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March 2024 by Napoleon R.
This is easily the best restaurant I've been to in the East Bay, though it seems to be a little under the radar. Although it is a little pricier than what we normally look for on an average Saturday night, it's honestly well worth it. The food is perfect, with great creative and well-balanced cocktails to pair. The ambiance is funky, cute and cozy, and the service is excellent. We moved over from San Francisco 3.5 years ago, and we've generally been underwhelmed with the restaurant scene on this side of the bridge. In terms of ambiance, most places in the East Bay seem to either be very dated looking, or else they have an updated, hipster "cool" vibe, but are also cavernous and chilly. The Rendezvous is a notable exception to this. The space has a beautiful, eclectic, vintage feel AND I didn't have to be bundled up in my winter coat while enjoying my meal. This is the place to pick if you want to impress a date with your artsy and casual-yet-sophisticated taste. This is place to take your spouse when they are feeling down and you can splurge to cheer them up. This is the place to meet up with your favorite friends if you want to feel cozy and connected. This is the the place to celebrate your next birthday, anniversary or anything else that merits celebrating with great food in a special place. They also have an adorable outdoor space for warm evenings, daytime gatherings or for people who need to continue to avoid indoor dining. This isn't the barely-thought-about tables and chairs on a cement slab that so many restaurants have these days. Their patio is a lovingly decorated extension of the indoor restaurant. Though I haven't sat out there yet, I had the thought that it would be a perfect place to buy out for a private party. I really love it, and am already looking forward to my next visit.
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March 2024 by Les P.
The service still needs work. A busy Saturday night, it's true. I arrived alone, said "one for dinner", and was happy to be seated at the bar. They took my drink order; the drink came 10-15 minutes later. I was there for another 15 minutes, and nobody asked if I wanted food, so I asked for the check and went home. I know from previous visits that the dishes offered are pretty much small plates, for $25-40. And it's loud. I don't think Ill try again.
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March 2024 by Stephanie L.
Delicious food, wonderful ambiance, top-notch service. Definitely an Oakland gem. Cocktails were
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March 2024 by Janna Allana S.
Omg I loved this place! The vibe was so nice and our waiter gave us a personal tour of the place. Some of the paintings have been there for so long. We had the bread and dessert. A little pricy but so delicious.
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January 2024 by Arden W.
I have talked about wanting to go to the The Rendez-Vous for a while, but we decided to stop by for a cocktail on a whim last night, after I was in a very scary car accident across the street and my car was totaled. Visiting The Rendez-Vous was such a good decision! The staff really went above and beyond in creating a warm and welcoming ambiance that helped me decompress. They even gave us complementary champagne to celebrate everybody being safe! I really want to give all of the staff a big "thank you" for turning a really bad day into a lovely evening.
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November 2023 by Ali K.
The food here is delicious. The chef takes local ingredients and presents them in the most delicious French dishes. The beef tartare is scrumptious and all of their salads are perfection. My partner is a vegetarian and never fails to find a dish he loves-tonight it was fregola with saffron crème and clams with roasted tomatoes. Don't forget the cocktails and nice wine list. Service is charming and sitting outside on a nice day in their courtyard is something between New Orleans and La Marais.
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November 2023 by Macheeks ..
Delicious food and cocktails in a romantic, chic space. I've eaten here a handful of times and the changing menu keeps things fresh and fun. Loved the risotto type dish, the crudo, and the panna cotta. The cocktails come in delightful glasses too. The back patio is lovely too with heat lamps. Perfect for a date night or to catch up with friends.
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October 2023 by Michaela K.
We can here for our anniversary, and had a really nice dinner. The interior is all sorts of mismatched decor, but it felt really cute and romantic. The service was also top notch, we ordered a small plate of oysters as a starter and they gave us an extra one so that we could split it. Food and wine were really delicious. I got the halibut crudo, the vegetable/bulgur terrine and the oysters. All were tasty and felt like dishes I don't often see at restaurants. I am deducting a star for portion sizes. My partner and I got a smaller appetizer to split and two main courses, but we would have left hungry had we not gotten a third main to split. Overall romantic vibe, great food, just be prepared to spend a bit.
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September 2023 by Scott N.
We had a lovely dinner. The food was fresh and delicious- a lot of interesting textures and flavors. The burrata, melon and eggplant was amazing. We split 4 dishes and were very happy.
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September 2023 by Molly B
The owner of this place is unhinged and treats her employees (and customers) *terribly*. She owns both this furniture store as well as the adjoining bar/restaurant. I had an incredibly upsetting experience at this bar. My friend and I went here for some evening cocktails. While the drinks and service were impeccable, and all of the waitstaff and bartenders were super friendly and the ambiance was wonderful, we had an unexcusable encounter with the owner at the end of the evening. As we were closing our tab and the restaurant was closing, the owner came out of the back office area, and repeatedly yelled and cursed at us, while berating all of the employees/staff as well. It was shocking, inappropriate, and jarring to say the least. Her demeanor was extremely aggressive (despite nobody else engaging with her). Based on the bartenders' reactions, it sadly seemed to be a common occurrence. I could not in good faith return to this establishment knowing the type of ownership and employee treatment I am supporting. Skip this place.
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August 2023 by Molly B.
The owner of this place is unhinged and treats her employees (and customers) *terribly*. I had an incredibly upsetting experience at this bar. My friend and I went here for some evening cocktails. While the drinks and service were impeccable, and all of the waitstaff and bartenders were super friendly and the ambiance was wonderful, we had an unexcusable encounter with the owner at the end of the evening. As we were closing our tab and the restaurant was closing, the owner came out of the back office area, and repeatedly yelled and cursed at us, while berating all of the employees/staff as well. It was shocking, inappropriate, and jarring to say the least. Her demeanor was extremely aggressive (despite nobody else engaging with her). Based on the bartenders' reactions, it sadly seemed to be a common occurrence. I could not in good faith return to this establishment knowing the type of ownership and employee treatment I am supporting. Skip this place.
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August 2023 by Carisa K.
Got a chance to try The Rendez-Vous's new brunch menu and enjoyed it. It has all the elements of a good Sunday brunch. A local dj was playing laidback tracks, the coffee was flowing, and the food was quite delicious. Glad this pretty little restaurant shined itself up for Oakland.
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August 2023 by Jen K.
Me and my girlfriend came here on Sunday to try their brunch menu. The coffee was amazing and so was the cocktails. The DJ played great music and the server was super attentive. I think they will need to work on their brunch menu but my favorite thumping there was the Nutella cornmeal crepe.
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July 2023 by Denise D.
Love this place! Food is delicious; small, focused menu that is delightful, fish forward, and tasty. But, the music is waaaay too loud. On each occasion, we've fought with the sound level, yelling to have a conversation (hence the 4 star review).
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July 2023 by Josh B.
Just stumbled upon The Rendez-Vous for the first time last week. What a fantastic experience. Food, service, decor, music was all perfect. Absolutely loved it and can't wait to go back. Definitely check out this neighborhood gem of gems.
