Start by saying front of house staff and wine crew were fantastic. The plating was immaculate. Ambience is nothing special.
Maybe we caught it on an off night before holiday, but the actual cuisine did not live up to a 3-Michelin. Nearly every dish could be summarized by 'mushy, often semi-sweet seafood.' I'm not a person who ever complains about texture, but by the end of the of this meal, I was powering through to try a bite (errr... or gum).
Would have killed for a hard sear, a crunch, an incorporated carb, a use of acid, a pepper, a bitter green, literally anything to break-up the mushy fish which became actively unpleasant.
I also did not like that the reason for not having the cocktail menu available to the dining guests was to not overshadow the meal. I get the chef having a vision for the meal, but this felt a bit too dictatorial for how guests choose to enjoy their evening.
It's unfortunate, but I'd place this squarely at the bottom of my Michelin experiences in the Bay Area.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
hank digital
I had privilege to attend a dinner hosted at Atelier Crenn, even before the event, people are telling me how special this establish is; so with very high expectation I arrived. Before the dinner was served, we briefly toured the kitchen area. Unfortunately, chef Dominique was not there that night. Nonetheless, the food was amazing. Service is absolutely first class, wait staff is super attentive (maybe bit too much for my take :)) I forgot how many courses we had in total, but it was a lot. Each dish is small portion, meticulously prepared and served. It was night to remember for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kathy Escott
Leading up to the evening, we wondered how one dinner for two could cost a thousand dollars. After the meal began, it didn't take long for us to realize that you get what you pay for. And although we can't afford to eat here every month or even every year, I do hope to be back someday.
The ambiance was chic and yet casual. The pop music seemed incongruous. No dress code (some guests in suits and some in jeans).
The service was given at our pace, with not a moment wasted, and yet the experience lasted about 2 1/2 hours. We didn't have just one server, but each server rotated as the courses progressed, working as a team.
Each course was a work of art, presenting a variety of flavors and textures. There were a few courses I found somewhat heavy on the salt, but my husband disagreed.
This kind of dining is different from anything we'd experienced before. Instead of small amuse bouches leading to main courses, the entire meal consisted of these little bites, perhaps 15 or 20. At the end of the evening, we walked away full, physically and mentally. This is not comfort food. It is an exercise in culinary study.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diane
Creative? check. Beautiful atmosphere and the look of the food and plating? check. But the actual food? It’s just hard to believe this food is 3 star worthy. I’ve been to many of the great Michelin restaurants and enjoyed all of them in the Bay Area and around the world but I was shocked at how underwhelming the food was. Granted I have a shellfish allergy so maybe this place wasn’t the best match for me but they had proper notice yet the experience was truly forgettable food wise. One example: for one dish my wife got the oyster which she really liked and for mine they substituted the oyster with a 2” grilled leek. Yep …a grilled leek. One bite of a grilled leek and it wasn’t even memorable. And there were several examples like this thru out the night. Bummer. We were really wanting to love this but it’s a hard no. Especially for the price.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Ava DeWeerd
havent been but looks good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gene
We had an extraordinary dining experience at Atelier Crenn. Everything was absolutely wonderful—from the warm, thoughtful service to the most breathtakingly beautiful dishes I’ve ever seen. Each course was like a piece of art, crafted with such precision and creativity.
The flavors were incredible as well—delicate, balanced, and deeply satisfying. I also loved their refined pescatarian approach, which made the entire meal feel light, clean, and nourishing. You enjoy every bite without any guilt, knowing the dishes are both delicious and thoughtfully healthy.
Atelier Crenn is truly a world-class culinary experience. Highly recommended.
This experience was style over substance for my husband and I, who chose Atelier Crenn to celebrate his birthday. Yes, the presentation was beautiful. The service was attentive and extremely well choreographed. But the food itself? Shockingly undelicious. A couple dishes were truly exceptional... but most (dinner and dessert courses included) felt more like concept art than something you’d actually want to eat. The wine pours were stingy and the selection for half bottles and by-the-glass options was underwhelming and extraordinarily overpriced. To top it off, we found the poetic menu (including the extremely self important line about “walking on water”) pushed things from refined into unintentionally cheesy. We genuinely expected to love it and left wondering what we missed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Keiko Fujimoto
The best dish in here is the onion soup. (That was tasty & memorable, but that's it!!!) And the most expensive ingredients we ate there were oysters and aged black cod. Even though we spent $$$$!My husband mistakenly pre-ordered a wine pairing, and the selection was also abysmal. Sadly overrated restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Michael Burke
Just amazing top to bottom.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mirajane Strauß
I had the opportunity to dine there more than once, and both the service and the ambiance never disappointed! Creative dishes for a unique experience every single time. Easily understandable why they got tree Michelin stars!
