This was a favorite restaurant of mine and my husband's when we lived in Berkeley while I was in grad school from 2007-2010, and we were excited to return now that we live in the East Bay again. Unfortunately, we were disappointed and feel that the food quality has declined. The menu is quite small, and we ordered the following items: Sweet corn soup - So good. I joked that it tasted like 'the essence of corn.' This was the standout dish from all the savory items we ordered. Unfortunately it was all downhill from here... Baby oak leaf salad with baked purple haze cheese, pain de mie and lemon citronelle - this had potential. It was all good except the pain de mie appeared to be made with Wonderbread. I would've expected nicer bread at a restaurant of this caliber. Gulf prawns with summer vegetable risotto - meh. The prawns were fine, the "risotto" tasted like rice floating in broth. It was not rich or creamy like one would expect a proper risotto to be. This dish was edible, but it didn't stand out in any way. Roast heirloom chicken with mashers, green beans, and rosemary jus - this was super disappointing. The chicken was possibly undercooked, not much flavor. The skin was rubbery, not crisp. The mashed potatoes were unremarkable and the green beans were just steamed and very plain. The whole thing tasted like "mess hall food" remarked my military husband. Dessert - we shared the gateau basque & fudge sundae. Both excellent. Service - excellent. Our server Henry was wonderful and the manager comped us the chicken since we were so disappointed. I understand the chef is new and I hope they work out the kinks in the menu. It's sad to see such a great restaurant go from outstanding to mediocre food quality. The service remains top notch.
Maximos Madrigal
Beautiful setting (especially the natural garden seen from ground to ceiling window) amazing food presentation, seasonal berry fruit cobbler was delish. Looking fwd to returning sometime soon?
Cat C.
GREAT food. beautiful layout. good service. good desserts too. is quite expensive and limited menu but it's worth it!
Lynn Sharpe-Underwood
Food was fan!Had fun with friends who eat there regularly!@@!
Alicia T.
The food quality has definitely declined although service remains excellent! I absolutely love the setting with the garden view, but I am not sure I will return.
Dongyu Z.
Amazing food and service. We are so happy to find this local gem. I don't think the portions are small at all.
Sergio Gunther
We started with portobello fritters that comes with an outstanding aioli - so ask for extra sauce. We split everything and it was very filling. We shared the Caesar salad -excellent with amazing croutons. Then we had day- boat scallops on risotto very good. The bread is wonderful and crusty. It comes with creamy butter and salt but you can ask for olive oil that’s extraordinary. We had hot fudge sundae for dessert. Need I say more? Pure decadence!
Amy F.
My husband and I have gone to Rivoli for many years, as a treat. We've always loved the food and, pre-Covid, the setting, with that gorgeous garden window. For our anniversary this year we got take out, only because we're not quite ready for the restaurant scene in person. While we miss the setting, the food remained outstanding. We shared the portobello fritters, which, despite the drive home in a to-go box, remained outstanding. Texture, flavor, eye-appeal....all there. I had the gulf shrimp with Anson Mills grits for the entree and my husband had the pork chop with potato gratin. Again...so good. I figured the grits might suffer in transit but didn't find that to be the case at all. And the shrimp was perfectly cooked - tender but substantial and flavorful - and beautifully complemented by the sauces. Gateau Basque for me for dessert and the chocolate bread pudding for my better half. We loved them both. As for portions, I really don't get the complaints about their size. The pork chop was huge and will provide at least a second meal for my husband. Everything else was just right. So...as you can tell...we continue to love Rivoli and wish for its continued success.
Janet T.
