catering students were taking orders and serving meals and our server did a marvelous job although he seemed sort of nervous. Instructors were also in the room too asking people how they liked their meals and of course my Mom was telling everyone how excited she was to be coming to school here in the Fall ;) Such a bragger! Our amazing meal came to $29.50. Deal! A meal like this anywhere else would have cost over $100. You are not going to get romantic ambiance here and the decor is so-so but for good college food, this is a must to try out sometime! I will definitely be back.....they are only open Wed and Thurs from 11am to 1pm. read more

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Want a cheap fine dining restaurant? Always wanted to be served high class food like the monopoly guy? Well then this is your answer! This place is great, finally a fine dining restaurant that I can go to with a t-shirt on. Run by students, cooked by students, served by students, and definitely priced for students. Definitely ask your waiter what's good that day, because the menu is always changing and you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes the student cooks will turn out a bad dish, but sometimes you'll get someone who really knows what they're doing and you won't be able to compare your meal to anything else. Yes, definitely reserve a table and spend a few lunches at the Norsemen. I've enjoyed every meal i've had there read more

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Loved the care and attention given to me while dining and the beautiful presentation on each and every dish. Had the four course meal. Super delish. The rolls were fresh and pretty. Enjoyed my Salmon dish immensely. The server was pleasant and helpful. The only critique I have is I would have liked a refill on my coffee and I was never asked. No biggee. The best part was the chocolate truffles at the end. Sooo yummy. An incredible value for only $15.00 or so. Highly recommend it. read more

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Food coming from students that are training to become chefs. The food was well prepared and presented. Hand made drinks (I ordered the strawberry lemonade) as for dessert i went with the Honey crisp with strawberry glaze along with hand made creme. my overall experience was very satisfying. I highly recommend The Norseman Grill, if you enjoy great tasting food for a reasonable price. read more

Norseman Restaurant - Honey Crisps with Strawberries and Rhubarb sauce. - New American Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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The food surpassed my expectations! Fresh, great quality, robust flavors. Their best deal is a soup, salad, entree and dessert for $14. Can't beat it. read more

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Seeing that I am a graduate of this program I am going to be a little bias, but when it comes to good food at a cheap price this is the best deal in the east bay. There is no other place in the area that you can get White Table Top service for under $10 per person. The menu is on a rotating basis, that lasts about 2 weeks. The biggest thing to remember when you eat at the Norseman is that this is a learning experience for all the servers and cooks, so just be patient. read more

Fabulous inexpensive fine dining. The food was good and the staff are very attentive. My 7 coworkers and I made reservations for this restaurant for our annual department Holiday Lunch because a few of us had been before and enjoyed it. Service was consistent and the courses flowed appropriately. My only complaint would be the dessert. Once seated with the menu, most of us chose our dessert before our meals. The menu had 4 different selections for dessert, but in the middle of dining, we were told that due to our group size, we would have one specially made for us, no other option. It was an apple crisp, not on the menu, but it was okay, just not what we wanted. read more

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An incredible fusion of culinary students efforts and amazing ingredients make for an explosion of a dinning experience. Me and a group of friends dinned at the Norseman on 05/04/17 and received a 5 star restaurant experience for 15 bucks! Each of us enjoyed a 3 course meal, mine was: -Ahi Tuna Carpaccio (Appetizer) -Pan Roasted NY Strip Loin (Entree) -Salted Caramel Dome (Dessert) Throughout we had the most attentive and friendly service. The food was quality, one could really tell the care and focus that was placed on the food. I will be going back again and again. read more

I don't know about the 5 star reviews... the Norseman is exclusively a cook / chef in training staff. They often have some really good items to offer, but sometimes inconsistent, which is to be expected since they're learning. Prices are great for what you get, and it's even cheaper when near closing time. Some of the staff are very inefficient and seem lost, floating around here & there, basically getting in the way and making the line move slower..., but, again, they're still learning. Overall, it's good, worth it, and better than a bag of chips from the bookstore. read more

Best place to go for quality food and fine dining experience at half the cost. The students genuinely care about the work they put in. read more

Loved this place. Servers struggle, but heck it is a learning experience. The food is wonderful. I want to go back more often. Even after an entire glass of iced tea was spilled on me. Felt sooooooooo sorry for the waiter, he really tried hard. We went with a party of 6 and had wonderful food and a great time. read more

Culinary students run this cafe. Aways the best place to eat before they are sent out to the real restaurant world where their dreams of chefness are corrupted. read more

I've eaten here many times before and I have to say....THE FOOD IS SOOOO GOOD! The students knowledge of the menu is beyond amazing! I will be coming back with friends! I highly recommend the prix fixe menu because you get a soup or salad, and entree and a dessert for one price! That's an amazing deal! Would recommend read more

