Cafe Rouge
1782 4th Street
(between Hearst Ave & Virginia St)
Berkeley, CA 94710 (510) 525-1440
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner, Lunch
- Alcohol: Full Bar
109 reviews
Neighborhood: North Oakland
"Took a big chance one morning and stopped by Citron without a reservation. Luckily, we were welcomed by a very nice hostess and seated…" read more »
131 Reviews for Cafe Rouge
We came here b/c we heard that the burgers were GREAT. They weren't. They were pretty "meh." We paid about 11 bucks/piece for two burgers that we ordered medium well, but the burgers came out pretty dry...AND, to top it off, they wouldn't give us tomatoes b/c "they aren't in season" unless we wanted to pay more! I ordered grilled mushrooms for extra, and I got two dinky pieces of mushroom (cold). What's up with that? The fries were OK, but nothing to write home about. And the service was less than warm. Very comparable to Barney's (but probably worse)!
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Food? Good! Service? Weird! Our server seemed very ill at ease. It was not at all busy, yet she was either nowhere to be seen, or buzzing around quickly, stopping briefly to mutter something which she'd repeat a couple of times (maybe a tic of hers, as my husband and I aren't hard of hearing and didn't ask her to repeat anything) and then she'd disappear again quickly. Everyone else- the hostess, food runner and busser seemed much more relaxed and comfortable.
Anyway, the steak frites literally melted in my mouth. Perfectly seasoned, cooked a point, it was sooooo good. Hubby got the fish and chips which was good but didn't come close to my steak. We split the tuna and farro salad with pistachios to start, and it was good, but not great. I liked all of the ingredients, but the tuna seemed kind of muddled, like out of a can. I guess I just expected something else.
Overall, the food was definitely worth returning for. I'd like to think our poor server was just having an off day.
The first two times I came here with the little woman (I don't actually call her that to her face, cause she can kick my ass with those gym & gardening guns of hers), we sat at the bar on a Sunday afternoon after kicking around 4th Street, and drank wine and chowed on their nice selection of oysters. The bartenders are pretty much all business, but they take good care of you.
Last Sunday, we were down on the Berkeley waterfront with our bikes and our 9 year old who is totally getting in to riding, but needs the flatness the waterfront affords. We worked up a Powerful Hunger and decided to take it over to Cafe Rouge.
Being creatures of habit, we really wanted to sit at the bar again, drink wine and eat oysters, and get some fries and a 7-up or some other kidstuff for the rugrat. We all three of us climbed up on to bar stools, knowing full well that little kids are not allowed at the bar. I kind of looked over at the bartender, she looked at me, then over to my daughter, smiled and said, "no problem."
Let me tell you, when you are 9 and you are sitting at the bar eating french fries with mom and dad while they slurp down oysters and wine -- well, life doesn't get any better than that.
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Note to California ABC: The foregoing is a work of fiction. The above referenced establishment did not in fact, at any time, allow a minor to sit at the bar. I am a known liar. My mendacity has been well documented.
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Ladies and gentlemen...Welcome to Cafe Rouge!
http://www.youtube.com...
"Giuchie giuchie ya ya da da (da da da)
Giuchie giuchie ya ya here, oh yeah (here ohooo yea yeah)
Mocca choca lata ya ya..."
...OK, a tad too much make-up for my taste.,,,and probably for Cafe Rouge, too. Truth be told, it's a sedate, spacious place with splashes of mustard and terra cotta on the walls and one big zinc-covered bar.
I didn't come here for a fancy-schmancy dinner like they did on "Check, Please! Bay Area". I came for lunch when I had a free day last week and wanted to give it a go since I was spending a couple of hours perusing 4th Street anyway. It was fairly bustling, so I parked myself at the bar where I had plenty of elbow room and ordered a glass of Cava Extra Brut, Cavas Colet, Penedes. Champagne on a weekday? I'm worth it.
I wasn't as fancy with my meal. I went with the $11 Half-Pound Rouge Burger, medium rare, with a mountain of frites (see my photo). It came on a fresh Kaiser roll and I decided to splurge by adding melted Gruyere cheese and sliced portobello mushrooms for 75 cents each. Normally I take offense to such nickel-and-diming (look at my scathing review of Joe's Cable Car Burgers). But here at Cafe Rouge, I didn't mind because the classy yet convivial atmosphere really fit my mood to splurge a touch.
