"Vietnamese tapas with a French twist." Let me tell you. This place. My new local favorite. Everything so flavorful and nicely done. Not one thing we randomly ordered that we didn't like. (Just go for it and order whatever! Or ask the server for what they reccomend.) The Shaking Filet Mignon Vietnamese sandwich (so not your typical Vietnamese sandwich, but in a good way...) the Five Spice Maple Duck Confit with Duck Demi-Glace.....oh man. Love LOVE. It was sitting on top a (super garlick, super yummy) mash potato croquette. Veg were all cooked just perfectly with the right amt of seasoning. Very impressed. My only question/comment.... WHY haven't we been here sooner! (We will be back. Ha!) FYI "Tapas Tuesdays", all the tapas which are typically $9 are only $4.50 they told us (yeaah we are so going). Better make a reservation just in case though. And during happy hour times/days they are $6. (Happy hour is also every Sunday 12pm-10:30pm. Not sure about week day hours... just call them.) read more

Vanessa's Bistro - clockwise: peach apple breadpudding, duck confit/entree, chicken rolls, filet mignon sandwich, claypot rice w/chicken & prawns - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Make reservation there on a Saturday night for my friend's bachelorette party. The vietnamese/french/asian tapas concept appealed to me..plus been hearing about this place since they open and wanted to check it out. First-the happy hour that I read about on yelp starts at 9pm...but it's at the bar only. No biggie the tapas menu price looked reasonable. Summary: -great deco -great serving dishes (very modern and unique!) -good for a big or small group -good for sharing -food was good----the two favorite dish for my dinner party was the "raw" dishes esp. Thinly Sliced Filet Mignon Carpaccio and Hamachi Carpaccio. The only disappointment on our order was the calamari dish--not your traditional calamari and I think that might be part of the issues for my dinner party. For me it was okay..nothing special. I did miss the "mayo"/marinate sauce that I am use to for dipping. -the cocktails were average..nothing special for $10 a drink. I did like my spicy Bloody Mary martini. So if everything so far I review as "good"--why the 3 stars?? I had to subtract a star for our waitress. The girl that waited on us was boring and not helpful. She didn't "sell" us on any recommendations we asked about and I hardly saw her through out the evening. I keep mistaken ask for items from the blonde girl that brought our plates. For awhile I thought she was our waitress. Just a note.. when we were there.. it was around 8pm..and there was another Bachelorette party there (a group of 6-8 ladies) and a few other people at the bar..so it wasn't like the place was super busy. I was also surprise when we got the bill that our waitress had added the gratuity onto the bill. I know that most parties of 6 or more get gratuity added to their bill..so it didn't make sense when there was only 4 of us. I guess they did because we originally made reservation for 6 but we had 2 no shows? In any case that didn't really bother me so much cause it helped with the dinner calculation among us. What did bother me was I think our waitress was "disappointed" with her tip. When my friend asked her to make sure the gratuity was added already..she looked disappointed when she said "well...kind of." Considering she did an "okay" job waiting on us...can't believe she expected more then the 18% tip she got from us! I might go back but not so sure anytime soon. The service kind of left a bad taste in my mouth that needs to be forgotten before I bring friends back there again. read more

Vanessa's Bistro is conveniently located on Locust Street next to Vitality Bowl. They have Gluten Free options and the Owner is very nice. They advertise that they can make the Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap gluten free. However items that are included in the wrap are fried in soybean oil - this same oil is used to fry chicken wings and other non-gluten free items on the menu. Therefore, people with celiac disease CAN NOT have it. They should remove it from the gluten free menu because of the cross contamination. I ordered the spicy coconut curry with chicken. The chicken was kind of stiff, the curry was okay. It smelled delicious, smelt better than it tasted. Overall, I give Vanessa's Bistro a 3 star review. I think it's great that they have Tapas Tuesday. I am glad they offer gluten free options. I just feel that the owners need to be better informed on what exactly cross contamination means. I called in and received some attitude from the male owner when I asked him about cross contamination. He mentioned that he didn't understand what I was asking; that they would not advertise gluten free options if they cross contaminated. Well buddy - clearly you DO advertise an item to be gluten free when there is cross contamination. This restaurant choice isn't bad, it's just not one I would suggest when someone asks: where do you want to eat? read more

