La Fable

I would give this more stars, because the food and atmosphere is quite good. My problem is the service. I feel that the owner understaffs the restaurant, which makes the servers apathetic to the patrons. It takes forever to get anything done, but I really think it’s because they need more people working there. Too bad. It could be great.

This Restaurant has gone under — crappy service and lack of atmosphere killed it
from berkeleyside
LA FABLE OUT The French bistro in the Gourmet Ghetto at 1508 Walnut St. — which was Chester’s Bayview Café until it became La Fable last year — closed its doors Sunday. It offered a variety of dishes, including french onion soup, filet mignon and scallops, as well as several breakfast options. The new owners plan to open a family-​run vegetarian restaurant in the coming months, according to members of the Live Oak/​Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association. Said one local resident: «They plan on offering something different and running the entire restaurant themselves with the help of their children and some staff. «Stay tuned for details.

I signed up for Unilocal just so I could write a review to get more people to come here — because, I just heard a rumor that the owners might try to move someplace with a presence on Shattuck — but the location of this place on Walnut is perfect! Yes the food was good too, the service friendly, good and friendly in the way that a lot of places are good and friendly. But this has a special place, a secret roof deck with a view out to the bay. I hope they don’t move! So please go eat here so they don’t move!
What is with all the complainers? Some people should just live at the Ritz Carlton I guess, and never leave. But I need a great comfort food place in walking range of my home that doesn’t cost as much as Chez Panisse. This is it. Please help them have a reason to stay in this location! :)

I really liked this place. The food was great, I had an order of poached salmon and a hot chocolate. The poached eggs were perfect, they were runny on the inside and firm on the outside. The hollandaise sauce was very tasty and went perfectly with the English muffin and the potatoes. The hot chocolate was great. It was a cup of milk and pure chocolate with a side of whipped cream. The cream was thick and cut the bitter taste of the melted chocolate wonderfully. The only problem I had was that the service was awful. The server consistently forgot to bring things to the table and the food came late. Over all the experience was enjoyable and if you can over look the bad service, I can fully recommend this restaurant.

My gang came here for Sunday brunch. I would have to say the food was very tasty, but the service was beyond adequate. Food took a while to get to us. We actually got French toast and a waffle and they forgot to give us maple syrup. Then when we reminded them, the server only brought one serving of syrup. When we asked for another, he said wasn’t our one serving enough for our order of French toast and waffles. I would assume that each order should have come with their own syrup. The biggest happiness though came from the hot chocolate. Kids loved them.
Basically, if you’re in no rush and poor service and are good with a tasty brunch. Then this place would work for you.

This is a fabulous really French restaurant.
The food, the attentive service and the ambiance all make this lovely place a must!
Anyone could spend a relaxed and special meal here.
The upstairs deck is a deliteful surprise in that it has a great view of SF and the Bay Bridge and flowers of course.

I quite enjoyed this place for Sunday morning solo brunch. The owners and waiters were extremely accommodating and friendly. Despite my not-​ready-​for-​brunch get up: yoga pants, oversized shirt and sweaty face, that too, on Easter Sunday, they brought me right in and made me feel at home. Ok, admittedly, I paid for the meal so it’s expected but they weren’t weird about it.
I had the demi baguette with the delicious butter, honey, jam and a side of ratatouille. I also had the Mocha Royale to break my Lent of no coffee.
It was quite nice. I’m not going to say THE best coffee of all time or THE best bread, but it was nice. I wish there was more of an artisinal quality to everything, like funky jam and fair trade coffee, but for a place that’s kind of a no-​fuss, French café, I highly enjoyed myself.

