The staff was courteous and very friendly. The decor was modern, yet had a Vietnamese touch. The ambiance was quaint.... We ordered the Spicy Green Papaya salad with poached shrimp, Salmon Tartar and Vegetable Pad Thai. Everything was well balanced with spicy, sweet and tart. For dessert, we ordered the cocoa Panna Cota and an iced Vietnamese coffee. The Panna Cota had a delicious surprise of a thick rich, yet not too sweet chocolate swirl laced in the ramekin. This is a nice place to have lunch, a group, drinks, and it would look really cool at night as a nightclub :) Bon Appetite!! read more

Do not ever ever order crispy garlic and salt and pepper tofu Strange deep fried tofu sticks with never- mentioned jalapeño peppers !! The waiter suggested I just eat around them and ignored my pain. After seeing the tears streaming down my face he offered me some ice cream. read more

Decent food but really pricy for what you get. Small quaint establishment but gets really loud when it's packed. Owners should probably look into something on the floor or ceiling to try and quell some of the noise. Only other place louder than Vanessa's is Opa's in WC. Servers are very attractive and super attentive. I will probably go back but with some ear plugs or already comfortably numb to avoid the sensitivity of how loud it is! Lol. Hope this helps! read more

Love VB2. One of my favorites. Happy and satisfied this past Saturday. Attentive team of foodie professionals who know how to make the customer happy. The hostess, Lona (?) fit us in with ease and grace and Taylor was the perfect server. Thanks to Vi and her dedicated family for putting their heart and soul into the food and atmosphere. I would dine here everyday if I could. read more

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Chicken and fillet mignon stir fry was AMAZING!!! So much flavor, not only that but they do not skimp you on the meat like most places! Our server Arianna was great as well, can't wait to go back! read more

Love that it is named after me. Very nice inside with great service. love the exotic drinks!

I ate here last week and definitely enjoyed my time, and was very glad that I tried the place out. The staff was very friendly, my water glass stayed full, and service was excellent overall. I left a 20% tip and thought the environment was cool. I didn't give five stars because I felt that it was overpriced, and I doubt I will go back, for that reason. But I'm glad I tried it and have no regrets I ordered: --A Prime Rib Vietnamese Style Sandwich which had good flavor and I enjoyed, but was pretty skimpy on the meat for a $13 sandwich. --A Seared tuna dish was delicious. --Salt and pepper fried calamari that was also good, especially the variety of salad leaves accompanying it. --A coffee that was delicious but it took a while to drip, before being able to drink it. read more

I ordered the papaya salad with poached prawns. I found the papaya to be pretty flavorless, and the "prawns" were more small shrimp. The saving grace to this salad is the dressing, which I suggest dousing the entire thing in to give it some flavor. After arriving at noon, we walked in to an overwhelming smell of bleach which was very off putting. While I do appreciate that restaurant uses cleaning supplies, the smell completely overpowered any of the food that later came out. Another negative is that right off the bat, we were informed that about five of the menu items were unavailable. I understand not being able to get fresh produce to make the items, but at least print a new menu so you don't lead diners on. Other yelpers seem to love this restaurant, so I would give it a second chance, but probably not for a long while. read more

Fun times. Tasty, interesting food. This is a fun place for drinks and sharing small plates among friends. I like that the food has a definite point of view... fusion driven by Vietnamese influence. Asian fusion can get trite and tiring, but I like Vanessa's angle. Everything really was very good. There was just one piece of fish in the salmon and tuna poke that wasn't trimmed as well as I expected. But flavors were good, proteins were cooked well. I really enjoyed my first night here and I look forward to coming back. read more