I picked two stars because three indicates it was "A-OK," which it was to a point. The food was good but nothing I thought was exceptional, particularly for the price. Happy Hour drinks were still basically $10 a pop. I'd hate to go there during Sad Hour. Tapas were also in the $10 range. Part of my problem is that I feel that Tapas (like Dim Sum) are inherently a rip off. You're paying $10 for say three shrimp or three potsickers. And in a large group you've got multiple people ordering multiple things and it adds up very quickly. For a group of about 10 people the bill was in the neighborhood of $350. Now that may not sound like a lot for the number of people, but splitting the bill it broke down to about $85 a couple. That's a lot of money for essentially appetizers and a couple of drinks. But then it is in Walnut Creek, which notoriously overcharges for just about everything. So while the food and all was good the value is not. Just one man's opinion. read more

I saw the amazing Yelp reviews for this place but that still did not completely reassure me. I was fully expecting the restaurant to be over-hyped and overrated, BUT I was happily proven wrong. I ordered a Banh Mi sandwich with filet mignon and it was absolutely delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful and the bread was baked fresh. There were also jalapeños in the sandwich that give it a zesty touch of flavor. My friend ordered the Pad Thai and let me try a little of her dish and the flavor was amazing as well, and the noodles were soft and fresh. For dessert we ordered their D'Anjou Pear and Ginger Tarte Tatin, and goodness it was heavenly. I ended up taking a second friend here the next night and she agreed that the food was delicious. Both of us found the service extremely quick and efficient with all waiters friendly and professional. I wouldn't recommend this place if you're looking for traditional Asian cuisine, but if you are of a more adventurous disposition and willing to try Asian Fusion, then this would be the jackpot. One downside is that because of its explosive popularity, the place is extremely crowded and I would definitely suggest making a reservation before coming. On the bright side, the first time I unknowingly walked in and a very helpful host was able to move some things around to accommodate my friend and me, which speaks volumes of their great customer service. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Filet Mignon Banh Mi for $11 and Pad Thai ~$10.50 - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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so disappointing. the remodeled space is really nice, but the food is bland and uninspired. they have a decent wine list and interesting cocktail menu. the jalapeño/cucumber martini was excellent. I really loved it we ordered 4 small plates and one main. two plates came out immediately and all the rest just a few mins later. there's no way any of them were prepared to order and we had a table full of food getting cold while we tried to get through five plates at one time the duck confit lettuce wrap was good, the tuna and salmon poke was okay. the shaking beef salad had no flavor. there was literally zero garlic taste in the garlic noodles. they comp'd the noodles after we complained so that was nice I can't see any reason to return, especially with the variety of asian-fusion restaurants in the bay area and other great options in Walnut Creek read more

Very good as I like Asian fusion. I went with all tapas and was thoroughly pleased. The tapas tacos were a bit bland, but prawns, wings(exceptional), papaya salad and tuna carpaccio was very good. Good service read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Tacos - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

The venue is very rustic but comfy. Food was tasteful, flavorful, the dishes was served with great presentation. The servers were kind not much traffic on a Saturday afternoon. Ordered the garlic noodles and spring rolls. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Moscow mule, Lychee Martini - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Ok, first of all, sorry for those of you who have been asking for another review from me. It has been quite some time. However, this place not only deserves a 5 star review, but has taken me out of review hibernation. I came to Vanessa's Bistro from an opinion of an obvious weekly traveler to Walnut Creek. He blurted it out when asked the valet, and although put off by that, I decided to try. Sorry I doubted you my friend. I haven't been feeling too well with a head cold, and traveling for business creates weird eating habits. So I was craving some soup. So I thought since this was a Vietnamese place, I would order Pho. Well, no Pho so I ordered this hot sour prawn soup. Oh my gosh ... I might as well licked the bowl. Made with celery, prawns; and some other goodies, it tasted really good. I mean, really good. Just the right amount of lemon. I had to have more. I ordered from the small plates a duck confit lettuce wraps. Not only was the duck amazing, it came with basil and hoisin made in-house with black beans. Basil is probably my favorite thing about pho, so I was in heaven. So fresh, so good, so tasteful, so unique. So while deciding on desert, Dallas (an amazing server mind you) was suggesting I talk to Iesha (sorry if I misspelled your name) the brother of a cool dude Zeki (again, spelling?) who works here. She loves the chocolate panna cotta, so I ordered and indulged. Sorry Zeki, your sister was absolutely right. Heaven. Amazing place, cool atmosphere, amazing fusion Vietnamese, one of my new all time favorites. read more