My husband and I have loved Rivoli over the years and have considered it to be very reasonably priced for the quality of its food which was outstanding and often inspired. The menu was always limited but everything was thoughtfully and carefully prepared so that whatever we had there was delicious. We were delighted when it reopened although we knew it was no longer in the same hands. We hoped for the best. The new staff was kind and welcoming as always. Unfortunately the food was bad. The salad my husband ordered looked and tasted like an overdressed salad from a chain restaurant. My "fresh" English pea soup tasted almost pasty like canned split pea soup. (And the portion was not generous--maybe 8 oz--despite the $10 a bowl price.). For a main dish we both had duck breast with carrots and mashed parsnips. It was good enough (duck breast rare, carrots nicely peeled and cut, parsnip mash smooth and fluffy) but quite plain really and something I could easily have prepared to the same standard myself on a week night at home. And for this fare, we paid what we had paid before Covid at the old wonderful Rivoli which we will sorely miss. The new Rivoli seemed shabby as well. It's odd how the same room can change to drab and still be the same space. One more thing: the menu of 5 main dish items was very puzzling. Two shell fish dishes, one swordfish dish, the duck breast, and a pork chop. No vegetarian dish at which the old Rivoli excelled. The overall impression we were left with was the restaurant is overpriced, uninteresting, and the old culinary inventiveness is utterly gone.
Like duh!!!! The food and drinks are great! The service can improve, but it's not horrible. The location is even better. I love having hidden gems in my neighborhood. I always prefer to stay local for amazing cuisine without having to travel all the way to SF or Napa Valley.
Jesse J.
Rivoli has been our 'go-to' place for years. Fritters and desserts are still fabulous, but food is now swamped with heavy sauces, and some starters are inedible because too much vinegar has ruined the dish. Portions are teeny-tiny, and I mean teeny-tiny. It's like a child's plate. We had been getting take-out 1-2x per month, but sadly, we won't be back unless things have changed. We miss Wendy.
Preston Ramos
This spot gives amazing service and tasty food. My favourite place in town. The food served quickly and the prices are affordable. Will definitely recommend this place.
Anna S.
Our guests were still so hungry after this dinner we ordered a pizza from iSlice. Ordered dinner for New Years Eve. Didn't balk at $225 cost given it was for 4 and we already knew this was one of the better (read - pricier) restaurants on Solano. Two things: 1. The food was absolutely delicious. 2. The portions were TEENY TINY. Our guests joked about how my lasagna slice was the size of a brownie and their duck legs looked more like they came from a canary. The pork chop (which they initially forgot to put in the bag and we caught as we were walking away) was a decent size. The crab and avocado starters were also pretty small. The desserts were superb. Their food is tasty but, honestly, for the price, their portion sizes were about a third of what we expected.
This was a favorite restaurant of mine and my husband's when we lived in Berkeley while I was in grad school from 2007-2010, and we were excited to return now that we live in the East Bay again. Unfortunately, we were disappointed and feel that the food quality has declined. The menu is quite small, and we ordered the following items: Sweet corn soup - So good. I joked that it tasted like 'the essence of corn.' This was the standout dish from all the savory items we ordered. Unfortunately it was all downhill from here... Baby oak leaf salad with baked purple haze cheese, pain de mie and lemon citronelle - this had potential. It was all good except the pain de mie appeared to be made with Wonderbread. I would've expected nicer bread at a restaurant of this caliber. Gulf prawns with summer vegetable risotto - meh. The prawns were fine, the "risotto" tasted like rice floating in broth. It was not rich or creamy like one would expect a proper risotto to be. This dish was edible, but it didn't stand out in any way. Roast heirloom chicken with mashers, green beans, and rosemary jus - this was super disappointing. The chicken was possibly undercooked, not much flavor. The skin was rubbery, not crisp. The mashed potatoes were unremarkable and the green beans were just steamed and very plain. The whole thing tasted like "mess hall food" remarked my military husband. Dessert - we shared the gateau basque & fudge sundae. Both excellent. Service - excellent. Our server Henry was wonderful and the manager comped us the chicken since we were so disappointed. I understand the chef is new and I hope they work out the kinks in the menu. It's sad to see such a great restaurant go from outstanding to mediocre food quality. The service remains top notch.
Beautiful setting (especially the natural garden seen from ground to ceiling window) amazing food presentation, seasonal berry fruit cobbler was delish. Looking fwd to returning sometime soon?
GREAT food. beautiful layout. good service. good desserts too. is quite expensive and limited menu but it's worth it!
Food was fan!Had fun with friends who eat there regularly!@@!
The food quality has definitely declined although service remains excellent! I absolutely love the setting with the garden view, but I am not sure I will return.
Amazing food and service. We are so happy to find this local gem. I don't think the portions are small at all.
