Nice quaint restaraunt with lovely decor, casual, but can dress up a tad. The food was very good, delicious salman, tuna tartar, curry sauce amazing, the iced coffee, infused waters all very good. The service seemed descent, not super attentive or personable service, but mostly timely. I recommend small parties of 4 would be better. This place is worth a try for sure. read more

Vanessa Bistro 2 is a family run business with lots of regulars. I went to VB2 for dinner and I was surprised with how many people in the restaurant knew the owners and were hugging the waiters and/or stopping by to say hi to the host. I made reservations so I was seated right away. Sadly it was next to the door and it was a really cold night. I told the server and he kicked on the heat right away, which I really appreciated. As my starter, I had the Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap with fresh basil and roasted peanuts and chipotle black bean sauce. It was $9. It wasn't the best duck confit I've ever had but it was pretty good. For my dinner I had the Cumin Marinated Jumbo Prawns with Garlic Noodles, $16. It was really delicious but near the bottom of the bowl, it seemed a little heavy for a dinner selection. Dessert was the best part of the meal. The waiter noticed I was still cold so he served us coffee at a different table that was closer to the heating vents. I thought his consideration was amazing. At my new, warmer table, I had a cup of coffee and the Banana Fosters with their homemade caramel sauce. I think this restaurant really knows how to treat their clients well and I will be back to try out more of their culinary fare. . read more

Vanessa's Bistro 2 has fabulous decor. It's contemporary with Vietnamese art pieces that add to the cultural appeal. The bathroom is clean which is always a plus for me. The waitstaff were professional and dressed pretty snazzy. Let's get to the food we had: 1) Spicy Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Poached Prawns ~ Roasted Peanuts ~ Fried Shallots~ Mint The papaya salad was fresh, and spicy enough for our kids to consume. 2) French Onion Soup with Mozzarella ~ Parmesan Cheese & Puff Pastry The phyllo was a nice touch to the soup. However, the soup was too sweet; which to us means that it was burnt earlier, and they tried to save it with sugar. Sorry, but that doesn't work for us when we know those little tricks. 3) Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap with Fresh Basil & Roasted Peanuts ~ Chipotle & Black Bean Sauce These were our favorite choice for the family. The duck was so tender, and we loved that there were pickled carrots and jicama to blend all the special flavors together. 4) Short rib special The boys really liked this dish, but I just didn't think that the meat was tender enough. But I can be pretty finicky sometimes, and I don't like having to chew meat too much. 5) Shrimp Fried Rice This is a staple. 6) Vegetable Pad Thai This was tasty and pretty healthy. We had a good impression of this restaurant, and believe that it's a good fit for downtown Walnut Creek. read more

Came here on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. It looked like a fancy place. We got there right when they were supposed to open. But for some reason they opened about half an hr late. On a Sunday, they hv happy hours. They hv tapas dishes and the price is reasonable. But its more for filling ur stomach than their good taste. I mean their food were only normal but I don't find it that good to want to come back to. read more

We came here for a surprise birthday for one of our best friends. The ambiance and decor of the place made a good first impression. We were seated upstairs in a private room with a prix fix menu. I wasn't able to take pictures of all the dishes but was able to take one of the papaya salad. We had ban mi sandwiches, chicken wings, fish tacos, papaya salad and prawns. Overall the food was great, but considering the price range, I expected a little more as far as flavor. For one, the papaya salad needed more tang, or citrus. This is usually one of the main dishes I order if served at an Asian restaurant. So, I was hoping to have that citrusy, fish sauce taste, which the salad lacked. On another note, the service is excellent and our server Corina was excellent. read more

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

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$30 for two papaya salads, it seems like they forgot to add half of the ingredients or care or effort. Bummer meal

I had seen the taco Tuesday special advertised over and over through friends on facebook and couldn't want to try it out. I finally managed to get a lunch date with a girlfriend and decided to treat her for her birthday. We met here and I ordered an iced tea for each of us while I waited ($2.75 ea). It came with a cute basket of sugars. Once she arrived, we each ordered Saigon soup ($5 ea) and an additional appetizer of garlic fries ($7) Her entree was a filet and green bean combo, and I had my tacos which came with an Avion margarita for $10. The tacos were really good - not huge. I had no problem finishing them even with all the other food. None went to waste. The fries were good also and the soup was great. It's always nice to hang out with friends over food. Especially when you add excellent service to the tasty treats. $46.01 for lunch read more