Did I tell you it was tasty? Well, it was, and I have to believe it was Niman Ranch since they advertise the $7 hot dog as Niman Ranch (...jeez, that's one fancy frank). It hit the spot, but I do need to come back for a real dinner to experience the true culinary talent here. Its good to know that the prices are not as artery-choking as I expected since I figured anything with a French name is expensive. After all, you must ask yourself...
"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? (ce soir)
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? (all my sistas yeah)
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? (ce soir)
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? (C'Mon! uhh)
Creole Lady Marmalade...Yes-ahhhhh..."
FOOD - 4 stars...a fine burger...now what should I get for an encore, monsieur?
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...lively and tastefully colorful...ah to be in Paris
SERVICE - 4 stars...far friendlier than I expected...oh wait, they're not French
TOTAL - 4 stars...Mocca choca lata ya ya...and don't you forget it
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Cafe Rouge - THE BUTCHERS ARE AMAZING.
It's all about the meat here, people. Restaurant is good but this is our local butcher, and we can't speak highly enough about them. We love knowing the first names of the folks that make our sausage. And they're all good but our favorite is the Seville Sausage. It's nicely spiced with a little kick.
Besides the great sausages, we recommend the Berkshire pork chops or the brined pork chops, the duck, the aged beef, and just about anything else they sell. The salt and pepper foie gras is hard for me to pass up. We always get it if we can for special ocassions --- like it's Wednesday.
Ask if they have the spit roast chicken -- it's infinitely better than any rotisserie chicken you'll get from a grocery store. One day we wanted rabbit but there wasn't any in the case. We mentioned our dismay when they told us there was some in the back they hadn't put out yet. That made our day.
I learned about Onglet steak at CaRou (as my hubby and I call it). Man, is that ever the best inexpensive piece'o'meat we ever ate. We get more than we need and then use the leftovers for tacos, etc. It's super tender with great marbling.
If you eat at the restaurant while the butcher shop is open, don't hesitate to meander over. The butchers will answer all your questions and you might just find this your new meat vendor.
OK - I like the food in the restaurant too. Not all of it, but most of it. If they have WHITE GAZPACHO do not miss it. It's fabulous. They only have it in the spring. I like to get a half dozen oysters, a nice glass of wine and the gazpacho. If they don't have it, the frites are a great little side dish but I ask for my aiolo on the side so I don't have to hunt it down.
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I came here after being horribly disappointed with Cafe Fanny (they sold out of prosciutto, smoked salmon and friggin oatmeal at 11am? how do they stay in business if they don't understand how to order food?). I wasn't expecting much,
Boy was I surprised - I ordered the steak frites with two eggs, over easy. The steak was great - high quality meat, nice and rare, really good flavor. Cooked enough to have a good texture but still be nice a tender. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
The eggs were good quality - nice buttery taste, not greasy, yolks perfectly runny. I really like good eggs - it's sad how many "nice" restaurants use crappy rubbery eggs.
The fries were amazing - extremely thin, not greasy at all, with the perfect amount of salt and herbs. I ended up just eating them dipped in egg yolk.
I've never been a steak and eggs breakfast kind of guy, but I think Cafe Rouge has me converted.
Also never been into food on fourth street - way to hills yuppy, but I'll definitely be coming back.
Drinks looked really good, but I was taking it easy after a crazier than expected birthday two nights before.
What more do I need to say, as that one of the reasons I drive regularly from San Carlos to Berkeley is just to get some of their hand crafted beef jerky.
Went to the "Butcher's Dinner" last night - $80 for a six course all-meat feast. I was a little nervous because $80 is a steep bet for an untested (by me) restaurant.
Awesome Euro-style three hour dinner, plus a near-glass of wine with each course thanks to a generous friend and barfly. They were serving wines from magnums, which was cool. The best course, surprisingly, was the blood sausage and pork belly on lentils. The weakest was the goat/pinenut hockey puck.
The waiter caught me telling my compatriots that a particular glass of wine was "fucking bomb" and cracked up, which cracked us all up. Busted.