The food was okay and wasn't really exciting, considering the price. It's funny but I told my boyfriend to yelp "Tappas", and we thought, Spanish food, because of "Vanessa's" LOL but we were wrong and it was Vietnamese. I've never done Vietnamese 'tapas' before, but I did know Vietnamese food, so we wanted to be adventurist and decided to try it out. The first thing I noticed, was the cute lounge seating they had at the front. We came during happy hour, but we had to either eat at the bar or the lounge seating to get these deals, BUT the lounge seating was full and I didn't feel comfortable sitting at the bar eating tapas, so we just got a table. OKAY, I'm actually a designer for a living, and the first NO-NO in my book was the chair... I literally sank in the chair and was a couple inches lower from the table. Did the owners even try these chairs out and attempted to sit in it? I had to sit at the edge of my chair to feel more comfortable. Now the food (I'm looking at their menu online to remember what we had): - French Onion Soup: Eh It was okay... I don't really remember much of it. - Tuna & Salmon Poke with Ginger : Loved this, and finished the whole plate. My boyfriend who's not a fan of Poke, liked it too. - Oven Roasted Chicken and Vegetable Potstickers: This was okay, it was the most filling part of all the plates. - Vegetable Pad Thai: not memorable, honestly I don't remember even really eating it. LOL sorry. Lastly, my Boyfriend and I both had a Sauv, and that was really bitter. LOL wish I can remember which one, but I forget. Sorry, like I said, it wasn't really exciting enough to remember. Oh but our waitress was awesome and very tentative. So she was perfect. read more

Not impressed. I had been noticing a lot of my friends in the East Bay have been coming to this restaurant fairly often so I was excited to check it out. Unfortunately the food was a pretty big let down. I think the only thing I had that I would re-order was the Garlic Butter Egg Noodles side dish. I would highly recommend not getting the Crispy Quail because it is about four bites of food for $8. Two bucks a bite and it wasn't that good. The biggest disappointment was the Spicy Chicken Sandwich with Sriracha Aioli. It was not spicy at all and it was also not very good. I didn't even bother finishing it. Side Note: If you go to happy hour make sure you do not get a table. They only honor happy hour at the bar and lounge areas. read more

They've moved, new location is pretty great. Much better atmosphere, in my opinion. Food is still pretty darned good. I really like this place, one of my favorites in WC. Special food without being ridiculously priced. Attentive service without being suffocating. Only downside is that there are TVs in both the upstairs and downstairs dining areas, but the volume is off. read more

I don't give placed five stars often, rarely if ever, but this place deserves all accolades. We had a reunion lunch here on a Sunday afternoon and I could not find a parking space to save my life. The crowds downtown Walnut Creek after X-mas are akin to lunch hour around Union Square in San Francisco. Near the bistro is a public parking structure that is free as long as you park on the upper levels. We got to the Bistro and ordered tea, which was good, but nothing mind blowing. But as we all got situated and our orders kept coming, I was in awe of the presentation and most definitely in awe of the freshness and flavors of each plate. I started my meal off with the onion soup with mozzarella and enjoyed it as It was a unique take on a really traditional french dish. My friends definitely enjoyed the hot and sour soup, which they said tasted very much like home cooked Vietnamese chicken broth. You need to order the calamari here and eat the vegetables that are served with it. I think I was the only one who ate the vegetables on my side of the table and I have to say the flavor combinations of the peppers and onions with the calamari are amazing. No dipping sauce need apply! The duck lettuce wraps were very good especially considering I really hate duck. This is genuinely the first time I've ever enjoyed eating duck. The garlic noodles were perfectly made and was something we all sort of fought over. The Tuna and Salmon Poke was most certainly a favorite of mind as I was really craving protein. But then the jumbo prawns came along and I really thought I was done for. Alas, I really thought someone was going to pound the nail in my coffin when the Saigon Style Chicken Coconut Curry, sweet Okinawa potatoes, shiitake mushrooms & carrots came. The server stated it was organic and you could definitely taste why chicken should only come organic. This was the last entree that came and we seriously were doing our best to get as much of this as possible. At first I thought the sauce it was served with wasn't necessary for the chicken, as it was already perfect, but that sauce simply made an amazing meal something I will crave for anytime I find myself eating at TGIF or Chevys! Desert was everything my friend made it out to be, the only downer was that the oreo desert was sold out but the other option of the apple filled deep fried wrapped in an eggroll skin served a la mode was just what I needed to conclude this gastronomical delight. My goal is to eat here and at their original location in Berkeley when I can and enjoy their amazing delicious food. The service here is impeccable and they do not miss a beat when it comes to anticipating the needs of their patrons. read more