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

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That's NOT Vietnamese food at all. I am Vietnamese and nothing resembled any flavors of Vietnam. The drinks though.... I would come back for the drinks but not so much for the food - I had high hopes for the food but was disappointed read more

I came here on a Tuesday night with my parents around 6 pm. Service was attentive. I ordered a strawberry margarita that was a little heavy on the alcohol - I prefer more sweetness in my drinks. I had the lemongrass tofu, my mom had the garlic noodles with shrimp and my dad had the pad Thai with veggies and tofu. My dish was tasty but I wish they served it with more vegetables (as does the version at Xyclo on Piedmont avenue) and was a little less spicy. I would order the garlic noodles next time as those were the best in my opinion. Would come back! read more

What can I say...one of my favorite tried and true venues for consistently good food and great staff! You can't go wrong with any of the appetizers, especially the fish tacos and fried tofu! Anthony or Mike can make you the most amazing spicy basil Bloody Mary or a plethora of other delicious cocktails and make you feel like family upon every visit! Love this place and will always be a repeat customer! read more

This place was recommended by my cousins Alaitz and Amaia. We met up for Taco Tuesday which is an amazing deal they have here, 3 tacos and a margarita. They really know what they are doing with the food and the drinks here. The fried fish tacos were bomb (the green sauce ontop of the tacos was bomb-dot-com too)! The margarita was on par. The the drink I had after, The JasminTeani, was just perfect....I highly recommend if you are a tea drinker and want to try something new. We also had many of their other items and was not disappointed with any. The ambiance is nice. a really great place to meet up and catch up. I will definitely be coming back soon!! read more

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

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I had been to the Albany restaurant so when I passed here on a Saturday night, I thought I'd give it a try and it was a very nice pleasant night! We ordered a bunch of tapas to share and they were all delicious! We got the dungeness crab salad (very light, refreshing, and plentiful of crab!), the crispy quail (one of my favs, definitely recommend this! perfectly flavored and crispy skin) salt and pepper prawns (one of my least fav, unfortunately, it wasn't very flavorful, but a bit flat for being fried) duck lettuce wraps (very good and refreshing), and the filet mignon carpaccio (also recommend, very good!) So glad we got to try a variety of dishes, each were thoughtfully prepared, light and refreshing- just how I like my Viet food! The only bad thing was that the cocktails were not so good. They could work on making a better menu, my lychee martini just tasted like vodka and lychee juices. It did not mix well together. We stayed for happy hour, and the mint mojitos were ok, but nothing spectacular. Overall, good food, service, drinks could be better, but otherwise I'd definitely come back! read more

Great food, great service. Glad I picked this restaurant to try out. Would recommend for groups with different food preferences... vegan, vegetarian, and carnivore. read more

Good food, friendly atmosphere and a downtown location in Walnut Creek what more can you ask for? Maybe a better dessert menu? We were lookin hv for vietnamese when we found this cute bistro. Unfortunately my friend wanted Pho, none was offered on the menu. I think it would be interesting to add traditional meals with your take on it. Mixing Vietnamese and French is interesting by itself. The way my plate was described isnt how it arrived. It was tasty but no hint of lemongrass I could taste. Worth a try I enjoyed my dish, I have mixed feeling as to would I return? Nothing made me feel I need to come here again. With so many options in Walnut Creek I can't say I'll be bv ack read more

Update: the owner messaged me and they were kind and friendly. This place isn't even open until 11PM. The girl took forever to tell me that as well and it's a huge inconvenience since I drove an hour to try this place. Please update your hours and greet customers more warmly and not like you want them to leave when you have a full restaurant 45 minutes until close. read more

