Venus Restaurant
(510) 540-5950
2327 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley,
CA
94704
37.8672
-122.2676
Neighborhood: South Berkeley
What People Are Saying About Venus Restaurant
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
With brick walls, a collection of art gathered with a personal touch and an open kitchen, this casual spot feels like a favorite hangout as soon as you walk through the door. The local crowd mixes students with downtown Berkeley professionals.
The Food
Co-owner and chef Amy Murray has a world-beat flair, but her menu--which changes every six to eight weeks--also shows off her knowledge of classic pairings. Although the cafe now serves dinner too, Venus' regulars mostly come for breakfast, which features lavishly overstuffed omelettes, French toast made with homemade bread, waffles baked up in antique waffle iron and pancakes like the aptly named "luxury flaps," oozing chunks of Belgian chocolate and fresh raspberries. A flank steak sandwich is drizzled with velvet blue-cheese mayonnaise, while a grilled turkey sandwich gets a shot of smoky chipotle. Curried chicken salad, served with greens and fruit, is subtly redolent of its promised spices.
User Reviews
Anonymous
January 11, 2009
This is a really small restaurant that serves up really big food. The chicken here is so tender it is crazy. It is never dry and always well seasoned.
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nycbumm
November 25, 2008
Three of us go for dinner and have a reservation. My daughter and son-in-law both ordered the butternut squash soup and she ordered a gnocchi appetizer and a latte. I ordered a fettucini dish. Both soups arrive and they are luke warm. They're taken back and reheated. My pasta dish arrives with my daughter's appetizer. The latte never comes until I ask for it during the middle of the meal. Our waitress seems to be ignoring us and another waitress takes our dessert order and brings us the bill. What's up with that? Food was good once it was served with the right temperature. Service was terrible.
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josebove
October 01, 2006
I liked Venus, but two elements of the experience tainted our meal. First, the restaurant is very poorly ventilated. We came out smelling like we just had dinner at a roadside burger joint. It's not right to have a gourmet, high-end meal at a classy restaurant and then come out smelling like a smoked pork loin. Turn on the fans over the grill, please. Second, the owner/manager stood next to our table and carried on a conversation for several minutes with her friends who were sitting at the next table about how the summer was kind of slow, and how ... I don't even know, but it went on for a while and it was more like the kind of conversation you would expect people to have at home, or at a cafe, or... well, not at work, at a restaurant that is charging $7 for a glass of red wine. And not with your butt in my girlfriend's face and not within earshot of other patrons. That's all. Other than that, I liked the place.
read full reviewThe Details on Venus Restaurant
Know Before You Go:
Reservations are not accepted on weekends, but diners can call ahead to be put on the waiting list.
Save Money:
Prix-fixe specials are offered periodically, frequently in connection with holidays. Call for details.