What a fine establishment for an early weekday brunch. Every moment of our meal was simply perfect. From the sun-​dappled indoor patio to the upstairs outdoor deck with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, La Fable made me feel like I was in an intimate French café overlooking the Seine.
Our server was positively beaming with good spirits as she served our meal of a chocolate croissant, smoked salmon benedict, and chef’s special pancakes. The croissant was flaky and buttery in all the right ways, accented only by the semi-​sweetness of chocolate. Jam and butter were available upon request. When the plat principal arrived, I first savored the delicately fried home potatoes with a hint of rosemary. I then took a bite of my smoked salmon benedict… and…oh my gawd: O The eggs were perfectly poached. It’s rare to find such gooey perfection. Furthermore, there was just the right amount of salty smoked salmon to add flavor without being overpowering. I noted that my boyfriend’s chef’s special pancakes had cheesy hash browns, too, which were cooked to his liking. A dollop of sour cream added appropriate smoothness to finish the potatoes.
From start to finish, La Fable is an all-​around winner, worthy of its place in the ultra-​cute Walnut Square in the Gourmet Ghetto. I will most certainly bring friends and family here to experience the magical ambiance and well-​balanced flavor of the dishes that La Fable creates.

I wish Unilocal would let you give separate stars for food and service!
Food: best French food we’ve had outside of France. 5 stars!
Service: one star. The couple that owns this lovely bistro tries to keep up but they need another server and a busser/​food runner. People were getting their own silverware, going to the bar to ask for food… We weren’t in any hurry so we were fine but if we’d been hungry when we arrived we would have been aggravated.
We’d go back for the food in a heartbeat.

I hate to say this, but La Fable really disappointed us. I had been wanting to try this restaurant and we finally made reservations for Valentine’s Day. Obviously we expected a Valentine’s Day menu and it looked delicious, we were excited and hungry.
Our reservation was at 9pm and we were seated promptly. It’s a cute restaurant, they had live music and beautiful menu. We ordered some great drinks and then ordered our meal. We were excited to try the lobster bisque, I ordered rack of lamb and my man ordered skirt steak and we were excited. Well, after waiting for about an hour and munching on olives and bread our waiter came to inform us that they were out of lobster bisque and they could give us a small sample of it and two onion soups. Um, ok.
So now it’s 10pm and the place is starting to thin out. Our waiter came to us and apologized telling us the kitchen got backed up and he brought us all the champagne we wanted. So, 1045pm rolls around and the waiter comes to us and informs us that there is no more lamb and he will just bring both of us steak. Ok…
The steak comes and it literally looked like meat that they had left over in the kitchen and put on a plate with some french fries and sauce. What the hell. At this point I was drunk and didn’t even eat this food. Oh yea, and did I mention we were the last people in the restaurant when we got our food. We were there for well over two hours and paid about $ 70 to have a meal comprised of whatever they had left to give us.
Our poor waiter was so embarrassed and was the only one who accepted responsibility for the poor performance of this restaurant. He should not have been so apologetic because it wasn’t his fault. Not once did a manager or owner come to our table and acknowledge or apologize for how horrible everything was. Obviously that level of customer service was directly reflected in our entire experience.
I like to give places a second chance but this La Fable is no longer on my radar.

We booked via Open Table one Saturday evening. We were able to secure a table for two with just an hour notice. We were lucky to find street parking nearby. The place only had a few tables occupied when we arrived around 7pm. I’m glad we were given the option to sit at a bigger table.
AMBIANCE: I guess it can pass as a good date place, small and intimate. Since we were there at night, i really wasn’t able to appreciate the ambiance that much. I didn’t feel the wow factor.
SERVICE: Our server was courteous and prompt. He checked in on us from time to time to make sure everything was in order. However, the wait time between the starter and main entrée was a bit long, good thing they offered complimentary bread and butter to keep our mouths busy.
FOOD: Hubby and I both had onion soup ($ 10) as starter. We both liked it, but we both agree that Bouchon’s version is better in terms of taste and presentation. For our main entrée, I ordered the Poulet forrestiere (cage free chicken in a creamy sauce with mushrooms and mashed potatoes) while hubby ordered the Boeuf bourguignon (French beef stew served on top of mashed potatoes). The chicken was tender and tasty, the sauce had the right amount of creaminess to it. The beef in the stew was also very tender, and the taste was just what one would expect from a bourguignon… no surprises here. The entrees cost $ 17 each. I ordered a glass of Rose ($ 8) while hubby opted for a glass of Syrah ($ 10), both of which were excellent.
TOTAL BILL: $ 78.48 excluding tip
VERDICT: I think La Fable is actually more of a 3.5 star rather than a 3. We were actually able to enjoy our dinner because we did not feel rushed or anything. We don’t have any major issues with the food and service. But I think La Fable needs a little extra oomph to turn me into a fan. If ever we go back, we’ll probably try their breakfast/​brunch menu.

