If you've looking for a place to mix and mingle, this is a great place to go! They have bar, lounge, and standard seating, The decor has a versatile style that gives off just the right amount of casual elevation, lens itself to a quick, get together with friends as well a date night with a special someone. They have a delicious selection of items on their late night happy hour menu for Friday and Saturday. The serving staff are all attentive and friendly, as well. read more

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

The other day, the homies and I, slid on over to Vanessa's Bistro in Walnut Creek and proceeded to order nearly the whole d@mn menu. When you see BW of a certain age, we gon' get it in like mid level drug dealers. And we didn't disappoint here neither. There were 3 of us. And no less than 11 dishes at that table. Include the dranks and dessert and we racked it up. It was real Fabolous . Just throw it in the bag. But that food was everything! Not one bad take out there. But the piece de resistance were the crab noodles! Ain't no way you shouldn't have your mouth wrapped around something like this before you leave Earth. Whew they were delish! So good in fact, we ran 'em back. Everything was hittin' though. Food. Fellowship. Friendship. Vibes. And a special shout out to Alan who hooked the dranks up! He will make you whatever you want. Just give home the space and opportunity to do so. Top notch experience. read more

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Came here as a group on a Saturday night. I had a reservation but was 15 mins late due to parking issue my reservation was given away, which is fine it's my fault. The place is not to big. Only a few tables with two hour time limit and also 3 lounge seating with no hour limit. We took the lounge seating The drink is awesome! They don't skimp on alcohol. The food was delicious. Small servings we ordered: Fresh Spring rolls, crispy Chicken Rolls, Filet Mignon Carpaccio, Papaya Salad, Salt and Pepper Calamari. Panko Crusted Petrale Sole Fish Tacos Avocado, House Pico W/cilantro AioliFish Tacos and chicken Wings. We devoured the food . It was delicious and good. Btw: Health score is No Violation! Took the first serving of food and then we just went on enjoying the evening! Took the first photo and just enjoyed the rest of the food! read more

Vanessa's Bistro - *Spicy Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad Poached Prawns, Roasted Peanuts Fried Shallot & Mint - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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What a great experience! Service was stellar. Drinks were fantastic and the food was great! The atmosphere is modern and quaint. The lycee martinis were yum! Not overly sweet and strong enough to have you feeling yourself after 2! Huge selection of small plates. There wasn't anything we didn't like. Calamari, potstickers, lettuce wraps, noodles with shrimp, the crab bahn mi and curry chicken. Plenty of food for 4 of us and we didn't even get through a quarter of the menu! We will def be back The only reason why this place isn't a five star is the parking was atrocious. read more

Was in the mood for some Palomas and after coming in from the spot next door (kinda crowded), this place was even better! Sat at the bar and their Palomas are delicious. Just the right amount of grapefruit juice. We had a few appetizers, including the cod fish tacos and calamari. Both very delicious! The cod was fried just right. And the Calamari had a good kick to it. Topped it off with bread pudding, which was perfect with its warm, perfectly sweetened, with a little crunch, all topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Perfection. read more

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

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Nice vibe! The lobster and garlic noodles was good. The crab could use a little bit more flavor and season. The waiter was nice and made good suggestions in the music in atmosphere was good for girls night or date night. read more

Food was amazing and the wine selection is great! My waitress Celeste is a sweetheart and always provides the greatest customer service!! The noodles here are soooo good that I always order to go the atmosphere in this establishment is a vibe!!!! Parking garage is near by so not much of a walk and there's other good spots around. read more

One of the best restaurants in WC. There is a reason Mike and the team have been around for so long (bad food rarely lasts in this area), their food and service are top of class! I have literally taken dozens of people here over the years, from family to friends to my entire office, and without fail every one of them throughly enjoyed the experience. Pro Tip: just get every single Tapa on the menu.....you know want to anyways! read more

