Ate lunch at the cafe, $100 for two, salad, main course, dessert plus mandatory 17% tip. First time and the food was good but not great. You have to be one that likes interesting food with interesting combination's. That said the food was not that special. Salad. The rocket (arugula) and thinly sliced zucchini was interesting but nothing special about... more

Called for rerservations, got voice mail, left a message. They never returned my call to my cellphone, which I always have with me. I lead a busy life and when I called back and it was "too late". Maybe 20+ years of success has gone to their heads. Perhaps Alice would not be pleased with her staff, if she knew... more

The place was packed, reservations booked thru late in the evening. Told the Maître de we were from out of town and just "had to get in". He got us in, sat us at a primo table with a great server. Wow Wow Wow what an experience! more

Now I can say that I've been there but not itching to go back. Good food but not sure what the hype is about. more

We had a good meal at Chez Panisse, with excellent service that did not rush us out or delay us. My only issue was a glass of red wine that I had requested - I had asked for a malbec, and got something akin to a cote du rhone. Not that I dislike cote du rhone...it was just a surprise.... more

I will have to agree with many other reviewers and say that Chez Panisse has lost its standing among the best restaurants in the Bay area. After ten days of travel in and around San Francisco, I had far better meals and service at lesser known places. We had lunch reservations in the cafe and were seated directly across from... more

We thought to have a great dinner at chez Panisse because it is known as one of the best restaurants of California but it wasn't. We as europeans use the michelin to direct ourself through this in order to eat good. They have one star but it isn't worth one fork. We had maybe 10 dollars worth of raw materials... more

After everything heard about Chez Panisse and going throught the rigamarole of getting a "dining room" reservation, our expectations were quite high... if you're drving, street parking is a bit of a challenge so be sure to give yourself extra time to take care of that... we were seated immediately in the dining room... the room itself is small and... more

"Wow! Totally overrated. You are definitely paying for the name. This was our first time eating at Chez Panisse and we ate in the cafe. There ambiance was horrible. You basically sit on a wooden bench! I found the menu unappealing. The appetizers were ok. I ordered a warmed goat cheese salad and found the lettuce to be gritty. We... more