The Best French in Newark

Cafe Jolie

★★★★☆ 3.8 (940) • $$

"Wow!! Soo good!! What a cute location, great food, great service! The food was fantastic - the beignets were a delight and the spinach, mushroom, bacon and cheese omelette was maybe the best omelette I've ever had. The breakfast potatoes were cooked just right as well!My only critique is that the black coffee tasted a little burnt but otherwise the experience here was superb!"

Chez TJ

★★★★☆ 3.8 (818) • $$$$

"We went here for Valentine's Day, and could not have been more impressed. A cute home converted into an upscale restaurant made for a romantic homie ambience. Service is formal and attentive. The menu was an inventive journey of courses which they made vegetarian for me."

Zola + BarZola

★★★★☆ 4.2 (571) • $$$

"Good food, small portions. We came on Valentines weekend, ordered oysters and French oinion soup for starters. My husband got the monkfish and I got the gnocchi. Both were good. Dessert was a raspberry bomb, which was nice."

Elements Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (381) • $$

"We've been back a few times for dinner since my last review. The last dinner we got, the chef was willing to make us pho even though that was a lunch item menu. It was so delicious, clean, and the meat was so good quality, we thought we'd try our luck again.Unfortunately, this time, our server said they weren't serving pho despite us calling at lunch time to check if they would serve for dinner. Since we were already there, thought we might as well get a good dinner in. We tried the butternut squash soup, the garden mixed green salad, the half rotisserie chicken, and the salmon wellington.While all the dishes were good, refined, well cooked, and well seasoned, each had a factor of slight disappointment. The soup was yummy (avoid if you don't like cinnamon), but small portioned and expensive at $15. The garden mixed salad promised orange, pear, and bleu cheese among other things, but we somehow missed all those ingredients or flavors, and instead there were beets. No real complaints about the rotisserie chicken (except that pho wasn't available); had a crispy skin, tender and juicy, mashed potatoes were creamy, au jus had a good flavor, and the veggies were nicely cooked and seasoned. The salmon wellington, also good, and while we knew it might take a little longer for that one to come out as indicated on the menu, we didn't realize it would take 45 minutes. The server should have informed us (the table next to us were informed of the wait and their dish was immediately put in, but by then, we had already been served our food). We were sufficiently full and opted out of dessert. While service was fine, for a restaurant that touts on being more upscale, there were a few misses. Maybe we need to stick to their lunch menu and come then. We did order a chicken banh mi to go, which was decently priced at $9 - the bread was nice and crispy, plenty of chicken, but could have used more pickled veggies."

Café Etoile

★★★★★ 4.5 (222) • $$

"Chicken and waffle was not good at all. The chicken didn't look like chicken as it was flat and had weird texture Also the waffle was cold. Didn't like the syrup either as it had hot sauce in it. Beware of what you eat here !!!"

Plumed Horse

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$$$

"Came to celebrate a big birthday for a family member. Late reservation at 8:30pm but we got seated early around 8:10pm. We waited for a while for anyone to come and offer water or go over the menu. I figured it was because we were early than our reservation. There was some confusion with who was going to take our order and who would go over the process for the 4 course prix fix. It was fine but a little awkward. Once Alex got involved, everything in terms of service got much better!The ambiance is lovely and we liked the music in the background which wasn't silence or too quiet. It made it feel very relaxed than other equally michelin'd places. Relaxed yet quiet lux.The food was amazingly good. Creative, delicious, perfectly prepared and gorgeously plated. The pork chop stood out as the sauce served with it was savory, comforting and memorable. The parmesan and black pepper souffle was everything I had hoped it was. I will definitely go back again for the beautifully prepared canapes (beef carpaccio puff was crave-worthy,) the side dishes and the breads and butters, which were absolutely dreamy, the souffle, and the outstanding Paris Brest dessert. The creme caramel was just ok. Would also want to see how the menu will change each season to time our return. 100% worth the splurge on expensive wines and port (4-figure price tag for 3.) Oh and I loved that they had awesome NA options for our birthday guy- a NOgroni (NA Negroni) was excellent and a witty surprise!"

Papillon

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$$

"Me and my wife celebrated our wedding anniversary at Papillon. We booked our dinner online and made our reservation at 5:30 am. They have ample parking space and you'll not miss the big sign in front of their restaurant. Once we checked in, we were immediately seated at our table. The place is nostalgic and the ambiance is quiet and pleasant for a romantic dinner. Since they just opened, we saw only a few patrons. The menu has a lot of options and this place is very famous for its steak, fillet mignon, classic beef Wellington, ribeye, rack of lamb, short ribs, salmon, etc. All of the items from their menu are highly recommendable. For starters, we ordered their crispy tempura calamari and their house salad. We also had their Blue Paradise Margarita and Tequila Sunrise. For our main course, we ordered the Grilled ANGUS RIBEYEin Marinade of Olive Oil, Roasted Peppers, Basil, and Roasted Garlic Puree, served with Sautéed GarlicMushrooms and Grilled ATLANTIC SALMON with Hero Potato Puree, Warm Spinach, and Cranberry Reduction. While waiting for our orders, we were served with their warm bread. The calamari was fresh and good. The salad was just served right and the dressing was good. The margarita and Tequiela were the perfect alcohol for the night. And finally, the main course was perfect. The ribeye was soft and tender and the Salmon was fresh and delicious. The portions were huge and were cooked the way we wanted. The meal was so huge that we didn't have any more space for desserts. However, when they found out that we were celebrating our anniversary, they presented us with a nice piece of cake with all the trimmings around a plate with an anniversary message. They were so thoughtful and made our anniversary special. The owner, Charlie, approached our table and greeted us on our anniversary. He told us the story of how the restaurant started and how long they've been in the business. With the great service they provided and the excellent food they provided, I would see them prospering for another decade. This was not our first time celebrating our anniversary here and we see ourselves celebrating more anniversary at this place."