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Here's the thing... I had a great dinner because I was with two great friends, one of whom I haven't seen in a year. We could have gone anywhere and it would have been a wonderful time.
The food? Well, it was good. It was okay. Some of it was delicious. It was a little all over the place.
The service? Well, very much like the food some of it was okay and some of the time it was great.
Overall? If I was in the area and I wanted to sit down for a meal, I'd probably go back. But, I'm not going to make a special trip for it.
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I enjoyed it. But first of all, I also had no idea that somebody picked up Carmel/the Marina and moved them to Berkeley. 4th street is crazy yuppy! I mean, not that I don't enjoy Sur La Table and small dogs as much as the next lady, but that neighborhood is pretty ridiculous.
Back to Cafe Rouge. The antipasto was excellent. Chilled asparagus, what I think was bok choy, or something like it, sliced beets, interesting herb-y cheese, and tangy olive tapenade on some crunchy bread. The asparagus was especially delicious.
I had the pistou, which is apparently a sort of vegetable sauce/soup (I'm sure I should know that already, but the waiter was perfectly friendly about explaining it). The vegetables were fresh and flavorful, and it was topped with a red-wine poached egg. Very nice! My mom had a ham and cheese sandwich, again with the good olive tapenade, and a really tasty side dish of a purple-y rice, with some delicious fresh herbs that we couldn't quite identify.
The service was good! We sat on the balcony, which made for good people watching, and let me scope out what other people in the restaurant were ordering, which I'm always trying to do anyway. Oh, and the carafe of white wine was very nice, and a good deal, too.
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Food is getting better, though still not great or worth the price. Random things always happen here such as ordering the antipasto plate and it never comes out how it is described on the menu. The service is usually pretty good though. The accoustics aren't great, so be prepared for a very noisy meal if it's crowded.
The $1 oysters on Wednesdays are a good deal. And they are on OT which is always a plus for me.
They have satsumas on the dessert menu. It would only be worth ordering if they just brought out a single satsuma on a plate. Unpeeled. And with one green leaf.
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cafe rouge makes a mean steak.
& by mean steak, i mean a perfectly cooked delicate piece o' beef coated with a red wine shallot butter that is accompanied with super tiny string cut french fries.
YUM.
i mean, seriously, yum.
i won't order steaks anywhere else now, on account of how i'm always disappointed that they're not as good as they are here.
the other things i've tried have been pretty good & pretty expensive.
i'll stick with the steak.
mmm, steak.
how many times can i say the word steak? steak steak steak steak.
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Dear Snooty Servers at Rouge,
This is not France; this is America. You do not automatically get a service fee from our bill. You get tips that are at the customer's descretion based on the service you gave them. For someone who needs to work off of the tips given by customers, you are some hoity toity snotrags. And, despite being in Berkeley, you are on 4th St., not in the Gourmet Ghetto. Only Chez Panisse in the GG can almost get away with biatchy service because they have the food to back them up.
Eat me,
Kristen S.
But seriously though.... I've tried coming here multiple times and have only once received exemplary service. I had a lot of questions about the menu once (this was in my early epicurian stages) and the guy just seemed so annoyed that I had any questions. Yesterday, we had four servers. I almost lifted up my shirt just to get the bartender's attention because, despite the fact that we were in the middle of the bar, we were majorly being ignored. Then we asked for bread from one of the other servers, and she gave us total 'tude and was all "You need to ask...oh, never mind." Then she brought us bread WITHOUT BUTTER. So we had to ask yet another server for butter.
And then the bathroom had no paper towels and some strangely large puddle on the floor. HAZARD! I have not attempted to so the splits since I was 12 years old; I don't need a restaurant bathroom to accidentally tell me whether I can still do them.
So why three stars? They make some killer desserts. I once had a butterscoth pudding with caramelized bananas that just danced in my mouth. They also make a mean sangria in the summer. They also have a raw bar; they may even still have dollar oyster specials...don't quote me.
Other than that, awful service.
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Summary:
--food significantly improved in the last year or so
--service generally good
--reservations available on www.opentable.com
--free parking, but there's a trick
--bar dining an option
This place would be better if:
--when service had a total meltdown, they comped *something* instead of just apologizing
--vary the vegetable side dish of greens.