I came here with 3 other friends for lunch yesterday for our annual trip to Walnut Creek (it's the middle meeting ground for where we all live). We were pretty devastated by the fact that the two restaurants where we ate last year for lunch and dinner (including the one with the best tiramisu in the world! :'( ) both closed down. :/ After a complete fail at going to Chopin Cafe for lunch (I have a knack for finding restaurants that like to close on the day we choose to go), we came here. (We actually managed to score a parking spot right outside! :D!) We were seated quickly and there is a ton of variety on the menu--definitely something for everyone. :] Service was super friendly and attentive without being overbearing. We decided to order tapas to share, although a lot of the other foods sounded amazing. (I couldn't justify paying $13 for a Vietnamese sandwich when I normally get em' for $2.50 though.) Unfortunately, I can't remember the amazing descriptions for each, but we got the ravioli, fish tacos, egg rolls, chicken wings & spring rolls. Most of them came in 4's, which was perfect in terms of being able to split them all between us. The fish tacos were quite likely my favorite out of everything we ordered; whatever it is that they put along with the avocados in the sauce = amazing. The chicken wings didn't look too special until you actually bite into them (burst of super-awesome flavor!). They were fine with us splitting the check (since we uh, live in the age of plastic), and I definitely wouldn't mind coming back to try the other things on their menu. Definitely a fan! I'd want to come back during happy hour though. (Yay for $6 tapas!) :P read more

This is more of a 3 1/2 star for food but since Vi happened to be there that night, it bumps it up to 4. We've been to Vanessa's Bistro on Solano many many times and have never been disappointed so when we got a Restaurant.com certificate for its sister restaurant in Walnut Creek, we were excited to try it out. We got many of our Berkeley faves like the french onion soup, the tuna and salmon poke, panko crusted petrale sole tacos garlic noodles, and tried a few new ones like the lemongrass chicken and shaking beef sandwich. French Onion Soup - delicious and nice to warm up a cold night Tuna and salmon poke - had mango and pineapple which was refreshing but noticed that there were very few pieces of tuna and didn't recall seeing the salmon in it Sole tacos - spot on and wouldn't mind 2 orders of this Garlic noodles - I usually love the garlic noodles and even order an extra order in Berkeley but I found this one way too salty...might just be a one off though Shaking beef sandwich - tender filet mignon with a nice srirachi aioli that's not too spicy so you can enjoy all the flavors - really liked this one Lemongrass chicken - it was smaller than we expected and because the garlic noodles were salty, it needed some rice to go with it Since it is more out of the way for us, we would rather return to the Berkeley location in the future which I feel is consistently good for dinner. read more

Sorry, it was not like tasty at all.... I think this is a place for non-Asian people to drink and try something new Asia-ish but not real Asian food. read more

Great Vietnamese flavors. Very courteous servers. The atmosphere is very nice as well. The papaya salad was excellent, the spring rolls were yummy too. I was in a rush, and I let them know, they delivered everything to my table extra fast! I'm definitely coming back read more

Vanessa's Bistro - View from the bar - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Hidden gem. The food is tasty, service is amazing! Our server was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. What else can we ask for?! Reasonably priced, good music, tasty drinks, sexy lighting. Perfect for date night. I had salt and pepper tofu, and lemongrass tofu sandwich. Tasty! It tasted authentic! Right up my alley. read more