Came here with a group of eight on a Sunday evening which means happy hour all day!! My friend and I came early before our group so I asked the hostess if we could sit at the bar and she said we could sit at our table which was already ready. The decor of the restaurant seemed modern and chic. We immediately ordered drinks because hello happy hour. Gimme that lychee martini please. So good! Now I'll move onto the food because well that is why you're here right? We all ordered tapas because it was happy hour and we figured we can just share a whole bunch. This is what we ordered: Thinly sliced filet mignon carpaccio, spicy chicken wings, duck confit lettuce tacos, salt and pepper fried shrimp, chicken breast bites, slow oven roasted and of course the happy hour drinks. Everything was delicious and service was on point. Our servers always made sure our drinks were filled and also asked if we needed anything else. The only reason why I didn't give five stars is because of the temperature of the restaurant. Listen, this is Walnut Creek, CA. It can get super hot in the summer. The AC was definitely either not on or really, really low. Other than that I would definitely recommend Vanessa's Bistro to my family and friends! read more

I went in wanting a bahn mi. Fortunately one waitress knew the menu enough to know what I was talking about the other one not so much, maybe he was new. For $9 it was a decent sized, I coulda used some more pickled carrots and daikon and more fresh non wilted, tasteless cilantro considering that's a huge part of it. But the pork and the bread was delish. Not terrible, but not amazing either. But when I come to walnut creek and I want a bahn mi on a rush I'll come back read more

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

One of my favorite restaurants ! The food is excellent and the ambience is perfect if you're looking for a date night :) I was a huge fan of their Shaking Filet Mignon salad and the salt and pepper prawns when I ate meat. Now that I'm vegan there are still plenty of tofu dishes that are just as yummy! The owners, Mike and his family, are always incredibly kind and welcoming. I highly recommend this place ! read more

This is a cute place, good drinks and food. However, when we came and asked for a table they said we need to leave before six as I guess that was their reservation policy, which I found a bit odd. Otherwise, nice place to grab a drink and food. read more

Vanessa's had been on my downtown Walnut Creek radar for a LONG time, though even when walking by on bustling evenings, there never seemed to be more than a couple or two inside. Late night spot? Past their prime? A well-kept secret? The truth fell somewhere in the middle. I visited Vanessa's with an OpenTable reservation with coworkers on a Friday night, looking to make the most of their happy hour. Offerings definitely sounded enticing, with their glorious Vietnamese flair! The interior is very lackluster though, and looks a bit dated. I feel like this place was probably the COOLEST in 2005, but nowadays they are in need of a freshening up. Our drinks and food came out INSANELY fast, which always seems to happen on occasions when me and my crew are hoping for a pleasant and leisurely experience. Nope, when your table is full within 5 minutes of ordering, you're not encouraged to linger. Also with that kind of speed, as is usually the case, precision can be lacking. They deliver on flavor, but there's room for improvement with love and care. Their martinis are served in what to me are old-fashioned champagne glasses, another aspect that makes them feel dated. Their drinks are STRONG AS HELL, too strong to be truly delicious and inspiring no desire to order a second round. And unfortunately my first Pear Drop arrived with a bug floating in it. They apologized and replaced it for me without a fuss, but still - uninspiring. The food definitely looks beautiful and fresh, with lots of bright colors and enticing smells! I just wasn't as dazzled as I hoped to be - especially with my love of all food Asian, I want that amazing savory richness and craveability that makes me want to return for my favorites over and over. I ordered their green papaya salad with shrimp, and the maple leaf duck confit wraps. The salad was a very generous portion, bright and fresh with a fun spiciness. While it wasn't exciting, it was a nice light fresh dish. The flavor on the duck wraps was KILLER - what made them underwhelming for me is that in general as served, wraps shouldn't require any work - you just dish it up and assemble the wrap as you see fit. As is common in many restaurants though, the fat wasn't rendered off the duck, so to not get large mouthfuls of fat I had to go into the dish of meat and clean it up. Once cleaned up, the flavors were really nice. But one mouthful of squishy unexpected fat overwhelms the most delicious flavors. Our experience was fine, but none of us were particularly inspired to stay, or return. Maybe they shine better away from happy hour, and I would give them another shot if so. But in a foodie town like Walnut Creek, there were a few too many bumps to make me a regular. read more