Hard to give 5 stars in to these times but I'm not withholding to be mean. Came in early on Saturday in case I needed to reserve a table. Was cold so opted for lounge seating. Bar was full of Warriors fans. Hostess was very accommodating. Bus boy? Gave me water in under 2 minutes and happy hour and regular menu delivered by my server right behind it. 5 stars service. Even asked me how many olives for my cocktail - nice. Ordered off happy hour menu. Papaya salad and petrale sole fish tacos. Server asked "all together or salad first"? Nice again. Tito's martini up with olive was great, cold and in nice glassware. Papaya salad was interesting. Not expecting to have what was more a slaw than what you might be used to. On the plus side I thought the shrimp amount was generous. Not huge fan of slaw - messy and doesn't hit the mouth feel and flavor profile. Dressing ok. Could use pick your addition...fish sauce or something. Sole tacos were fantastic. Not best I've ever had but really balanced with all ingredients. Less messy than the salad. Would order those again. Ambience. Nice facilities and crowd at happy hour is good. Bar group. Families. Outside drinkers. Good mix. Talked to some and everyone was nice. Long time patron says this is a spot the service crowd frequents. Always a good sign. Overall a pleasant experience. I'll skip the salad next time and try something else so I can up the rating. read more

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Went for a happy hour. Everything felt a bit too pricey even for happy hour price $10 each tapas. They are all very small portions... Probably since it costs a lot to operate in WC? -The best one was fish tacos! $10 for three small ones. -The papaya salad had some bran sprouts inside that looked like papaya but ate not. -Shrimps not as large as I thought and breaded I think 4 of them for $10. Service was okay. My water glass had a chip on it and I drank from it before realizing, but I had it replaced. read more

We started with apps of Salt and Pepper Calamari, Salt and Pepper Tofu and a Papaya salad. For my main I enjoyed the Honey Miso Salmon over veggie pad thai. I thought it had a nice mix of flavors, slightly sweet with a hint of saltiness from the miso. The pad thai was a mixture of thick noodles and sliced veggies - cabbage, peppers and onions. It looked small, but it was quite filling. Hubby had veggie banh mi that he liked, though the baguette wasn't traditional Vietnamese. We also had the Justin Sav Blanc to round out our meal. The one thing I wished would have been better was the seating. Huge pet peeve of mine to be seated at a four top with five people. The table gets very crammed. Considering the restaurant wasn't full, it would have been nice to have two tables pushed together. But other than this, good experience and the food was good and I suppose that's the most important part ! read more

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This place is a hidden gem, at least to me. Wonderful owners, Michael is always at the Walnut Creek location, always has a great smile, and is ready to make your cocktail and place your order. The vibe is always fun here and the bartenders, chef's, runners, waiters, and waitresses always bring a warn welcoming feeling. I really wish I knew about this place long ago, but soo happy I have found it now. What are you waiting for? Happy hour is every day from 4PM to 6PM too! read more

I wanted to come here for their tapas style happy hour. Don't be fooled by the Yelp photos and posts, they no longer have happy hour. Overall, food was pretty good but very pricey. Crab noodles (5/5) - There was a good amount of crab in there and it tasted very fresh. I also loved the flavoring and texture of the noodles, they were the perfect amount of chewy. Steak noodles (4/5) - flavor was interesting. I liked it but didn't love it - something was throwing me off. I liked the crab one way more. This one also comes with some veggies. Tofu Bahn Mi (3/5) - would not recommend. It wasn't good and definitely not worth the price. There is ample seating outside right now bc of Covid, which they didn't have before and not sure if they will keep but it has a nice ambiance. It is in downtown so parking is meters or lots. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Spicy Lemongrass Tofu Sandwich w/Pickeld Carrots, Dikon, Cilantro Jalapenos & Sriracha Aioli - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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This place was recommended to us. Loved their spicy wings and lychee martini!!! The rest were just okay - calamari, claypit and chicken wrap. Service sucked though. Supposedly they're understaffed that when we asked the guy that brought us our drinks to take our pictures- he said no coz he's too busy. Taking a picture does not take more than 2 minutes seriously. Since we drove 45 minutes just to try this place- with a service like that it's not worth the drive. Won't be coming back. read more