This bistro looks like a great place from the outside but on a Friday night, you are seated in their back room which lacks ambiance. The service was poor, we requested some Chinese crackers which never came and it took time to get wait staff to help. The wine list is okay but definitely overpriced for inexpensive bottles. My husband ordered soup and we both ordered an entree. They brought his soup and my entree so when it came time for his entree, I was sitting watching him eat. Regarding the quality of the food - I can only comment on what we had which wasn't a lot but my "rib eye" steak sandwich was a cold roast beef on a bun. Very disappointing. The french onion soup was really good. The chicken curry dish was so-so and wouldn't recommend. If you are a foodie, you must try many other options in the area. We were hoping for a better experience but overall with the poor service, prices and quality of the food I don't plan to return. read more

This place only gets 3 stars because of the excellent service we received. Our host was prompt and very pleasant. Ambiance Decor is modern, tables are spacious, crowd is lively and fun. Service Our hostess and server were both quite pleasant, and service was actually a wonder experience. We were seated right away, despite the restaurant being reletively busy. We ordered several Tapas items and they came out in a good order. Food The food we received was a real let down, despite this place having pretty good reviews, there wasn't one dish that both my wife and I could agree we both liked. Tuna Tartare - Was not salted and lacked a depth of flavor. Beef tartare - Served with peanuts and a fish sauce, slightly too sweet for our taste French Onion Soup - This soup didn't have the traditional crouton with broiled cheese over the top, instead it had a piece of puff pastry served on the side. The soup was very sweet, and did not have any gruyere cheese to off set the sweetness, this lacked depth was very monotone (sweet) Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap - The duck confit seemed a little sweet for my taste, and was served with a side of Hoisin based sauce (also sweet). It was also served with picked daikon and carrots, which for a pickle was unusually sweet. A real let down for myself, since I love duck confit Crab Cakes - The quality of crab seemed quite low, as when cutting into them revealed no lump crab, and instead was crab flake. Also found a gill in my crab cake. The crab cake was served with a large side salad which was dressed in a sweet vinagarette, and a pineapple salsa with was actually our favorite part of the meal. Tiger Prawn Rissoto - A real let down. The rice was mushy and over done, and was served with prawns that seemed to have no seasoning, like they were dumped right into the rissoto without any salt. There's nothing worse than a mushy rissito!!! Overall, Although we received excellent service and felt well taken care of, we will not be returning due to the food. =( read more

We went on Sunday at 3:00pm and it was happy hour, which was great. All of the food was fantastic: we had the tuna carpaccio, shrimp spring rolls, crispy chicken wings, salt and pepper calamari, mini sandwich (not so mini!). Ambience was so-so, but it was Sunday afternoon. I'd go back for happy hour at regular time, for a more lively experience and to sample some of their amazing-sounding cocktails! read more

I've eaten here now at least 10 times (which says a lot by itself), so I definitely can attest to the quality of the food and service here - The food is all fresh, cooked to order and made w/ high-quality ingredients. There is something on the menu for everyone - from paleos to vegans; some highlights include the pork shoulder, the duck tacos, tuna and salmon poke, papaya salad w/ shrimp, the steak sandwich and the crab salad The service here is great, too - fast, friendly and fun - they will also accommodate your dietary needs - Enjoy, like I always do! read more