This was my second time here and it was just as good as the first time. While I was waiting for my friend I started with an iced coffee, which was wonderful! I had the Shaking Filet Mignon Salad which has a garlic brandy butter sauce which is fantastic! We then had to try the Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap with Fresh Mint & Roasted Peanuts, Chipotle & Black Bean Sauce! This reminded me of how much I LOVE mint. It was so refreshing. Of course we had to have desert so we shared the bread pudding which was on the small side and a little crispy, but the taste was so good! Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. He was attentive though not overbearing. I look forward to coming back soon. read more

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Good food, drinks, and a friendly staff. Vanessa's is one of the best dining/happy hour options in all of Walnut Creek. Menu has several options with great and balanced flavors; you really can't go wrong. Drinks are well made, with a nice balance of ingredients. I've only been in a couple times, but I'll be coming back to Vanessa's a lot in the future I have a feeling! read more

I wanted to like this place so badly. Vietnamese is usually a hit for my family. My partner is vegan. I am not. 2 year old eats almost everything. My brothers appetite is insatiable and my parents are just discovering Vietnamese cuisine. So Vanessa's looked like it fit the bill. We were excited to try. We got here in time for happy hour and we were seated right away in the lounge by the door. The server and hostess were lovely. All the stars in this review go to the service. We ordered a bunch of tapas. All arrived so much faster than I would ever have expected. We got salt n pepper tofu, beef carpaccio, shrimp tacos, papaya salad, potstickers and quail. Everything was beautifully plated. But everything was bland. Each item tasted like it was missing something. But we kept eating it cuz other than that there was nothing wrong with it and there was no way we could send back everything. I thought it was just me but everyone kind of shrugged their shoulders and said it's fine. It was so sad you guys. Please do take my review with a grain of salt though (cuz you won't find any at Vanessa's) - it was great if this suits your palette. I think we may have been craving something that this wasn't. read more

Passed this place by chance and dropped in for lunch. Everyone was very friendly and server was helpful and attentive. We had: Slow Oven Roasted Pork w/ Spicy Chipotle Sauce, Tortilla Chips & Pickles. Serving of pork was surprisingly large, in a good spicy sauce. Panko-crusted fish tacos with garlic cilantro aioli were good, but could have used a little more fish. We couldn't order the crispy chicken rolls or duck lettuce wraps because they had run out of lettuce, so we settled for the fresh spring rolls with shrimp. Serving size of rolls was small, and the chipotle & black bean sauce, heavy with hoisin, was too strong & thick for the delicate rolls. I want to return to try some of the other tapas, preferably during happy hour or Tapas Tuesday. At full price ($9.50) some tapas would be pricey for the serving size. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Roasted Pork, chipotle sauce - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I've ordered over the phone my sandwich to go with filet mignon, and I was looking forward to my meal, but when I got home to enjoy it, it was a CHICKEN:((( Veeeery disappointing... Check your orders !!!!! And I asked before I picked it up, if it was my order, they said YES. Not sure if I can trust this place again:/ read more