I've been coming here for years, dropped off for a while when the food took a nose dive, and have been back several times recently to find it on target again. In winter their cassoulet is about as good as I've had in the US.
The parking trick is to park on Delaware, east of 6th. Leave a space for me, though.
Oh, yeah. Recently I had a service total malfunction there, but it's probably not representative. I'm a bit afraid to go back to find the perpetrator still employed there. I'd have to have a fit or something on the spot I suppose and I don['t have the psychic energy lately.
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Yuck! I am so bitter. I hate spending my hard-earned dollars on a bad meal!
The fried artichoke appetizer looked good on paper, but in reality in was an over-fried, over-salted abomination.
The soup was cold and again, over-salted.
The beet salad was eh.
And finally, skip dessert.
I've come here on several occassions ... would usually give this place a higher rating, but lunch today fell far from expectations and prior visits...
The good with the bad ....
- Were seated quickly during the lunch hour. (When Bette's Diner had a 1+ hour wait)
- From our aerial view, saw the bartender fishing things out of a glass a champagne ... luckily he caught himself before sticking his finger into the glass. This was odd because what could be floating around in champagne ...
- They don't have soy milk ... how do you not have soy milk??
- Service ... service was very unenthused. It's like they all went drinking the night before and the last thing they wanted to do was work. Everyone (waiter, hostess, bartender etc) seemed to go thru the motions, but without any energy or interest.
As for the food, from my prior visits, the burgers here are a definitely HIT, as are the fries. Breakfast today, was a miss - across all 3 of my us. Expensive and just downright boring.
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I haven't eaten at the restaurant, but I've made the meat market my go-to place for good meat. They have great service, reasonable prices for the high quality, and some really great meats. In addition to great skirt steak and briskets, yesterday I tried two of every sausage they have, and all of them were great (Bratwurst, boudin blanc, kielbasa, mergueza, garlic, fennel). The guys that work there are more than happy to answer my dumb meat questions, as well.
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Terrific food and service. I came here on a wet Saturday after hearing about it from a local TV network. I tried the Rouge burger and fries - both uber tasty! I had it with the complete fixings - onions, avocado, bacon and cheese. The fries were delicious and my table mates kept eating my fries. I also tried some of the spit fire chicken and cheese stuffed meatballs and both were tasty, especialy the chicken which was surprisingly juicy. Our table was a little drafty, though. Service was friendly. Parking was difficult.
I've walked past Cafe Rouge en route to Tacubaya two or three times a week for over two years and have never once slowed my pace and idled at its door front to consider the menu. This is primarily because the restaurant, which also houses a meat market, specializes in charcuterie, which is not a vegetarian indulgence -- although it is a pleasurable utterance -- but it is also because the full table service and white linen don't befit my idea of a casual lunch hour. It further annoys me that I occasionally have to duck under their sidewalk patio umbrellas when they are set especially low. Or am I thinking about the overhanging limbs of the adjacent trees? I don't know; the branches and umbrellas are probably conspiring together, and either way it's entrapment and I won't stand for it. That is, I literally can't stand for it.
BUT, my department had its holiday lunch here the week before last and my meatless diet was skillfully accommodated.
Our table of ten started with the complimentary house bread, served with butter. The crust of these miniature loaves was reminiscent of Gioia Pizzeria's and my two pieces served as a satisfying prelude to the housemade potato chips which would become my 2nd favorite starch of our afternoon meal.
And that was that! Bellies full, we had a wonderful time and I look forward to returning, on my own, to sample the hazlenut hummus salad before it vanishes from the current menu.
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Yum Yum Yummy! yes if you go for dinner its probably a once in awhile or special occasion place. But I had a steak here and it was like cutting into butter so good! and the fries are the best nice and thin crispy outside soft in! I like coming for lunch because its a bit more affordable. still pricey probably about $30 or $40 for two but so worth it! Nice outdoor sitting, decor has nice bright colors in the red and yellowish tones, well done and happy.
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the fries here are delicious. lightly fried shoestring fries w/ no grease whatsoever. i had the gulf shrimp omelette w/ avocado yesterday, which came w/ a side of mixed greens. this is a great place to go for brunch, and the space is very airy and nice as well.