Made last minute reservations here on a Friday night. This was my first trip but mum and dad's second try. They hadn't been that impressed the first time, but I have had this place recommended to me by quite a few people and really wanted to try it. We were seated without any delays and our server was friendly and attentive. This place has a great vibe, nice lighting, friendly atmosphere and not an overwhelming noise level. We munched on the Tofu, Carpaccio, chicken rolls and papaya salad to start. All were tasty. The Carpaccio was a little sweet for my liking, probably got more to do with the garnish than the meat itself. The Papaya salad was delicious and the chicken rolls were also yummy, I didn't feel like heartburn central after eating them. We followed that up with the pork banh mi and lemon chicken. Both of which were delicious. I got a huge Jalapeno in my first bite of the pork sandwich, so my taste buds were a little desensitized for that. We'll definitely be back. read more

I've enjoyed eating here with friends a few times now. They have a lot of tasty fusion-style asian dishes to try and have plenty of gluten-free options as well. The servers are usually really good at suggesting things to try and in making sure what we order is safe to eat. Some of my favorite small plates have been their sweet potato fries, beef carpaccio, spring rolls, and chicken curry. 4 stars is because our hostess was actually rather rude when we walked in... no smile, barely said a word- just led us to our table and that was it. She actually looked pissed that we were there. For a swankier looking place, I was surprised that the greeter was so unfriendly. read more

I came here for lunch. But the food we ordered was not good Lemon glass chicken and coconut chicken. The carrot was not cool enough and the food was spicy but there is one taste missing. I hope they come by more often so the I could tell the waiter... read more

Food is very average. Very loud. Service was good. That's the only reason I'm giving 2 stars. Nothing memorable. Will not be back.

Love this place, great ambiance, food and drinks. This is our go to place when in WC.

Vanessa's Bistro is a very modern and fun place to eat dinner or just come to have some drinks with friends. Michael and the rest of the staff are all very friendly and make you feel right at home. The ingredients and quality of food is amazing for the prices. Everything I have ever had here is delicious and so fresh. I really like the fish tacos, spring rolls, salt and pepper prawns and the filet minon. The filet minon especially is of excellent quality. You also gotta try the chocolate martini! They stay open pretty late every night of the week, which is great for when you have a late night craving. I came to WC one night after working out at the gym and a lot of places were closed, but Vanessas was still hustlin and bustlin. I love coming to Vanessa's Bistro and would def recommend dining here and seeing for yourself just how great it is! read more

Husband and I had Friday early HH date. Decided to try Vanessa's. What a great find! We started with a glass of riesling each, and shared orders of crispy chicken rolls and the crispy petrale sole tacos. Very nice. Tasty, fresh and not too big. So we decided to order 2 glasses of the chardonnay and 2 more tapas. Husband ordered the mini pork sandwich and I ordered potstickers. OK, the sandwich came out and it was BIG! We were so surprised. If hubby had ordered first, he would not have ordered anything else. He really liked it! I had the potstickers. I could only eat one and brought the other 2 home. I was just too full. The food was very good, the staff was very friendly and the restaurant was very attractive. They have tables out on the sidewalk, so the next time we come for HH, we will be bringing our dog family. read more

Went there for lunch on my birthday. My wife was trying to find an eatery that the kids and I would enjoy. Arrived during the lunch hour with the restaurant nearly empty. A bad sign. Vitality Bowl next door had a lot more customers, likely due to the health consciousness of peeps in the WC. Vanessa's is a tapas style Vietnamese/Asian fusion restaurant. A young lady was very very nice, made recommendations and took our order. Filet Mignon salad and fish tacos were pretty good. Lettuce wrap with duck, together with duck sauce was too salty. Kids had chicken wings with no complaints. Now, the bad part about the experience is the lack of consideration when I addressed the fact that the quail halves were disproportionately sized. One was a good size and the other seemed like the quail had starved to death, scrawny with barely any meat. A male waiter said they were already cut prior to cooking. The chef should have been more mindful of portioning. The male waiter should have taken it back to the kitchen and had the chef make two decent sized quail and brought out two halves made to our satisfaction. Bad customer service means no return customers!!!! With so many restaurants in downtown Walnut Creek, you need to be at the top of your game to survive. Some people will rave about food, others about customer service. You need both! Vanessa's is trying to cater to Asians and non-Asians. Which really in the end pleases neither contingent. In all fairness, the female waitress's service was good, the male waiter's poor. So, although the food was decent, it is not worth returning to this establishment due to the apathetic response of the male waiter. I guess you could call it an Asian Con-Fusion restaurant. read more