The food was so good! I'm definitely coming back. The portions are a bit small, so I decided to get the filet mignon with chicken & garlic noodles (something a bit more filling). Everything if flavored very well! The staff is nice. We came during lunch and were the only ones there, but I heard at night they're pretty packed. Decorations were super cute & they played lauryn hill, India Arie & erykah Badu the whole time. Set the perfect tone for me. read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Filet mignon, chicken breast garlic noodles with veggies - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I normally I'm not a tofu fan but trying to eat less meat and this tofu here is hands down the best I've ever had! They also have a late night happy hour. Services is always very fast and friendly! They have a cute lounge area as well which makes it good for groups if you just want drinks and apps read more

The food was excellent served hot and spicey but not too. The service was excellent, the wait person was quick to take order, came back often to see how we were doing The Ambiance was fun and romantic with a European feel read more

Loved Vanessa's sooo much! The food was delicious and so authentic! The ambiance has a very nice dark islander vibe and the service was quick! Looking forward to my next visit to Vanessa's! Don't forget to order the bananas foster! Best dessert ever read more

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1st time here. Food & Service top notch. Great Happy Hour! Carpaccio, OMG Delish. We explored the Tapa Menu. Fish tacos, fried chicken and that Carpaccio! We will definitely be back! read more

My wife and I decided to come to Walnut Creek and have dinner. We walked around and went to a few other spots for dinner, but wait time was about an hour and a half. Stumbled on this hidden gem, and the hostess said about 45 min. Figured we could do that, put our name down, and she told us we may have a table ready sooner. Wasn't going to hold my breathe but ok. Sure enough, within 20 min, she called us and said our table was ready. Ordered our food and wow I was pleasantly surprised how delicious and flavorful the food was. By the time we finished, the place had slowed down, so we thought we could hang out. They had a few drinks, and might I add, they were wonderful. The manager came around, introduced himself, and thanked us for visiting his place and if there was anything he could do to make our experience better. We felt very much appreciated and welcomed. Great atmosphere, loved the service, and excellent food. I'm glad we came in and definitely will be back. read more

Vanessas has been in Walnut Creek for years so we decided to return and try a few dishes while shopping one afternoon. They have indoor as well as outdoor seating now with a covered area outdoors which was quite pleasant. We had a couple of glasses of wine as well as their Lemongrass Chicken. If I closed my eyes, this dish could have easily been mistaken for a curry dish - nonetheless, it was delicious. Also got the salt and pepper shrimp which was great. It had a good crunch to it and the peppers and onions made it tasty. The second time we ordered the spring rolls (in addition to everything else ordered before)which were hot and very crispy. A good place to stop in Walnut Creek if you are shopping or would like a casual lunch. read more

First time eating here Cool place great food and service full of flavor and great presentation the staff was friendly I'm ready to go back for seconds and thirds Thx for the great food and experience Mike really takes pride in his restaurant and it show from the food to the service and friendly atmosphere read more

My sister's napkin was dirty. The food was basic and not flavorful at all. Service was okay. Overall nothing spectacular about this place and my experience was mediocre at best. There's so many good restaurants around the area, so I'm surprised this place was decently busy. I was full by the end but my tastebuds were definitely not satisfied. Will likely not return. read more

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Went here for Valentine's Day with great people I enjoyed the food and the painting definitely coming here again. read more

Fun place to go to. Good food , fair pricing , nice atmosphere. Our server was very nice and accommodating as well . Been going there since they were on main st. And still enjoy! read more

Food and drinks were both exceptional! We ordered off the both the Happy Hour and regular menu. The service was exceptional! Will definitely return soon! read more

Got a chicken Banh Mi sandwich. It was terrible, small, and $16 before tax. Chicken taste frozen and bland. Bread was stale and hard. I will never ever go back to this place again. Don't recommend it to anybody. Basically ruined my night. read more

So glad that Vanessa's survived the pandemic. A rock in WC we love everything about this place, the Salt & Pepper Tofu is My fave and Mike at the bar makes a mean Manhattan Support small business!!! YUM!! read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Salt and pepper tofu - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Great creative Vietnamese-French menu, with other ethnic appetizers and meals. Full, excellent bar. Cool space. We are regulars. Vicky and daughter Vi are wonderful people. Please visit. You will be in for a treat read more