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The cocktails are amazing! Servers and bartenders know their food and alcohol pairings. Prices are fair and portions are manageable! Cool vibes here, probably best to let others enjoy their date night here without your kids screaming. read more

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

I always enjoy coming here! The food is great, customer service is always on point, and it gives grown and sexy vibes for ambiance. It's perfect for a date night or getting together with friends. This is one of my fav spots to go to when I'm in the area. read more

50% off Tapas Tuesday! Tapas galore! Everything was delicious! My faves: fish tacos, tuna carpaccio and filet mignon carpaccio! Bursting with flavor! And service was prompt, too! read more

Vanessa's Bistro - tuna carpaccio, filet mignon carpaccio, fish tacos - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Service, food and ambiance are awesome! I usually get the chicken spring rolls, garlic noodles, carpaccio or bahn mi. Food is always consistent and on point. I've had my best meals here. The service is always attentive and i always have a drink in front of me. I make it a point to come at least once a week or every two weeks. This is a great restaurant with great staff. Especially during these tough times, I don't understand why one would try to hurt a business during difficult times! Man up and show support! read more

Nice ambiance and friendly service. The server/bartender was on top of it, delivering the food and the clearing the table (and making our drinks). We were there during happy hour so the food items and drinks were slightly cheaper. Surprisingly, the restaurant was fairly empty at the time we arrived on a Saturday. Try the Lychee martini! My girlfriend ordered it and it was fantastic. As for the food, we had items from their tapas menu - calamari, garlic noodles, pot stickers, filet of fish plate, fried chicken and onion strips. It all tasted very good however we felt that it was a little overpriced for the portions received, even though it was during happy hour. The establishment doesn't advertise as authentic Vietnamese, since it's fusion. But if Vietnamese is what you're after, there are many other (less expensive) options. I'd come again to drink that martini and watch a football game during HH! They had a nice bar that I didn't get the chance to sit at. :) read more

Now this is what one would call "Trupti" in India That satisfaction of a great meal- Wonderful service- a sparkling atmosphere Loved the food especially the Sole Tacos and the Duck confit wraps Planning the next visit soon If you like an energetic atmosphere and a fusion of Flavors bursting on your palate - you have to try this!! read more

Another fantastic meal, each dish fresh and flavorful. The potstickers are delicious, the crab salad is always a hit. The crispy chicken was wonderful, will get again soon. The staff is always kind and helpful. Great safety measures were in place and our family will be back! read more

We made reservations for an early dinner before a performance at the Lesher Theatre and were so pleased to find that Vanessa's offered wonderful small plates for $7 during Happy Hour from 4-6pm. Our sweet and friendly server was Jessica who suggested very delicious plates to share, the best of which is the duck confit wraps. We also really enjoyed the salt and pepper shrimp, the beef carpaccio, and tuna carpaccio. The shredded green papaya salad was bland, although the prawns were tasty. We didn't try the happy hour cocktails as all but two were vodka based. Price was $6.50. The noise level is cacophonous, people watching is fascinating, and many of the diners seemed to be glued to their phones. Great location, nice fusion dishes with welcoming service. Very busy place-all tables were filled. read more

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Very very good. When it's good. Recently had dinner and the meat portion was inedible. I've enjoyed many meals but had many subpar.

Not to be extremely whiny but the only reason I came here was because Dallas worked here. I was super excited to come here again because the service was so amazing and the only legit place to go with tapas in the area but I was disappointed to find out she wasn't there anymore. Food was great but service lacked. read more

What great food, service and ambiance. Anthony is always so helpful with his recommendations and he food is always great. I'd recommend a nice glass or Arinzano Rosé and a Bayou rum cocktail. Thanks for a great time always! read more

I received the cold kitchen leftovers at 9pm. Truly wish I hadn't eaten the cold, sugary-sauced dishes I'd ordered AFTER telling my server I *really hate sugary sauces* but was starving after driving up from Silicon Valley -- in the best mood. This meal killed it. Three shrimp and one scallop drowning in sugar-based sauce with veggies, my $22.00 (or $23?) main course. The appetizer /seafood roll/ was old, cold, mostly rice and veggies but listed as seafood based. Sugary dipping sauce masquerading as "ginger sauce." Brought to me by lady in an apron, not my original server. I'd enjoyed this place in 2014. Should've cancelled my order after tasting the poorly made cocktail, and headed to Havana's just around the corner. I gave them FIVE stars, such a difference across the board. Vanessa's was 90% empty except for customers at bar. I left a note on the receipt relating what I've written here; they put the charge through anyway. read more