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UNDER THE SEA,
UNDER THE SEA,
DOWN HERE IT'S WETTER,
MORE OYSTERS FOR ME!
Who knows where this song is from? Hint...Disney. Hmmm, okay I changed the last phrase. This place has a oyster bar...yummio! We had the following four ranked by preference (of course our favorite are still the Kumamoto's and Hama Hama's):
1. Beausoleil - New Bunswick
2. Buckley Bay - British Columbia
3. Royal Miyagi - British Columbia
4. Malpeque - Prince Edward Island
This place offers a rustic Mediterranean fare that also serves American dishes like sandwiches and Burgers. Known for there organic meats which can also be purchased at their meat market in the back of restaurant. Produce is also grown organically. They keep it interesting by changing up the menu every 2 weeks.
We've always dined here during lunch and it's always busy. This time we ordered the half crab with garbanzo chips and it was too buttery for me. Definitely order the garbanzo chips by itself when you are here, they are to die for! We shared the chicken entree which was fine, a little more flavor wouldn't hurt though. If you are a oyster fan, $1 oysters Wednesday nights! If that doesn't get you here, then it's got to be seeing people eat their burgers with a knife and fork.
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At last!!!!!! I had the much touted Cafe Rouge Hamburger. And yes,it is worth to going there just for the oysters(Wednesday is Dollar Oyster day) But one must have some MEAT once in a while. And meat is what Cafe Rouge is about . I suppose I should have been European and neat, and eaten my hamburger with knife and fork, but I just made my napkin into a bib, and slurped the juice, medium rare meat , which moistened the soft brioche like roll so it, too, was MEAT
juice. There was just me, the roll, the hamburger, in that restaurant.
What sensuousness. Oysters and hamburger, in Vegan Berkeley?
YES.. I'll die happy, Cafe Gratitude be damned!!!
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Have been coming here for several years, both for lunch and dinner and I don't think I've ever had a bad meal. Darling daughter brought me here for a special occasion, maybe my birthday. I had a hamburger, which was very good. It's one of those places I don't have a particular favorite dish. I like to see what the specials are and see what calls my name.
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Hubby's Review:
It's a meat market...in the literal sense. Tried the house made salumi. Decent. Wifey and I each had the house made burger. Decent. The decor was decent. The service was decent. I suppose the theme is that the place is very agreeable but nothing about it makes it special. Cafe Rouge has the potential, foot traffic and location to be an unique dining experience....unfortunately, it seems like maintaining the status quo is good enough...I wanted Remi-style color burst...I got his brother's zing instead....
Listen, know what your getting yourself into when you dine in a French restaurant. You will not find much flare, much fusion, or much personality, but you will find some good god damn oysters! Yeah baby! I've eaten here many times, and have always had the best oysters in the east bay. The same man shucks each oyster, and he does a fine job. Once you get past the over aged crowd and the plain menu, you can truly enjoy a vodka tonic and a dozen Kumi's, a little tabasco and your on your way. Service is a bit snobby, but it's a French restaurant, if the service was cute and smiley, I think I would have more of a problem. Once again, turn this place into a club with fresh oysters. Sweetttt!
Ok, I think I can tell people what not to get better than what to get here. Sorry for negativity, but it was clearly a bad ordering day.
First, I like sitting in the upper deck area as it was a chilly December afternoon. My co-workers had the hamburger, and that was clearly what I should have had. I had the ham and gruyere sandwich and it just made my stomach ache later. I will chalk this up to a me thing for the most part.
Disappointed with the fries as they seemed to be overcooked.
Dessert definitely saved the day. I will review this place again when I have tried the oysters. Since it was a work outing, I didn't want to be eating oysters solo.
I see DM (darling mother) wrote a review on this place recently, so I figured I would follow suit. I have only been here the one time and that was for her birthday this year.
She likes her burgers rare. They served it to her just like that and I was pleased because she was. We shared a lovely squash salad, though we both thought it could use a little balsamic. My steak frittes (sp?) was nice and their french fries were the bomb.
Nice outside seating for people watching and conversation. Service was good. I will definitely eat here again when I am next in the area (well, maybe because there are so many choices!)
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100th Review!! WHOO HOOO
Friday night, date night and the Pookie PP was coming over to this side of town. He suggested Cafe Rouge due to the fact he's been there a few times with his Mom for lunch and really enjoyed.