I've been going to this restaurant ever since they opened. Love their salt and pepper tofu, fish taco, garlic noodles, chicken wings. Everything on the menu is good. Dessert is acceptable but not their strong suit. Friendly service. read more

Fish tacos in a panko crust had little flavor, too much crust, and were overcooked. Plating of both the tacos and the ahi tartare was sloppy. Service was good but not enough to make up for the disappointing fare. read more

The best place for good cocktails, great food, perfect ambience and great service! Love this place! read more

Vanessa's Bistro - Great bar selection! - Vietnamese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Sadly, this place didn't live up to all the stellar reviews. Either that or we ordered the wrong things. This place has been bookmarked for awhile and I finally made time to try it. The service was good, ambiance is comfortable for conversations, the lighting is dim which can be troublesome if you are in the presbyopia club. I decided to try the salt and pepper prawns and fried chicken. The batter on the prawns or whatever they use to coat it fell off and wasn't very adhesive. The flavors were lacking and I had to add an ample amount of hot sauce to add some more flavor. The shrimp itself was cooked well, just not very well seasoned or battered. The fried chicken was nothing special and sadly the local boba shops have better "popcorn" chicken. I don't think I will come back next time as it was overpriced for the quality and quantity of food. read more

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Update: 3/4/18 Food is outstanding. Happy hour is even better. 1. Shaking filet mignon Banh Mi - OMG freaking outstanding. I think this is my new favorite banh mi 2. Ahi Tuna Carpacio - again super flavorful. I could literally lick this plate clean 3. Crispy fried chicken breast w/fried onions and jalapeños. Tasty and moist. Liked the dipping sauce 4. Salt and pepper shrimp. Definitely use the dipping sauce and combine with the greens. This goes on the list as a definite WC stop in spot. Check them out. read more

Vanessa's is one of our "go-to's" in Walnut Creek. We have some favorite dishes and they are consistently good. Great service. Fair prices for the quantity and quality of food, ambience, and service. Great beverages too, including good non-alcoholic options. Great place!! read more

Really love this place. Food, drinks and service is so good. There is a smaller dining area and a two booth lounge area and I believe a larger area for parties upstairs. Veg friendly. The fried tofu is amazing, definitely recommend trying. Garlic noodles, fried chicken and bok choi are super good too. read more

Food was excellent! The bar was terrific and they truly know how to make a cocktail! The staff is very friendly and cooperative!

Birthday dinner reserved via Opentable. Our orders: beef carpaccio, ahi tuna carpaccio, calamari, chicken potstickers, green papaya salad, jumbo prawns, filet mignon salad, coconut curry bowl, pulled pork, banana fosters, spring rolls, and many servings of lychee martini made with Hendricks gin, Paloma etc. Unfortunately no pictures taken. I would return for happy hour and drinks, but I probably won't return for the food, especially not the entrees. Other than the banana fosters and raw proteins, everything I listed in our orders were either TOO BLAND or TOO SALTY. My papaya salad was flavorless, so were the pulled pork, spring rolls, calamari (not crispy), curry bowl and potstickers. To quote my friend who ordered the filet mignon salad: "it amazes me every time I take a bite into it, how salty it is". I tried my other friend who ordered the jumbo prawns (garlic noodles and mango sauce) and thought it was salty enough, but I was too, amazed at my first friend's salad. We didn't send it back because the servers looked awfully busy and we didn't want to cause any more stress. Everyone complimented the lychee martini though. At the suggestion of our server, we asked for it to made with Hendricks gin instead of vodka and it was that much better. Nice bar seating area and a good place for libations but don't count on the food. Hefty price tag, our total was over $400 before tips for 6 people. read more

One of my favorite's. Lots of small plates to share. Perfect for drinks and socializing. On point.

I just ate at Vanessa's with a pal after a 2 year break (COVID) and we had a terrific meal. We love Asian food. We had the crab salad ( rating of 4), the potstickers (a 5), fresh shrimp rolls (a 5) and the filet mignon entree, which was a short ribs taste but not so rich. It was grilled to a perfect medium rare. Definitely going back. read more