Great Happy Hours- attentive staff, bright location. I had the lychee martini and was a happy camper. Sunday tradition. read more

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

Hubby and I were looking for some good eats since we were in the Walnut Creek area. Saw this place on yelp and the reviews it had and decided to stop in. So very glad we did!!! Service: who has the pleasure of getting waited on by one of the owners? We did! Jimmy was friendly and personable. He didn't even know it was our first time visiting. He treated us like we were regulars. Drinks: Ah-mazing! Jimmy knew what he was doing in the drink department. Try the basil spicy Bloody Mary and the Pear drop! Tasty! Food: hubby and I got carried away with the happy hour menu but our favorites were the fish tacos, banh mi pulled pork sandwich and garlic egg noodles. Everything we ordered was tasty though. We will be coming back and bringing friends and family with us!! Thanks Jimmy for a great experience! read more

First, I'd say I would have given this place three stars except the drinks were awful both times I've had meals there! The first time my best friend and I ordered Moscow mules, and the ginger beer was pretty clearly low quality. Neither of us finished our drinks. We ended up having one small plate (can't recall which one) and it was fine. We went back another night about a month later to actually have a meal, and we had another terrible drink experience. We ordered mojitos because they were on the happy hour menu. They were actually not even drinkable. My best friend and I are pretty easy going and not picky, but these were just bad. They had way too much alcohol (not in a good way at all) and also wayyyyyy too much sugar. We ended up telling the server and she offered to make us new drinks. We ended up ordering lychee martinis instead bc of how bad those mojitos were. The martinis were better, but were still pretty bad. They had ice cubes in them and neither of us finished them. The food is average, some of the dishes were pretty good, but on two separate occasions we have had 3 failed rounds of drinks. I probably won't go back a third time. read more

What do you think of when I say Vietnamese food? I wasnt' sure either. Now I know. We ordered the tuna and salmon poke with ginger soy sauce, avocado, mango, english cucumber and tomato salsa. Melts in your mouth. We then devoured spicy lemongrass chicken with onions and roasted peanuts. Divine. Next, the salt and pepper tender fried calamari steaks (not rings); soft texture, light flavor with a tempura dipping sauce. Then, my personal favorite, sauteed sweet tiger prawns and scallops, shiitake mushrooms, scallion and Thai basil coconut curry. I could eat three plates of this. So juicy and perfectly tender, as scallops and prawns should be prepared. All the dishes were delicately garnished with tiny ribbons of carrot and wedges of crispy sesame crackers. The show stopper? Bread pudding prepared by Vi, the chef extraordinare. The bread pudding moved my conception of the former definition. This bread pudding tasted like coffee cake with a caramel exterior, topped with a dallop of vanilla ice cream. Absolutely heavenly! The interior is spacious, modern and white glove clean. A back room is available for larger parties. There is a handmade floor to ceiling bar shelving unit, puffy leather chairs (booth comfort but in a chair), a giant dresser with about 30 small drawers house the flatware. The wine list makes the Gods cry. The waiters are impeccably dressed, polite, efficient and deliver quickly. Vanessa, the queen bee, gets all the credit for her authentic Vietnamese recipes. Thank you for taking care of my tummy!!! My previous post added the link to their menu, and I'm guessing the reason it was removed was because the site "may be harmful to your computer". I wouldn't let that stop you from experiencing their authentic flavor. read more