Atelier Crenn is a beautiful, artistic dining experience. Every dish is creative and beautifully plated, and the flavors are thoughtful and delicate. The service is polished and attentive, though the experience can feel a bit formal at times. It’s a splurge, but worth it for a special occasion — truly memorable, even if not perfect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pablo Avila
I ran a business that took me to tons of fine dining places in the Bay Area. This was the worst AND most expensive. This place is pure hype and experimentation. If that’s what you want, go for it. You’ll have dishes like salty crab ice cream. I think we had 8-9 courses and only 2-3 were good.
If you want actually good food, there are many other expensive places that you can brag to friends about and actually get good food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Philip Thomas
Great, but not amazing.
Service is world class. Wine is great.
Food is good but feels a little formulaic compared to its past menus.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
May Bresler Herzog
It's clear chef Dominique is passionate about the restaurant, the quality of the ingredients and the food she serves. We loved meeting her, seeing her passing around the tables, and even got to tour the kitchen. And while the meal was meticulously made, the overall impact of the meal was lacking. Focusing on seafood and vegetables is a bold choice which I appreciate, but at the end of the day, the meal wasn't as memorable as miss Crenn herself.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Katherine Pope
This is my second time to eat here. The bread, sauces, pre, fish, and desserts were fantastic. Tonight’s menu was pescatarian, with two difficult food items for me - abalone and geoduck. I think they were probably as good as they could be, but sadly the memory of the textures are lingering with me post meal. Overall, absolutely worth the experience. Exquisite presentation. Fantastic staff. Their cod and halibut were amazing. And who knows, maybe you’ll like abalone and geaduck
Start by saying front of house staff and wine crew were fantastic. The plating was immaculate. Ambience is nothing special.
Maybe we caught it on an off night before holiday, but the actual cuisine did not live up to a 3-Michelin. Nearly every dish could be summarized by 'mushy, often semi-sweet seafood.' I'm not a person who ever complains about texture, but by the end of the of this meal, I was powering through to try a bite (errr... or gum).
Would have killed for a hard sear, a crunch, an incorporated carb, a use of acid, a pepper, a bitter green, literally anything to break-up the mushy fish which became actively unpleasant.
I also did not like that the reason for not having the cocktail menu available to the dining guests was to not overshadow the meal. I get the chef having a vision for the meal, but this felt a bit too dictatorial for how guests choose to enjoy their evening.
It's unfortunate, but I'd place this squarely at the bottom of my Michelin experiences in the Bay Area.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
I had privilege to attend a dinner hosted at Atelier Crenn, even before the event, people are telling me how special this establish is; so with very high expectation I arrived. Before the dinner was served, we briefly toured the kitchen area. Unfortunately, chef Dominique was not there that night. Nonetheless, the food was amazing. Service is absolutely first class, wait staff is super attentive (maybe bit too much for my take :)) I forgot how many courses we had in total, but it was a lot. Each dish is small portion, meticulously prepared and served. It was night to remember for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leading up to the evening, we wondered how one dinner for two could cost a thousand dollars. After the meal began, it didn't take long for us to realize that you get what you pay for. And although we can't afford to eat here every month or even every year, I do hope to be back someday.
The ambiance was chic and yet casual. The pop music seemed incongruous. No dress code (some guests in suits and some in jeans).
The service was given at our pace, with not a moment wasted, and yet the experience lasted about 2 1/2 hours. We didn't have just one server, but each server rotated as the courses progressed, working as a team.
Each course was a work of art, presenting a variety of flavors and textures. There were a few courses I found somewhat heavy on the salt, but my husband disagreed.