Made reservations through Open Table and checked it out.
Ambiance: 5 -dimly lit, but not too dimly lit. It has that feel of a elegance and romance, but still keeps it casual.
Food: 5-the Dry aged steak was cooked to perfection! Pookie tried the Cassoulet avec canard et porc. C'est formidable!
Service:5-our waiter was very attentive. I had asked for oil&vinegar (instead of using butter for my bread) and he brought it out promptly.
All in all a great experience. I do plan on returning here.
p.s. For some reason they didn't confirm my Open Table reservation :o( So if you do make reservations that way, make sure you confirm when you get there so you get your points! :oP
Stopped in here for lunch with a coworker and had the squash risotto. Very, very tasty food and very pretty presentation. Decor is nice too, although I was confused by the hole in the wall to the market next door. Good thing it's sort of hidden. However, I can't give this place five stars because 1) it was a bit too long of a wait, 2) it was a bit too pricey for the risotto, and 3) there weren't many options for vegetarians.
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1 STAR excellent food
1 STAR excellent service
1 STAR wonderfully pleasant ambiance
1 STAR innovative but unpretentious menu
1 STAR quality and quantity...a rare find at this price point
A friend of mine took me to dinner here last night and I must say that it was one of the best meals I have eaten in the East Bay. I ordered the grilled persimmon salad to start ($9.50). I'm not wild about persimmons, but I was intrigued with the concept of grilling them and how that might alter the flavor. It was superb! They were only every so slightly grilled, and served on a bed of frisee tossed with, what I believe was, a light persimmon dressing. I ate EVERY last bite.
My friend and I shared the main course ($19.50), their rotisserie chicken, which was served with a side of vegetables (purple broccoli and ochre cauliflower) and a mushroom gratin. The chicken was so delicious...moist on the inside with super crispy skin. Apparently, they separate the skin from the meat before they put it on the rotisserie and insert the herbs in between. Thus, the meat is infused with a wonderful herb flavor. I'm not sure what herbs they use, as I couldn't readily identify them, but whatever it was it was fabulous. We also shared a side of sauteed chard ($5.50), which was the most exquisitely flavorful chard I have ever tasted. I could have eaten the entire serving all by myself....a little plate of heaven (I can't believe I am saying this about chard!)
When the waiter brought out the dessert menu I knew I couldn't stomach one more bite of food. If I wasn't already so full I would have ordered their fallen chocolate souffle served with a MINT creme anglaise. That's right...MINT creme anglaise. I'm still wondering what it might have tasted like. I can hardly believe I passed on it...sigh. Perhaps another time.
They don't seat for dinner until 5:30 pm and their last seating is 6:30 pm, so don't delay if you want to order from their dinner menu. They begin serving lunch at 11:30 AM and their seafood bar is open from 11:30-6:30.
The waitstaff was efficient, cordial, knowledgeable, and never rushed us. Overall It was a pleasant, relaxed, wonderful dining experience. Cafe Rouge embodies why we dine out...excellent food, prepared better than we could make it at home, made with the highest quality gourmet ingredients, served by a cordial, competent waitstaff...all for a fair price...and I didn't have to shop for it, prepare it, or clean up afterward.
I can't wait to try their Sunday brunch!
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Its strange that I had the exact opposite experience on the same day... Sunday Brunch.. around 11:00am. It was my first time to Cafe Rouge...I have to admit that the only reason I came here was that Bettes across the street had a long wait... In any case, I think I will make this a permanent Sunday destination.
I was promptly greeted at the front (the host went out of his way to give me a window seat). My server was friendly and attentive and the food was EXCELLENT. The dungenness crab omelet was great and my friend had the burger and said it was the best he's had in a long time. What a wonderful sunny place to spend a Sunday morning!
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Oysters and awesome red meat? How can you go wrong? My favorite place in the east bay for a burger.
I recommend steak or burgers, and the charcutrie plate, and naturally oysters. Excellent wine selection as well, and very good cocktails.