We started with portobello fritters that comes with an outstanding aioli - so ask for extra sauce. We split everything and it was very filling. We shared the Caesar salad -excellent with amazing croutons. Then we had day- boat scallops on risotto very good. The bread is wonderful and crusty. It comes with creamy butter and salt but you can ask for olive oil that’s extraordinary. We had hot fudge sundae for dessert. Need I say more? Pure decadence!
My husband and I have gone to Rivoli for many years, as a treat. We've always loved the food and, pre-Covid, the setting, with that gorgeous garden window. For our anniversary this year we got take out, only because we're not quite ready for the restaurant scene in person. While we miss the setting, the food remained outstanding. We shared the portobello fritters, which, despite the drive home in a to-go box, remained outstanding. Texture, flavor, eye-appeal....all there. I had the gulf shrimp with Anson Mills grits for the entree and my husband had the pork chop with potato gratin. Again...so good. I figured the grits might suffer in transit but didn't find that to be the case at all. And the shrimp was perfectly cooked - tender but substantial and flavorful - and beautifully complemented by the sauces. Gateau Basque for me for dessert and the chocolate bread pudding for my better half. We loved them both. As for portions, I really don't get the complaints about their size. The pork chop was huge and will provide at least a second meal for my husband. Everything else was just right. So...as you can tell...we continue to love Rivoli and wish for its continued success.
My husband and I have loved Rivoli over the years and have considered it to be very reasonably priced for the quality of its food which was outstanding and often inspired. The menu was always limited but everything was thoughtfully and carefully prepared so that whatever we had there was delicious. We were delighted when it reopened although we knew it was no longer in the same hands. We hoped for the best. The new staff was kind and welcoming as always. Unfortunately the food was bad. The salad my husband ordered looked and tasted like an overdressed salad from a chain restaurant. My "fresh" English pea soup tasted almost pasty like canned split pea soup. (And the portion was not generous--maybe 8 oz--despite the $10 a bowl price.). For a main dish we both had duck breast with carrots and mashed parsnips. It was good enough (duck breast rare, carrots nicely peeled and cut, parsnip mash smooth and fluffy) but quite plain really and something I could easily have prepared to the same standard myself on a week night at home. And for this fare, we paid what we had paid before Covid at the old wonderful Rivoli which we will sorely miss. The new Rivoli seemed shabby as well. It's odd how the same room can change to drab and still be the same space. One more thing: the menu of 5 main dish items was very puzzling. Two shell fish dishes, one swordfish dish, the duck breast, and a pork chop. No vegetarian dish at which the old Rivoli excelled. The overall impression we were left with was the restaurant is overpriced, uninteresting, and the old culinary inventiveness is utterly gone.
Wonderful must try
Restaurantji Recommends
It's great.. love the staff the super kind
Like duh!!!! The food and drinks are great! The service can improve, but it's not horrible. The location is even better. I love having hidden gems in my neighborhood. I always prefer to stay local for amazing cuisine without having to travel all the way to SF or Napa Valley.
Rivoli has been our 'go-to' place for years. Fritters and desserts are still fabulous, but food is now swamped with heavy sauces, and some starters are inedible because too much vinegar has ruined the dish. Portions are teeny-tiny, and I mean teeny-tiny. It's like a child's plate. We had been getting take-out 1-2x per month, but sadly, we won't be back unless things have changed. We miss Wendy.
This spot gives amazing service and tasty food. My favourite place in town. The food served quickly and the prices are affordable. Will definitely recommend this place.
Our guests were still so hungry after this dinner we ordered a pizza from iSlice. Ordered dinner for New Years Eve. Didn't balk at $225 cost given it was for 4 and we already knew this was one of the better (read - pricier) restaurants on Solano. Two things: 1. The food was absolutely delicious. 2. The portions were TEENY TINY. Our guests joked about how my lasagna slice was the size of a brownie and their duck legs looked more like they came from a canary. The pork chop (which they initially forgot to put in the bag and we caught as we were walking away) was a decent size. The crab and avocado starters were also pretty small. The desserts were superb. Their food is tasty but, honestly, for the price, their portion sizes were about a third of what we expected.