Customer service, good food, reasonable prices and ambiance are of utmost importance to us when selecting a new restaurant to try in downtown Walnut Creek. I reviewed the menu on-line and read the yelp reviews. I knew what dishes to order and what dishes to avoid. Shaking filet salad was one of the best followed by the duck entree and the side of green beans and tofu. Service was attentive and was looking out for this rude waiter that was referenced in an earlier yelp review, but doubt that he was working at the time we visited. I guess we lucked out as I would not tolerate that type of behavior/attitude as a patron. read more

Love this place! Can't beat the happy hour $2 beers and $6 tapas! Prawns and calamari are my favorite. I think we found our new hangout on Sunday afternoons. CHEERS! read more

For cocktail hour, this place seemed amazing. For dinner around the same time, it was not that great. The waitstaff was SO run ragged, and understaffed. The dishes were not clean, and chipped the food was incredibly mediocre, and somewhat overpriced. The green papaya salad sauce was yummy, but, that is really all I can say about it. Meh. read more

Probably one of my favorite spots in walnut creek. Fantastic service as well. I come here often, love wine Wednesday! 50% off every bottle. I have tried most of the menu and have loved everything. Favorites are the tacos, salt & pepper prawns, and the chicken claypot. Go here any chance you get, you won't be disappointed. read more

Had dinner here tonight. The door lady just looked at us when we walked in, which we found odd. Nonetheless, we stayed, and food was ok - wish the salted pepper tofu had more than just 1 jalapeño slice...service was good. On our way out, we walked passed the door lady, who again, didn't bother to say anything. : ) Odd. read more

I was excited when I got here, but then my expectations weren't met. My Pinot noir was served at room temperature. Clearly have no idea what temperature to serve wine. This is a common problem at a lot of restaurants. The Bahn Mi taste good, but was very dry. The sole fish tacos were tasty - I recommend! The clay pot rice was decent. Was hoping for something more unique. If I changed anything, I would make the pot bigger and add rice. Also watch the dryness of the chicken. Service wasn't great. We didn't even have a traditional check in after first dish served from waiter to see how everything was going. Actually we didn't see him for a while. Overall, it was just okay. This is my first stop at this restaurant. I might give them another try to redeem themselves. Although, with such a large bar menu, I wonder if they care more about the alcohol or the food. read more

That feeling when you find a spot that feels right...VB2 is it for me. Tony makes top notch drinks. Happy Hour deals are amazing, they seem to have a special going on pretty much every day. Food is delicious. They do a great job overall of making the customer feel special. I really like this place. read more

Had a very nice time here with the girlfriend. We passed on the dining room and in a minute or two a table opened up front. We started with the poke. Not the best, not the worst. Flabby comes to mind. Or maybe salmon poke just sux, in general. Tuna noodle salad was excellent. Very large, almost too large(?!) piece of tuna grilled to absolute perfection. Never had better. Pad Thai was ok. Excellent dessert menu. They don't eff around here. We had bananas foster. Ballast Point for $4.50 a pint? Did somebody screw up? I hope not. This place is an excellent value. And our server was all over it. She was so good I finished my first pint and was wondering how long it would take to get another. No sh$t, she was there in perhaps 30 seconds. I'd say management of this place is tip-top. read more

I have been coming to Vanessa's for almost 10 years! The food and drinks are amazing. Dallas is awesome! She is a lot of of fun and very attentive! 5 stars for sure!!!! read more

Love this place. Went initially with a groupon. Well, that promotion worked as we've been going back as regulars ever since. One of our favorite places. They are awesome. read more

Came here for dinner on a Tuesday at 7:30pm. Was able to get a table immediately. Overall the food was just ok, the prices seemed high, although today they had half off tapas all day, so that made the price just right. Got these dishes: - Salt & Pepper Fried Calamari, 4/5 - Panko Crusted Petrale Sole Tacos, 4/5 - Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wrap, 3/5 - Crispy Ginger Tofu, 3/5 - Honey & Tamarind Prawns, 4/5 We were let down when 3 of the dishes seemed to have the same overpowering teriyaki type sauce. Really made the dishes less unique. Kept thinking PF Chang's. Probably the last time we come here. read more