When it comes to stepping out in WC my husband and I tend to be creatures of habit and eat at our regular favorite places. Don't get me wrong we love trying new places, especially in Oakland/Berkeley or SF....but somehow in WC we just migrate to what we know, nothing wrong with that if it's good? Well I don't know what made me think of Vanessa's really.... I've seen this place a few times in passing and it used to be a Sushi place we had eaten at that just couldn't thrive business wise, I think someone even told me the other location was really good. But I knew we'd need a plan for after the movie got out. So while sitting waiting for our movie to start (you know the theater around the corner) I thought to look it up on yelp as we did our usual bander "where do YOU want to go, no I asked you first" back and forth. This place has lots of positive reviews and the pictures made it even more inviting, thank you yelp. So with that I thought hmmmm, Saturday night and we weren't gonna get out until at least 8:15 maybe we should get a reservation just to be safe? Switch over to Open Table app (god I love my iphone), and YES! I can book a reservation for 8:30 for two Sweet! Good thing, the movie got out at 8:25 giving us literally 5 minutes to jam over around the corner and get there the place was pretty full. The hostess asked if we had reservations, YES and seated us right away as others waited (probably walk ins. Nice! Now the food: Its a Vietnamese/french cuisine in a Tapas style that's easy to order for one's self or share. Theres a couple soups, and multiple salad choices, Tapas (many different unique plates) and a "meats" listing and Side dishes. Since it was later we didn't want to order too much food so we started with three plates and the waiter let us keep a menu to add if we decided we wanted more later. We started with the fish tacos which I'd say were one of the best I've had, and are super flavorful. They have raw onion (which you'd think would be over powering but it works with everything perfectly), tomatoes, avocado a sprig of cilantro with a small piece of breaded cod with an aioli and the combo just all pops in your mouth with amazing flavor! Matter a fact we ordered a second of these because they were seriously so tasty and even though there's three we got the knife out and cut the third to make it fair (because it was that damn good!). We also had these chicken with vegetable pot stickers that came with a garlic ponzi dipping sauce so fat and juicy and very filling! And I couldn't resist trying the Claypot a favorite I love having at many Vietnamese restaurants, Vanessa's being a lovely sweet flavor of soy infused rice that's all crisply stuck at the bottom of the iron pot. And the beautiful baby bok choys and and carrots mixed with chicken and prawns perfectly steamed and plump. MMMMMMMM! And I have to tell you after just those four dishes we were satisfactorily full, and with a Guinness all for $45. Totally reasonable for a great dinner and excellent service. Our waiter told us when I asked the size and sharing capabilities of the Tapas that "Vanessa's had the largest Tapas in WC", WoW okay! And as soon as we finished a Tapas dish someone would swoop by and remove the plate. It also looks to have a full bar, (nice to sit at and schmooze) and they also had a back room which could be handy for a bigger party. Yum, can't wait to go back, this will be now added to one of my regular "faves". read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Chicken w/vegetables potstickers - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Vanessa's Bistro 2 is my fav Tapas place in Walnut Creek. Before I move on the list the many yummy dishes, I need to acknowledge their great selection of wine and scotches... Besides the great ambience and wait staff, here is a list of the dishes that I love, love, love: - Shaking Filet Mignon Salad (mmmm beef is like butter) - Thinly Sliced Filet Mignon Carpaccio (the tastiest rare beef ever) - Pan Seared Filet Mignon with Garlic Mash Potato & Cabernet Sauce (see above re. tasty beef and buttery texture) - Wok Fried Eggplant (flavorful and soft) - Sauteed Green Beans & Tofu (Best Tofu in Contra Costa period) - BREAD PUDDING: to die for period I'm too hungry to keep writing. Basically, I've tried every item on the menu...never been disappointed...all their food is infused with a depth of flavors and textures. read more

This is such a cute restaurant. Spacious but cozy at the same time. We had dinner at 7pm and the restaurant was just starting to fill up. They have happy hour here before 6pm. This Vietnamese fusion tapas restuarant is so much fun! The service was excellent and the food was really good. Definitely will be back for another dinner date. We tried the following items: Sweet & Sour Prawns Saigon Style Soup Ahi Tuna Carpaccio ~ Ginger Soy ~ Onion ~ Cilantro ~ Tomatoes Salt & Pepper Fried Tender Calamari(steak) ~ Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap with Fresh Basil & Roasted Peanuts ~ Chipotle & Black Bean Sauce Crispy Panko Crusted Petrale Sole Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Aioli Slow Oven Roasted Baby Back Ribs with House-Made Spicy Pickled Napa Cabbage Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta with Black Berry Carmel Sauce & Whip Cream We loved all of the above dishes except for the baby back ribs. There are many other items to try but our bellies were filled all the way to the top by now. All portions are small..hence, tapas style. I love it because you can try an aray of foods from throughout the menu and just sample a bit of everything all at once. Presentation of the food was nice too!iiss read more