This place has delicious food and good atmosphere with inside and outside seating! My go to order is the curry tofu banh mi and I really can't sing its praises enough. It has some spice from the mayo and jalapeños, some tang from the pickled veggies, and a lot of extra flavor from the curry. Anyway, check this place out when you can! read more

Went to Vanessa's Bistro last night for dinner. I was surprised to find out that it was Tapas Tuesday and all Tapas were $7. I ordered a cucumber jalopeno martini which was really good (I'd order it again) a side salad, spring rolls (the sauce was so good), chicken wings (not as good as hooters but good), and quail. Overall the food was good and my server was patient and helpful. I'd go again. read more

Yummy Vietnamese fusion tapas! On Tuesdays, its half off tapas all day! We ordered the salt & pepper prawns, salt & pepper calamari, duck confit, chicken & veggie potstickers as tapas then also ordered a claypot rice. I wish I could have gotten a bit more daring with the tapa choices but its the sacrifices you gotta make when you bring a toddler with haha. Regardless-all of them were very tasty! If you have to choose between the two salt & pepper dishes, I'd definitely recommend the calamari over the prawns. Calamari was great. Tender and not overly chewy. Love the sauce it comes with! Gives it a nice tangy, slightly spicy twist. Loved the duck!! It comes with a side of lettuce, carrots and basil(?) that you can wrap it in. Dip that in the sauce and MMmmmmm! You can always ask for more lettuce too! The claypot rice was my favorite! Very flavorful and they dont skimp out on the meat and veggies!!!! The bottom was too burnt so that was a bummer. Hopefully next time itll be "toasted" to just the right amount. Ambiance is lovely. Definitely not a place to bring kids- but they were still kind to accommodate us and deal with the chaos that comes with. Incredibly grateful for that read more

Love the food, service and cocktails. My favorite is their drinks. Food is delicious and they are small servings and the perfect size. I love going to eat there with my wife. I recommend you make a reservation. read more

Great place to come chill and hang with friends after work. Staff and management is great. read more

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

My husband says this place wants to be a four-star restaurant pretty bad, but the food only says three. The reason I gave it a two-star is because of the what happened to us tonight. The first thing that went wrong, was our waiter said they didn't have a stout beer. Then he started naming all the beers and my husband had to correct him saying that Guinness was a stout. First dish we ordered, the papaya salad, was off to a good start. The second dish we got was the Salmon Tartare, which showed up with 3 small cubes of salmon, some jellyfish, and seaweed mixed with tomatoes. I felt ripped off, with no salmon. Then the duck wraps came. We wrapped the first two lettuce wraps. It was very good. I started to feel better about the night. Then my husband picked up the next lettuce, inspected the lettuce and got stone-faced. I said, "what is it"? He placed the moving black slug. Yes, slug on the side of the table. Tiny little thing trying to get away from us. My husband tore a piece of lettuce and placed it over the slug. Just in the right time, the waiter came by to ask how we were doing. I told him, "bad news...we found a slug in the lettuce". Instead of apologizing he says, "well it's organic". Yes it might be organic, but why did your kitchen staff decide not to wash it? When he came back, with our new new lettuce and he joked about how he will take the slug home and grow it bigger so next time we come it'll be prepared properly. NOT SO FUNNY MAN...I just degraded you one more star on YELP for that comment and an extra 5% tip. The last draw of a bad dinner night, was the Ginger Creme Brulee. It wasn't cheap either. The sugar top was not crispy like it's suppose to be. We were trying to poke the top and it wouldn't break so easy. We were trying to figure out if it's been refrigerated. Probably so. I wanted to give one more chance for the slug, bad Creme Brulee, and bad jokes. But when we got the bill, he didn't take off the duck wrap. He also apologize too late for the slug incident. I thought it was very convenient timing to tell us as we were getting our bill. Too bad, he only got 10% tip and that was generous. read more

