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(510) 843-1535
2377 Shattuck Ave
(Channing Way)
Berkeley,
CA
94704
37.8663
-122.2675
Neighborhood: South Berkeley
Hours:
Mon-Wed 8am-2:30pm
Thu-Fri 8am-2:30pm, 6pm-10pm
Sat 8am-3pm, 6pm-10pm
Sun 8am-3pm
Last updated 1.24.11
Category:
Payment Methods:
Visa, MasterCard, Travelers Check, Debit Card
Restaurant Special Features:
Cuisine:
What People Are Saying About La Note
Featured Review
Contributor
Contributor
In Short – Located in Berkeley's downtown commercial district, this small French bistro features aged hardwood floors and ceramic plates hung on cream-sage walls. Menu highlights include "pain perdu," cinnamon brioche French toast served with lavender honey for breakfast. The baguette a la merguez--a sandwich of spicy lamb sausage served with sundried-tomato pesto--is a typical lunch option. Dinners feature a focused selection of classic French entrees.
Editor's Tips
- Where to Sit:
- On warmer days, enjoy the sun on the charming patio at the back of the restaurant.
- When to Go:
- Evenings feature live jazz.
- Save Time:
- Phone ahead and get your food to go.
01/12/08
Food too sugary and fly in pancake
by berkeleybartender at Citysearch
First off, the menu is very hard to read and navigate, because I do not know French. Even with that, the choices are few and bland. I ordered french toast, and creme fraiche pancakes. The french toast was not what I was expecting and tasted too eggy and sugary. They sprinkled the entire dish with powdered sugar. Later, I was left with a disgusting egg, sugar and maple syrup after-taste that managed to survive until I went to bed. I was reminded of my mistaken adventure to La Note throughout the day as I fought back the regurgitating egg mixed with maple syrup and powdered sugar. The french toast tasted too "eggy" for my taste. The pancakes also had lots of powdered sugar on them and tasted pretty bland, except for the sugar. Later, we discovered a dead fly lying on the pancakes. The people of La Note were kind enough though to not charge us for that one dish. The total for just the french toast was $11. I thought that going to La Note, I would be getting a unique and French take on breakfast, but I don't think I did. On the good side, the food was nicely displayed, and the decor was pretty.
- Pros: Decor, presentation
- Cons: overpriced for average quality food
09/29/07
delicious food and friendly service!
by andy261 at Citysearch
I'm not a morning person, but La Note was worth getting up early for. We started out with the bread basket, which was really good in itself, but when my oatmeal raspberry pancakes came I seriously couldn't put my fork down. Although the wait can be quite long (30-45 minutes isn't unusual), if you have the time, it's well worth a visit!
- Pros: food, service
- Cons: wait
08/27/07
Charming, fun and delicious food
by versailles79 at Citysearch
Went to La Note for the first time recently and LOVED IT! Food was excellent, delicious, and wholesome (cranberry oatmeal pancakes, lavendar honey, fresh apple juice). The outdoor patio is gorgeous, with overhanging fruit trees, cute tablecloths, and intimidate setting. We waited for about 30 mins for a party of 4 for Sunday brunch. Prices are high, but decent for the quality of food ($60 for 4 ppl). The entire restaurant is just fun and reminds me a French cafe. The servers there even speak french to each other.
- Pros: delicious food, european ambiance
- Cons: wait time
04/24/07
Awesome brunch
by n8fig1 at Citysearch
Me and some friends came to eat at La Note on a Saturday morning (we went early because we heard about the crowds). We were seated immediately by a beautiful hostess with dark hair who let us sit at the big family table in the middle of the restaurant. Our server was prompt and efficient, she took our order and returned almost immedieatley with our drinks and appetizer (the toasted brioche is sooooo good with butter and lavender honey). I had the creme fraiche pancakes, they were pretty normal, but the creme fraiche made them somehow creamy and rich. My partner had the Cote Sud, with these spicy lamb sausages that were to die for! Our server was french, she was pretty and funny in this really blunt french way, tres authentic. She showed us the patio as well, although it wasn't open at the time. I plan to come back in the summer to sit out there and pretend I am in Provence.
- Pros: Delicious food, friendly staff
- Cons: Long waits, a little pricey
04/14/07
Good Food, bad service
by chickenbone at Citysearch
I have been to La Note twice for breakfast. The first experience two weeks ago was so-so. I had the pancakes which were OK. (Everyone else I was with made better choices.) The service was a bit slow but tolerable. We went again today at 8:30. We waited an hour to be seated. Granted, we had a party of 9 and it was unusually crowded for that time but table/seating management was horrible. There were at least two instances where tables could have been put together for us but the hostess was waiting for one specific table. (Those people had walked in right before us.) Ordinarily I am a patient man but since our party had two pregnant women and three toddlers who were melting down because they were hungry, I found this to be unacceptable. I had to keep asking the hostess what was going on and felt like I had to help her do her job. We had to be seated in shifts so the kids and mom's could eat. They ordered a croissant to tide over the (crying) kids and that took to a while to arrive. (At lease she brought extra napkins in the meantime) Once we were seated, it took 15+ minutes to get coffee (isn't it already roasted?), and only after I had to remind the waitress. Once our food came, our waitress didn't come to check on us. I tried in vain to flag her down two times for coffee. However, when it was time to pay the bill, that was handled expediently. The food was good (eggs, potatoes and bacon) but the wait and poor service greatly detracted from the dining experience. I advise going only if you have lots of time and are extremely patient.
- Cons: Service, Wait time, Service