As I said to my date, this restaurant looks nice, and I want to like it but it disappointed me. For example, the restaurant itself. We walked in on Saturday with no reservations and got a seat right away. Unfortunately, not in the front where all the small tables were but in the back. The table was too wide for an intimate evening and the wide base prevented me from pulling the chair in as much as I liked. I kept trying to scoot in out of habit and kept hitting the massive circular base of the table. The decor is classy and tasteful. However, there is nothing to break up the sound. We were in the back room with one other party of about seven people. It was so loud in there I had trouble hearing my date. The other table was filled with boisterous, loud people, but still! If it was this bad with just us, imagine how bad it would be if the other tables were filled. The food was hit or miss too. The sizzling fillet appetizer salad was great, I'd highly recommend it, but for the entrees one was under par. We tried the stuffed sole with dungeness crab meat which was delightful. The fish and crab went well together. The other thing we had was the lamb shank which was OK, but way too salty. On the plus side, the waiter was great. He was appropriately attentive, checking in on us but letting us have space. He also recommended the sole which is in his favor. Vanessa's was OK, but not special enough to make me hurry back. read more

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Thank god they removed that terrible Japanese restaurant that occupied this location prior to Vanessa's Bistro. I am giving this place a 5 star for the shaking filet salad. I absolutely love the harmonious flavors in that salad. I recommend that and the duck confit lettuce wraps. Stay away from the typical items such as: pot stickers, spring rolls, salt and pepper shimp or calamari. They taste bland compared to the other items on the menu. We tried the ahi tuna and felit carpaccio which where both tasty. Fun open atmosphere with huge dining room in the back. Good groups and lunch. Tapas style is good so you can get a good taste of their flavors on your first visit. Next time it will be an entrée. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Shaking Filet Salad (best), Papaya Salad, Vermicelli - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Walnut Creek seems to burst with local restaurants. My husband and I were in the area, waiting for traffic to die down. We hit up Vanessa's Bistro 2 because of Happy Hour. The selection might seem limited but this is more tapas style, so you're encouraged to sample and share. I think we had 3 orders of garlic butter noodles because garlic + butter + noodles in the same sentence. I enjoyed the duck lettuce wraps. I even used the leftover duck with the garlic noodles. I did like the laid back ambiance of the place. I wanted to get cozy with a drink and stay for a little white longer. Service was prompt and dishes were served quick. I hope Vanessa considers expanding to more locations in the Bay Area. She got a good thing going. read more

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Situated in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek, this is your more refined Vietnamese cuisine with a bit of a Latin flare. The dishes come in tapas form, so diners can try a variety of dishes. The staff is friendly and attentive. Now on to the menu: -Sole tacos garlic cilantro aioli was perhaps the best dish of the night. -Slow oven roasted pork with spicy chipotle sauce, tortilla chips and pickles was also a good dish. -Shaking filet mignon salad was a disappointment. The filet was not the best cut. There was too few meat pieces relative to the salad. The salad was rather sad and the sauce was not very flavorful. -Clay pot rice with chicken was not bad. -Maple leaf duck confit wrap with fresh basil, roasted peanuts, chipotle and black bean sauce was also ok. read more

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One of the best spots in Walnut Creek I have to say you must stop by and have the ribeye salad one of the best on the menu. .. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Overall, good ambiance and attentive service but we were underwhelmed with the food. Concept is Asian fusion - Vietnamese & French cuisine according the description. Actual menu seems influenced by Spanish/Mexican cuisine as it's tapa - style, with tacos and tostadas chips. We went for happy hour between 3-6 pm $6 dollar tapas and drinks. For tapas, we ordered ahi tuna carpaccio, chicken egg rolls, calamari and slow cooked pork. Best dish order (from best to worst) was calamari } chicken egg rolls } slow cooked pork } ahi tuna carpaccio. Slow cooked pork was over-salted with no other flavors, ahi tuna carpaccio lacked freshness and slightly chewy pieces. If you are an avid cook of Asian food, the flavors will taste the same as what can be made at home. If you are craving authentic Vietnamese, pass on this place and go to an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the area. Choose this place for happy hour to have strong drinks and appetizers before dinner. read more