This kind of dining is different from anything we'd experienced before. Instead of small amuse bouches leading to main courses, the entire meal consisted of these little bites, perhaps 15 or 20. At the end of the evening, we walked away full, physically and mentally. This is not comfort food. It is an exercise in culinary study.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Creative? check. Beautiful atmosphere and the look of the food and plating? check. But the actual food? It’s just hard to believe this food is 3 star worthy. I’ve been to many of the great Michelin restaurants and enjoyed all of them in the Bay Area and around the world but I was shocked at how underwhelming the food was. Granted I have a shellfish allergy so maybe this place wasn’t the best match for me but they had proper notice yet the experience was truly forgettable food wise. One example: for one dish my wife got the oyster which she really liked and for mine they substituted the oyster with a 2” grilled leek. Yep …a grilled leek. One bite of a grilled leek and it wasn’t even memorable. And there were several examples like this thru out the night. Bummer. We were really wanting to love this but it’s a hard no. Especially for the price.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
havent been but looks good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had an extraordinary dining experience at Atelier Crenn. Everything was absolutely wonderful—from the warm, thoughtful service to the most breathtakingly beautiful dishes I’ve ever seen. Each course was like a piece of art, crafted with such precision and creativity.
The flavors were incredible as well—delicate, balanced, and deeply satisfying. I also loved their refined pescatarian approach, which made the entire meal feel light, clean, and nourishing. You enjoy every bite without any guilt, knowing the dishes are both delicious and thoughtfully healthy.
Atelier Crenn is truly a world-class culinary experience. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Abalone Roasted Garlic Smoked Crème
This experience was style over substance for my husband and I, who chose Atelier Crenn to celebrate his birthday. Yes, the presentation was beautiful. The service was attentive and extremely well choreographed. But the food itself? Shockingly undelicious. A couple dishes were truly exceptional... but most (dinner and dessert courses included) felt more like concept art than something you’d actually want to eat. The wine pours were stingy and the selection for half bottles and by-the-glass options was underwhelming and extraordinarily overpriced. To top it off, we found the poetic menu (including the extremely self important line about “walking on water”) pushed things from refined into unintentionally cheesy. We genuinely expected to love it and left wondering what we missed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
The best dish in here is the onion soup. (That was tasty & memorable, but that's it!!!) And the most expensive ingredients we ate there were oysters and aged black cod. Even though we spent $$$$!My husband mistakenly pre-ordered a wine pairing, and the selection was also abysmal. Sadly overrated restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Just amazing top to bottom.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had the opportunity to dine there more than once, and both the service and the ambiance never disappointed! Creative dishes for a unique experience every single time. Easily understandable why they got tree Michelin stars!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Atelier Crenn is a beautiful, artistic dining experience. Every dish is creative and beautifully plated, and the flavors are thoughtful and delicate. The service is polished and attentive, though the experience can feel a bit formal at times. It’s a splurge, but worth it for a special occasion — truly memorable, even if not perfect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I ran a business that took me to tons of fine dining places in the Bay Area. This was the worst AND most expensive. This place is pure hype and experimentation. If that’s what you want, go for it. You’ll have dishes like salty crab ice cream. I think we had 8-9 courses and only 2-3 were good.
If you want actually good food, there are many other expensive places that you can brag to friends about and actually get good food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Great, but not amazing.
Service is world class. Wine is great.
Food is good but feels a little formulaic compared to its past menus.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
It's clear chef Dominique is passionate about the restaurant, the quality of the ingredients and the food she serves. We loved meeting her, seeing her passing around the tables, and even got to tour the kitchen. And while the meal was meticulously made, the overall impact of the meal was lacking. Focusing on seafood and vegetables is a bold choice which I appreciate, but at the end of the day, the meal wasn't as memorable as miss Crenn herself.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This is my second time to eat here. The bread, sauces, pre, fish, and desserts were fantastic. Tonight’s menu was pescatarian, with two difficult food items for me - abalone and geoduck. I think they were probably as good as they could be, but sadly the memory of the textures are lingering with me post meal. Overall, absolutely worth the experience. Exquisite presentation. Fantastic staff. Their cod and halibut were amazing. And who knows, maybe you’ll like abalone and geaduck
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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