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Excellent: hamburger. Just a perfect size for a petite person
Excellent: fries
Excellent: persimmon salad
Excellent: free bread and butter
Okay: service
Excellent: lemonade
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Moms and me ended up at Cafe Rouge on Tuesday night after the confused and conflicted staff at O Chame couldn't figure out if they were going to honor our reservation. Whatever, we moved on after several minutes of "you can have that table when they're done" "oops, no you can't" blah blah blah, more of same.
So we had a great meal at Cafe Rouge where we were greeted with a smile, ok sort of a wan smile, but way better than the deer in headlights act down the road. And *such a deal!*
We ended up splitting 4 appetizers, I had a glass of rose, and it all came to $50. After leaving I thought I'd better look at the receipt again, maybe they made a mistake and didn't charge us for something, but no, that was it.
The Steak Frites coming out all around us looked fabulous and if we didn't already have a meat hangover we probably would have gotten one, but we had a wonderful butter lettuce salad with figs and some kind of yummy crispy flakey meat (prosciutto?), a tarte tatin, charcuterie plate (so the meat hangover was not sooo severe) and some sauteed greens...all delicious.
Too bad it was a Tuesday, because Wednesday from 5:30-9:30pm it's $1 dollar per oyster!!!! And their oysters look mighty fine.
We'll be back to check out those kumamotos.
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At 104 Reviews and averaging 4 stars, Cafe Rouge does something right. I believe what makes is so delightful is its manner in which you approach the restaurant, and that would be that is tucked in between a jewelry store and higher end grocery store, as a meat market that doubles as a restaurant. The main thing about his particular restaurant is its complete attention to detail when comes to wine, food, dessert and all the atmosphere that would make Zeus himself proud.
Don't be shy when entering the door and walking up to bar. Casual, Dressy, its all of it. One of my favorite places if I were to take down a steak. If all you want is a hamburger, Cafe Rouge is about as tasty of a hamburger that you will get anywhere. The crab, shrimp and oysters are surprisingly delicious and will suffice a nice appetite. I happens to also be that on any weather permitting day, grab a table outside, and people watch.
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Fried green tomatoes and haloumi cheese! That was the highlight of my most recent meal here, in addition to the perfectly prepared aged steak with red wine shallot butter (a staple on the menu) and the always impeccable fries.
I love Cafe Rouge. I've been here quite a few times and have never been disappointed. Almost without fail the staff is knowledgeable and warm with informed wine suggestions and thoughtful responses to questions about menu items.
You also can't beat the atmosphere here. Lofty ceilings, beautiful lanterns and one of the most carefully lit dinging rooms I've ever been in. Just don't try to sit at the bar on a Friday or Saturday in the peak hours. You won't find a seat.
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Good service. Nice atmosphere.
Yummy expensive burgers and addicting french fries.
During my most recent visit, we ordered butternut squash with mascarpone cheese as a side, and it was truly divine.
We also ordered brussels sprouts with some kind of bacon (they used a french word that I can't recall, but it was basically bacon). The brussels sprouts were sliced thin. The whole thing was so good.
On Wednesdays, $1 oysters if you are into those. Served with a tangy vinegar dipping sauce.
Overall, good restaurant, though it wouldn't be an everyday choice for me, since it is kind of pricey.
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We'd give it 3 and 1/2 if we could.
We dined with Ron's youngest two (kids) on this venture, and in general, things went well. The staff was polite, accomodating and generally positive. The food was good for the most part, on the other hand needing much help in other areas.
Liz had the butter lettuce salad with Point Reyes Bleu Cheese and the
Swordfish entree which was perfectly done. Ron, the bay shrimp and avacado salad with fennel1/2 and roasted chicken with butternut squash flan. The children had the chicken and ricotta gnocchi dishes.
All dishes were good except for the gnocchi as it was falling apart and tasted like mushy bland tofu with a tang of lemon. It did not work very well. In fact, we recommend that you NOT order the gnocchi.
The chicken was flavorful, although I could have done without the sprinkled greens on top of the plate, which just seemed to get in the way.
Service was slow. Our waiter seemed to have had intemittent moments of amnesia with regard to us as he chatted in his native language with a family at the next table. But all in all he was very friendly and pleasant. We also appreciate that the restaurant was full and it is the holiday season. We hink they could make it to 3.5 stars with a little more attention to detail from the kitchen and wait staff.