Chez Panisse

★★★★☆ 4.1 • $$$$

"This was my first time at this very well known restaurant by everyone except me. My son, who just moved to Berkley told us that we must come here based on our love of great food and we managed a reservation for the cafe. Street parking was relatively easy, actually we parked a block ahead of the restaurant only to find plenty of street parking ahead.The Cafè is so cozy with a very classic-comfortable venue. The open kitchen was visible from our table and I couldn't take my eyes off of all the action while we were dining. Our server came over to us seconds after we sat down to introduce himself and give us an overview of the restaurant.We'll start wit the bread which was nice and warm and the butter was excellent. After perusing the menu we decided on the Rock Fish for me and the grilled Pork main dish. We had decided earlier on the share the goat cheese salad. The main dishes were amazing. So fresh and tasty, There was something about the meal that made it special.Service was incredible and we felt very comfortable with the team confirming with his that all was good and we did not need anything in addition to what we had. Dining here is on another level. We were so happy to be able to secure a reservation and look forward to our next visit. It was also fun to be able to photograph the kitchen staff after dinner. Everyone is so friendly here.KUDO's to the tam at Chez Panisse."

La Note

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"La Note is one of my favorite brunch spots and always the first place I suggest to friends visiting or where to go on any given day where one is craving some good brunch!This classic Berkeley establishment serves consistently delicious food, from the fluffy scrambled eggs, to the decadent and beautifully plated pancakes, you really can't go wrong with their whole menu! Two of my favorite things to order from the breakfast menu are the Cote Nord or the Cote Est, where you kinda get a little bit of everything. For lunch I love the ham & Gruyère baguette or the ratatouille. Can't forget about their glorious lattes too. The dining room inside gives a classic, French feel and their back patio is so beautiful and inviting, especially on a sunny day."

Le Papillon

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$$$

"This is a neighborhood institution, so the hubby and I knew we had to visit sooner or later. We decided to make a reservation for our anniversary and had a wonderful experience! We chose their tasting menu which I believe had about 4 courses to it including dessert. Everything was delicious and incredibly well made. We ordered a bottle of champagne as well... If I recall the bill was around $500 ...which ain't cheap for 2 people but worth it for a special occasion!! Don't get scared by the exterior.. it is located on a seemingly random corner near a liquor store and 7/11, but the restaurant itself is very nice!!"

La Fondue

★★★★☆ 3.8 • $$$$

"Best. fondue. experience. ever.I really loved trying this place! Prices are definitely a bit steep as expected, but the fondues are so tasty and if you're a cheese/chocolate lover this is the place for you.I really liked the dimly lit ambience. It honestly made the place so much more classy and cozy.What I really like about this place is that they start you off with salad and each person gets their own plate. It's a really good portion size and honestly I feel like you could get decently full just eating that. Also makes you feel less guilty about eating all that cheese n choccie!Their drinks are wonderful too, and pretty strong so you definitely get your money's worth. If it's a special occasion, they usually give you a champagne glass on the house! So thoughtful of them!After you choose your cheese blend, they whip it right over the stove in front of you! So so cool. Ours was nice and garlicky (the stinking rose), and they give you a bunch of bread and veggies to dip into it. You can also ask them for dipping item refills whenever!I would *definitely* not skip out on the chocolate fondue, but again, these portions are huge so don't be surprised if it's too much for 2 people! (well maybe the cheese.....we did finish that somehow LOL)The flaming tortoise (chocolate flambé) fondue was so good and they gave us sooo many things to dip, from cheesecake bites, pirouette cookies, apples, strawberries, brownies, toffee, and more!Would definitely come back for a special occasion!"

Left Bank - San Jose

★★★☆☆ 3.3 • $$$

"I would've given it 5 stars this time. Except one large flop. Go to the website and check out the awesome happy hour menu. It is so far from what they actually do. The actual happy hour menu is a lot smaller. That bwing said our server was awesome. Our food was delicious. The calamari was seasoned super well, nice and crispy, and the sauce- so yummy! The oysters were huge and fresh. Then we also got the short ribbon fries, holy moly. So freaking good. We went on a Wednesday night and it was dead. Over all a great experience minus the misleading menu online."