They need to advertise this amazing place. You will be treated well with great service and delicious food with a good deal. You pay $3 parking if you want to park near the restaurant, but it is still a good deal. The restaurant is open between 11 am to 1 pm. Finding a parking spot is not hard since the students are coming and going all the time. The menu changes every week, I think. This week I had Miso Marinated Salmon, refreshing rolls (ultra-thin sliced cucumber rolls with Julienned carrots, Daikon radish, and avocado) with soy-based dipping sauce, Miso soup, and green salad with sesame dressing. Miso soup was simple, but had a deep Umami flavor. I felt so satisfied. Much better than the regular freebie miso soup at the Japanese restaurant. Refreshing rolls are so pretty in presentation (imagine "vegetable Sushi rolls without fish, seaweed, or rice). I wanted to eat more of those. It was an appetizer so there were only four of them. Salmon was so good! Perfectly cooked, and miso flavor worked well.. It came with Udon noodle and vegetables with ginger sauce. it was a great company for salmon. I wanted to try Sushi rolls that I saw at the other tables nearby, but whole service took more than one hour, and I felt so relaxed and satisfied already . I will try Sushi next week. I hope they have Sushi again. Oh, you should know that the service was done by the DVC culinary students, and the food was done by the students as their class. If you think the serve is slow, this is why. But they are doing a good job every time I go. They are always polite and they do it right. I go to eat there not only to support the program, but also I love the whole experience. read more

Wonderful service...The food was outstanding! I had Baked Salmon with Sour Cream Sauce. My friend had Chicken Schnitzel Caprese with Irish Mashed Potatoes. Each priced under $8.00. As they just re-opened for this season it is a must if you like good food. Only open 11:30 - 1:00 pm Tuesday, Wed. and Thursday. They only accept cash. Parking is $3.00 in lot #8....I asked why no web site with menu as the selection changes each week. read more

High class food served with pride at a low cost. Defintely worth the experience. everything was perfect. Calling ahead for reservatons good idea . parking $3.00. read more

Very inexpensive. Obviously, students serving you, students cooking for you, and students leading the program. Overall, very good. The food is excellent, the service is top notch (all tips are donated to the school) and you can't beat the prices. However, only open Tu-Th. 11 til 1. read more

Amazing experience. We went there last Thursday. We were party of 5. We were too late for the Chef' s 4 course menu so we ordered A la carte and were all happy with our food. We had Avocado salad, iceberg wedge salad, clam chowder. My in law had Lamb shank. A beautiful big shank on a bed of wild rice and green chubby asparagus, the burger with balsamic sauce and garlic fries got rave review on how juicy the beef was. Vegetarian dish was made special and my husband enjoyed it. My sister in law and I had grilled Salmon with skin on cooked perfectly, pink in the middle positioned next to a generous dollop of creamy, tasty garlic mashed potato and steamed green asparagus. We picked all 4 deserts available that day Chocolate cake, Pecan tart with homade Vanilla ice cream, creme brulee, pistachio and creme cake and also a plate of Godiva' s quality handmade chocolate finished with rich dark coffee. So decadent. Make sure that you are not in a rush when you go there and be patient. It' s a fully run restaurant by the students. They are learning , they need your feed back at the end of the meal on cards provided. We look forward to going back this week to try the Chef' s prix fix menus. read more

Norseman Restaurant - New American Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Outstanding food by budding chefs. Five course meal $14.95. Can do all inclusive meal or a la carte. Excellent presentation and taste. Service a little slow, but you come for the experience. Loved it! read more

This place has pretty good food for a reasonable price. Service is kind of hit and miss as the "staff" are culinary students in training and not professional servers so I'm giving them a break. They are not open year around and the menu changes during the course of the academic year. If you're in the area and have the time and patience, I would encourage you to try it out. It's hard to find if you don't know the location (right above the cafeteria on campus). Even most of the students don't know where it is. Parking is in the lots surrounding the campus and cost $3 minimum at the self-service machines. You will need the three hour pass at least. Just remember this is NOT a regular full-service restaurant but a restaurant run by the culinary arts school so be patient and you won't be disappointed. The "fixed price special" was $15.95 and included a selection from either soup,appetizer or salad, and an entree and a dessert. Beverages are not included in the fixed price menu. You can also order selections individually. read more

DVC's upstairs cafe is outta this world!!!! serving not only students but also to the public w five star appetizers entrées and desserts! Hurry while getting isssss goooooood read more

An absolute amazing steak and desert. Great service and very nice employees, very impressive all of them being students of the culinary program at DVC. Will be going again. read more