Cafe Rouge
Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone: (510) 525-1440
- Cross Street:
- Virginia Street
- Best of Citysearch:
- Hamburger 2006, Steak 2005, Steak 2004
- Hours:
- Mon 11:30am-3pm, Tue-Thu 11:30am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun 10am-9pm
Editorial Review for Cafe Rouge – by Geri Koeppel
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.
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Insider Tips
When to GoSunday 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 ListEclectic, international roster offers options in addition to those from Napa/Sonoma.
ParkingThree hours of free parking is available in the adjacent Market Plaza lot.
User Reviews for Cafe Rouge
07/05/2008 Posted by janelleq
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
05/14/2008 Posted by akahats
I have never writen a review and signed up just to write this BAD service - I'm still shocked at the rudness of the hostess. The food was does not stand out at all there are thousands of way better places with way better food for less money and without being treated worse than poorly. We were there with a group of people and we all were shocked at the treatment that no one would ever deserve from a service industry.
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