(510) 525-1440
1782 4th St
Berkeley,
CA
94710
37.8706
-122.3009
Neighborhood: Northwest Berkeley
What People Are Saying About Caf??? Rouge
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short – On a trendy, upscale stretch of 4th Street, this darling spot fits right in. Pates and sausages are made in-house, and they dry age the meats, all of which are antibiotic- and hormone-free. The California-centric menu changes every two weeks, but always includes options from the mesquite grill and a house-made charcuterie plate. Everything is paired with seasonal, sustainably-farmed ingredients. Even many wine options are biodynamic and organic. –
11/01/09
Mediocre food and horrible service management
by JamesTravels at Citysearch
We were excited to enjoy our first brunch here in their outdoor area. While our server was helpful and nice, we ultimately left frustrated and disappointed. At first, we were seated promptly for our 11AM reservation slot. However, after we placed our order, we then sat there for 40 minutes and watched at least four other parties (2 to 4 people each)--who all were seated 5 to 20 minutes after we were--get their food orders. When our order did arrive at 11:57AM, our server unfortunately offered no apologies or explanations. We ordered a pancake and poached eggs with smoked salmon, which were not complicated items, plus some spicy potatoes and brussel sprouts on as sides. The total came to $43. What an unfortunate first (and last) impression. I guess making OpenTable reservations put you last in line for service at Rouge.
- Pros: Nice outdoor seating area
- Cons: Poor kitchen order management
11/09/08
Always Wonderful
by angela3939 at Citysearch
I'm appalled at some of the nasty reviews given for Cafe Rouge; my husband an I have been going there for years and have always had a lovely experience. The bartenders in particular are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, and the food is always interesting and satisfying. The charcuterie plate is our favorite item on the menu. The menu changes often, and is always exciting. Wine list is great too.
- Pros: great food, wonderful service/owner/manager
- Cons: noisy
07/05/08
HAIR IN FOOD
by janelleq at Citysearch
I had very high hopes for this ideally situated bistro in the middle of Fourth St, Berkeley. It has a great ambiance on a sunny weekend with outdoor seating. I had great expectations with the raspberry lemonade running $5 and the average main dish costing between $15-$20. I ordered the Steak Frites ($18, I could pay that much for a dinner entree in the city) and wine, my husband ordered spaghetti (which was fabulous) and one of three Belgium beers. The staff had not been educated on the beers and had no knowledge at all on any of the foreign beers served so when asked for a recommendation he merely gave a shrug. Anyway, my steak fritte arrived and it was fantastic! Cooked as ordered at medium with a side of pomme frittes. I was thoroughly enjoying my meal when I saw a HAIR!!! I'm not one to complain usually, but I took this opportunity to send it back. After half an hour of waiting (my husband already finished his meal) they served another Steak Frittes. No Hair this time, BUT it was overcooked. This was well done and dry. The first one having been perfect (save the stray hair) served as a point of reference so I was very disappointed. I finished what I could and discreetly mentioned to the server that again, the first meal had been delicious (despite the hair) but the replacement had been overcooked and not served as requested. I received an apology, but was disappointed to receive a bill for the full price of our meal. Not sure if it's a lot to expect that a restaurant would comp a meal that was served unacceptably wrong twice in a row. I'm sorely disappointed that such a promising meal went so awry and am sad to say that I could not trust going to this establishment again. This is the first time I've been so disturbed by a restaurant that I felt the need to write a review... It could have been such a pleasant experience, so I'm very frustrated..."
- Pros: allows dogs in outdoor area, patio seating - nice ambiance on sunny day
- Cons: staff not knowledgeable, poor customer service, despite pricey lunch - HAIR IN FOOD
The Details on Caf??? Rouge
When to Go:
Sunday brunch (10am-2:30pm, live jazz on Tuesdays with $5 martinis (5:30-9:30pm), oysters for $1 on Wednesdays (5:30-9:30pm).
Notable Wine List:
Eclectic, international roster offers options in addition to those from Napa/Sonoma.
Parking:
Three hours of free parking is available in the adjacent Market Plaza lot.
Category:
Payment Methods:
Visa, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
Online Reservations, Live Music, Brunch, Outdoor Dining, Notable Wine List, Notable Chef
General Info:
Open 7 Days
Cuisine:
Notable Chef:
Marsha McBride
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