Venus Restaurant
| Address: | 2327 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA |
| Phone: | +1 510-540-5950 |
| Site: | venusrestaurant510.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 8AM–2:30PM 8AM–2:30PM 8AM–2:30PM 8AM–2:30PM 8AM–2:30PM 8AM–2:30PM 8AM–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
BO
Boroka Bo
What is worse than overcooked fish? Precariously close to its expiration date, yet woefully under-cooked fish... All the great reviews of this restaurant lured me in today for breakfast (though I see now that all the glowing reviews are ~ 1+ years old). I ordered the salmon scramble with chai. The portion sizes were adequate (definitely on the small side, with a lack of effort when it comes to any sort of artful placement on the plate). The service was overall attentive - hence the 2 stars (though the restaurant was less than 1/3 full, so the waitstaff was mostly just enjoying each others company by the counter). Unfortunately, the salmon scramble was beyond disappointing. The first bite flooded my mouth with feta cheese, which would have been great, except that was the only piece of cheese in the entire meal. The bok choi in the scramble was a bit of an odd addition, as it nearly overwhelmed the egg, yet it wasnt strong enough to moderate the taste of the expired salmon. Seems to me, that they had a pile of old salmon laying about the kitchen, and decided to make a daily breakfast special from it before it fully rotted. It is pretty much impossible for food to make my stomach upset, but a few bites of this breakfast actually managed to push my digestive system over the edge. My search for the perfect breakfast in Berkeley continues, as unfortunately Venus wasnt it.
AM
Amelia Lindstrom
Line was too long at La Note so boyfriend and I went down to Venus. Woe unto us. Upon arrival we were greeted by a somewhat grungy looking dude with a ponytail and hipster glasses. He quoted us a wait around half an hour. Fine, we said, we can wait. Fast forward to around half an hour later, we are supposedly next on the list. Ponytail dude calls us, just then two breathless girls come running up toting several bags from Crossroads, across the street. Did we miss our turn, they ask. Oh yes, but Ill seat you now, he says. He brushes us aside and leads the girls to what WAS our table. Youll be next, he says. Thats kind of messed up, but its Sunday, Ill chill. At least two more tables are seated ahead of us. Finally, it is ACTUALLY our turn to be seated. At that point I was too angry to enjoy the food (which, incidentally, was plated like it came from a cafeteria. Two eggs, two pieces of toast, and two slices of bacon on a HUGE white plate, making my breakfast about 60% white space. Classy.) As the "host" brings the check over, wasnt it worth the wait? he smugly asks. No, no it was not.
LA
Laura MacArthur
Eh, to be honest, this place left me with a very "meh" taste in my mouth. Ive only been once, and it was for brunch. The only reason we ended up here was because the La Note line for brunch was particularly bananas that day (think 2 hours instead of 1), so we decided to shake it up a bit. My chicken sausage scramble was just fine, the service was just fine, but it wasnt exciting or delicious in the way that similar places along Shattuck or near the Gourmet Ghetto are. Not that theres anything wrong with just providing solid breakfast food (Im as big a fan of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast as the next person). But I feel like Jupiters menu and prices were promising something that would be a cut above, and they didnt really deliver.
PA
Patricia Quan
Venus is one of the solid dinner options in Downtown Berkeley. Since graduating from Cal, I have dined here on several occasions for both brunch and dinner and I have never left unsatisfied. The menu is local and seasonal, so it does change. However, I can say that their cocktails are always fantastic and the pork chop that I had tonight was delicious! It was cooked medium rare and paired with mashed potatoes, asparagus, and roasted apricots. The staff is incredibly friendly and the atmosphere is lively but not too loud. A great option for dinner if you have visitors in town. My favorite time of year to go is in the fall when the pumpkin pancakes are available. A must-try if you are in the East Bay.
BR
Bryan Black
This was my first time going here, and it wont be my last. The wait was long but that says something about this restaurant. The brunch is what my girlfriend and I came for and when we got seated and looked at the menu, we had a hard time picking something out because it all sounded so good. Not only did it sound good but it was delicious tasting! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a more healthy brunch, and a good atmosphere. It is cramped in there because the building is small, and they now operate on the European no tip pricing. Prices are more pricy but there is no tipped expected. Our bill to sign had no area for a tip. It was an interesting idea. My girlfriend and I approve!
AN
Annie Lin
I really like coming to Venus, especially when the line for La Note is 10,000 miles long. The servers here are not that nice, but the food makes up for it. The food is always served in a timely manner - large portions and deliciously satisfying after youve been waiting in line for 40 minutes. I also enjoy the drinks here, so yummy! We had the papaya, pineapple, ...something agua fresca special over the weekend: so refreshing! A bit pricey for what its worth but I do like the atmosphere of Venus. Ive only been here for brunch so cant speak to anything else but Id love to come try their dinner one day!
CH
Christine Mamuad
Heard that Venus was related to one of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley, Tigerlily, so gave it an enthusiastic shot at dinner. Despite the restaurant being 90% empty, service was non-existent, and the food took forever to come out. And although the food itself was decent and the menu seemingly carefully thought through, it was very hard to justify the small portions with the good-but-not-THAT-great taste of the food for the price we paid. Unless they improve their service and portions to match their prices, I will just go to Tigerlily and be happily fed there.
JO
John Doe
Was here twice. Based on my first experience, I would have given the place three stars. Decent eggs benedict and good wait staff. Walked in around noon on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 and was told I couldnt sit in the back area. Okay. I took a window table instead. Nope, cant take that space because there might be a crowd. If you were so worried about crowds, why have half the restaurant closed. The place aint that large, folks. It was evident the waiter was picking and choosing his customers so hed have less work. Beyond shocking.
J
J Lee
Good food. Pricey. However, not good with kids... Sometimes the high chair is broken and they dont have extra. Weekend brunch usually busy...Long wait. Dinners okay. Not 100 percent convinced that all products are local farm products. Update... Recently went for dinner and had long black hair in my food. They thought taking out hair and serving it up on new plate was enough as fix. Wanted to charge me for it. I dont think so. $20 entre should not and can not have hair in it.
A
A Private User
This is our favorite all-around restaurant. It serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner - all consistently excellent. The food is perfect California cuisine - local, fresh, simple, perfect portions. Good vegetarian options as well as fish and meat. The dining room is cozy with a diverse crowd,, young and older couples, friends and families. Service is great and knowledgeable. And its moderately priced compared to comparable food in Berkeley.