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I really like their tapas menu. They have a lot of very savory and tasty dishes. Some of my favorites are their spring rolls, French onion soup, carpaccio and chow menu noodle dish. read more

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I'm Celiac. Just putting that out there. So in my search for restaurants that consider this, I stumbled upon Vanessa's. I wasn't impressed by the article she had posted that showed her cooking in her 700 dollar Louboutin's, nor was I expecting anything amazing or brilliant because of the countless eateries that boast a gluten free menu without a gluten free execution. All I was looking at was that they offered Gluten free options and followed a cooking regime that avoided cross contamination. This Vanessa, you succeeded at. Not to mention your staff (attentive male hostess watching the Warriors game with us) and awesome bartender Anthony. I'm pretty particular about seating; so if I get seated next to a loud obnoxious table of 4, I'd rather sit at the secluded bar where nobody was seated. Was the best decision I made. Cocktails: Happy hour is from 3-6 daily and 9- closing Thursday through Sunday. Their selection was half the regular menu and included their house specialty; the Spicy Bloody Mary Martini with basil. SO GOOD. I'd order it with either no salt on the rim or light salt. The house wine (both the cab and the chard) were good and went well with the meals we chose. Food: The only complaint we had were the portion sizes. Flavors were on point. We started with the happy hour beef carpaccio (6 thin slices of beef with fried shallots, tomato, and cilantro) and the spring rolls (normally $9, but were $4.50). My boyfriend is not a fan of cilantro (he prefers parsley ICK) but loved the beef overall. The spring rolls I thought were good- the sauce was what made it all come together. Not a lot going on inside but basil, shrimp and noodle, but good. For main courses I got the pan seared Filet Mignon and my boyfriend got the Salmon with miso soy and pad Thai. One thing I noticed is that I asked for medium for the Filet and got medium rare, which I don't mind but just a heads up- always order medium. It was pretty good. In order to make it gluten free, I had them leave the citrus sauce (which had soy in it) off of the shrimp. Not only were they accommodating to my needs, they were pretty awesome about it- Anthony went back to ask the chef about my dietary restrictions and was knowledgeable about what Gluten free actually entailed. They even served the shrimp on the side. My boyfriend was really happy with his Salmon, which isn't really easy to do- he's very particular about flavors and said that the sauce wasn't overpowering and they didn't slather it on in order to compensate for the fact that they overcooked the noodles like most other places. Noodles were not sticking together and the overall presentation was very fresh. It wasn't quite clear what exactly was gluten free and what wasn't, just the asterisks on what could be "made" gluten free. This tiny detail does not deter from the fact that they knew what gluten free cooking was and they followed very particular procedures to make sure I didn't get sick. This, I am grateful for. Besides the fact that it was a bit pretentious in good ol' Walnut Creek, I enjoyed my dining experience and look forward to coming back again. Thanks Anthony, for adhering to an ideal that it's important to take a persons food allergies and medical conditions into consideration. And Thank you Vanessa- not for your shoes, but for your consideration of people who can't eat everything you serve. It's a consideration that is hard to come by and I appreciate it. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Spicy Basil Bloody Mary Martini - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Went here for my bf's cousin's engagement party. They rented out the front lower level area where the entrance & bar is. It's a cute place, great for an intimate gethering of 20-30 people. The place was well-kept and service was good. There were appetizers which included Vietnamese style eggrolls (yummy!), pulled pork sliders (banh mi style with pickled carrots, radish, chili sauce and cilantro, and shrimp ceviche with tostadas. They were all delicious. The drinks were self-serve mimosas with different types of juice (orange, mango, guava, pineapple-mango-orange) with sliced fruits if you want it in there. Those were good too. Overall, it's a nice venue and I'd go back to try to eat there as a regular sit down meal. read more

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Excellent. Great service. New Year's Eve. Got filet mignon and it was amazing. Papaya salad and grilled eggplant side. 10+ quality. The steak was better then Flamings. (Medium rare ) Try that. Sometimes it is what you order. It really made my night read more