7/24/15: Only came here for happy hour but OMG it's frickin' good! One of few fusion places that really do a great job of making the original ethnic dishes even better! Looks like happy hour is everyday 3-6pm and Thus-Sat also 9pm-close. I'm a little confused about the pricing cause my friend told me there are cheaper prices at certain times, but anyway, even at these "higher prices" they are amazing deals! 1. Thinly Sliced Filet Mignon Carpaccio $6: The Americanized version of Bo Tai Chanh, Vietnamese raw beef. Though some of my friends love the original authentic dish, I never was a real fan cause the lime marinade typically just makes the beef taste like salad. But in this version, high-end beef is used (apparently filet mignon) that is so tender that it totally melts in your mouth. It's marinated in a more complex concoction that is heavy on soy sauce and sugar, and to me is far better than the authentic, plainer and far more acidic, version. It's really pretty too with some other good stuffs on top like fried shallots (instead of the typical fried onions) and various other Asian type stuff. Super good and must get. My only complain is that due to the tenderness of the meat, it kinda falls apart while you're picking it up, but anyway, scooping it all up works. 9/10. 2. Ahi Tuna Capaccio $6: So, adding even more rawness I was curious how they were gonna do up sashimi. Similar to the Filet Mignon Carpaccio, the marinade is a combo of soy sauce and sweetness (though is different), and also quite good. Great stuff on top that I didn't identify all of, but all of it goes great with the fish. There is no hint of fishiness--that may or may not be a good thing to you. I haven't had many fish carpaccios before, but this certainly is one of the better ones. 8/10 3. Crispy Fried Chicken Breast $6: The words "chicken breast" always makes me weary. I think almost 95% of Caucasian-oriented places will over cook the stuff and make it dry. Asian places tend to fair better, but is still a toss-up. But the waitress strongly recommended it so we had to try, and we were so glad we did! Not dry at all!!!!! As for the coating, it's like a lighter version of tempura or the Tapioca Express-like fried chicken. Very airy and light, yet still has that fried goodness. There's some other stuff too like fried onions, which in the same batter tastes awesome as well. Very good. 8/10 4. Spicy Basil Bloody Mary Martini $6: I think I can call myself a Bloody Mary connoisseur as if it's on the menu I usually do try it at the nicer restaurants. Here they have a great base and you can clearly see the pulp floating more densely towards the bottom. Pretty good texture, and good amount of spice. I love the garnishes--all of it is pickled and includes green bean (love it), carrot, and an olive. Just a great version of the classic. 8/10 Very impressed. Amazingly good deal--I seriously doubt they make any money on the food, so I guess they hope to make it back on the drinks? I mean, filet mignon for $6!?!? Anyway, super good deal. I MUST come back. 5/5 #vietnamese #fusion #carpaccio #bloodymary read more

SO glad we gave Vanessa's a 2nd chance. Our first impression was kind of creepy, as they had just opened and a bunch of sketchy youngsters were loitering around...not date night material, so we left. But this time, everything was sublime! They were packed, so we ate at the bar and didn't mind at all. Our server/bartender was a darling little guy who really knew his stuff. We ordered about 4 small plates to share, and I cannot wait to go back and try the ones we skipped. The Duck Confit lettuce wraps were the highlight of the meal, and the Shaking Filet Mignon salad was not too impressive, despite the high recommendations. It didn't have any dressing, so it was like lettuce with steak on top. The steak was still delicious, just didn't seem to mesh well with the dish. But, everything was so beautifully presented an flavorful that it's hard to be disappointed. I want to try it all! The banana's foster was, of course, dreamy. Heavy on the caramel sauce, but the perfect sweet ending with the vanilla ice cream melting around coconut crusted bananas. Mmmm, I want it now! Great bar area, lights could be lower, good music (though they skipped TI's "whatever you like" when it came on...darn!) Seafood tastes fresh, and presentation is lovely. Prices reasonable too, which make it a great date spot...share a bunch of stuff, and you won't look like a cheap-o. Enjoy! read more