Love the food here! Interesting flavors and options. Fresh veggies are in nearly every dish, which is great. It can be really loud, so just expect that going in if it's a peak time. Staff is knowledgeable and accommodating! read more

The food and cocktails are delicious! It's the kind of place you'll crave at least once a week. They're open for takeout during the shelter in place and even offer cocktails to go. Thank you so much to the team at Vanessa's for being there and staying open for the community during this pandemic! We really appreciate it! read more

When we waked in to this place, i was wondering why it wasnt packed like other places near.. now i understand! What a rip off! Not worth the money I spent here! The wine i ordered came 1/4 the glass and my god they charged for club soda 3$ ! The food & service was not great either for the price. My whole experience here was a waste of my money! I will never return nor recommend to anyone! I call this place cheap shot to steal peoples money! Not cool!!! read more

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I wish I had a time machine to go back in time and eat somewhere else. The atmosphere is akin to a nightclub. The acoustics actually amplify the sounds. They play loud dance music over the speakers. Oh why? You have to shout to hear your dining companion who is right beside you. It is the loudest restaurant I've ever been to. This alone made me want to leave. Oh but it only got worse from here. My lychee martini tasted like pure vodka with a dash of fruit. It was not even sweet. Who drinks straight up vodka? Is this Russia? The slow cooked pork tapa was delicious, but it didn't make up for my main course. I had the shrimp and scallop Thai coconut curry. The potatoes were undercooked and inedible. The scallops were "wet treated" and tasted like soap. Wet treated cheaper scallops will be treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, which has a noticeable taste, that is absolutely vile. Dry treated scallops are more expensive, but have no soapy taste and no chemicals added. Ugh. The shrimp was good, but didn't make up for my soapy scallops. The husband had the chicken and filet mignon garlic noodles. The entree skimped on the meat, but it was good tasting. Skip this place. You'll thank me later. *Update: Regarding the owner's response: His response was quit rude and condescending. This is what you should expect from this restaurant. I've been to plenty bistros before, but none so loud. Bistro has never been synonymous with nightclub ambiance. I'm not really sure how allowing them to "rectify" the meal would have helped. I mean, they used cheap scallops and undercooked potatoes. I was, quite frankly, afraid of anything else they might place in front of me. It is my duty as a yelper to report my experience without fear of backlash from the restaurant. It's unfortunate that restaurant management does not know how to treat the patrons. Maybe instead, they could learn from my review and admit that the food I ate was garbage, perhaps apologize for my ruined meal? Nope, the bad experience was entirely my fault and I should have been able to tell the future. read more

Always good and solid. Our favs- fish tacos, bok choy, garlic fries, garlic noodles. Pot stickers are good, maybe a little thick on the dough part. Drinks are a great value and not overly sweet. It is one restaurant that everyone in the family enjoys. Some say Va de Vie, and their food is great, but Vanessa's has a nice happy hour and so doesn't have to be some special occasion to get the whole fam out and happy!! read more

I saw a social media post that they were opening today for to go deliveries so at 4 o'clock I called and had the pleasure of speaking with Natalie who helped me navigate the menu and the options for getting food to go. She was extremely patient and had great suggestions. We went with the spring rolls, chicken clay pot and the vegetarian pad Thai. The pad Thai and the clay pot were absolutely delicious and it makes me so very happy that this restaurant that is so close to my home is available to grab and pick up such yummy food!! Thank you Natalie for all of your help! read more

First thought very hip, small and modern. A nice place to enjoy great food and great company. We had a lunch meeting here and ordered a couple of tapas and entree dishes, which was outstanding, the staff was very polite and attentive. You should come check this out for yourself as I always say, everyone has their own opinions so you need to see it to believe it. Ill definitely be back to try all the dishes on the menu .. anyone interested in joining me :o) lol read more

Good happy hour for food and drink. Otherwise this place is really expensive for the portion sizes you get. The drinks are tasty and the dishes are unique...would be nice to see a little more French flare to the cuisine. Would return here for happy hour. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Sweet potato fries, tofu vegetable curry, prawn papaya salad, & spicy braised pork - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California