Lunch deal is fantastic — $ 5-​$ 6 sandwiches, and if you order 2, you can add a bowl of soup or side salad for just $ 2. Most sandwiches come on a toasted, seeded French bun and are about the size of your palm.
We ordered the vegetarian ($ 5) and smoked salmon ($ 5.50) sandwiches. The vegetarian sandwich, which included sun-​dried tomatoes, arugula, and avocado, was much more flavorful than the salmon; even the smokiness of the salmon couldn’t stand up to the mild creaminess of the crème fraîche and avocado. Our shared sandwich plate came with tiny gherkins on the side — perfect palate cleansers! We added lobster bisque for $ 2 — pleasant, but it would have been better served at a warmer temperature — and a side of chicken apple sausage ($ 3.50) from the breakfast menu.
The best thing about La Fable is the ambiance — with the vaulted ceilings and natural sunlight, you might as well be dining at a ski chalet in the French alps. That, and the fact that it’s located in this little nook of shops on Walnut St., makes it the perfect escape from the relative bustle of Shattuck.
Note: this review would have been 4 stars, but they (mistakenly?) overcharged us $ 2.50, so our light lunch came out to ~$ 19 before tip, instead of the $ 16 I expected.

For months my friends have been saying I need to try La Fable because it is the cutest place in Berkeley. Normally I choose where I dine based on the quality of the food, not on the «cuteness» factor.
Recently though a group of friends and I had brunch at the upstairs patio of La Fable and I suddenly understood what people were raving about. The upstairs patio is well shaded and has views of San Francisco. The service is friendly and French music plays quietly in the background. Simply said, this was one of the first brunch experiences where I did not feel rushed in any sense (compared to La Note where I had to wait forever to get a table and then feel rushed to leave).
The food was good, but I’ve definitely had better. My waffle with nutella and ice cream tasted very standard (also felt could have been presented more creatively). The chorizo scramble was the best dish my group ordered. I have to admit that the food quality at Café Clem (and maybe even La Note) is superior to here.

I will start off my review by saying DO NOT GO HERE.
My wife and I had been wanting to try this place ever since it opened up since it’s within walking distance of our house. Finally one Sunday morning we decided to give it a shot with our two year old son.
We arrived around 11:30 and noticed that the place wasn’t very full. Maybe 4 – 5 tables out of the whole place, which for a Sunday Brunch seemed a little odd. Our waitress was pleasant and professional, but this was about the only bright spot of the meal.
Our order was seemingly quite simple. Two salads, a cup of French onion soup, and a ham and cheese omelet. That’s when the waiting began. We waited almost 30 minutes before we got our food, my cup of soup came last which in almost all cases should have come first. On top of that, it was the worst cup of French Onion soup I’ve ever had. It wasn’t even French Onion soup, more like a weak broth with some sauteed onions in it and a couple crutons on top. That thing was $ 7.50, and it was tiny, and it was terrible.
The salads were $ 14 each, and were more like appetizer portions, and they too were not very good as far as salads go. Mine didn’t even come with bacon which it was supposed to. I mean for $ 14 for a salad, I’m at least expecting something really big, or really good, and we got neither. We would have been better off getting a salad at Chez Panisse Café around the corner and I’m sure it would be less than $ 14 and about a million times better.
Lastly our son’s omelet looked like an amateur made it. We didn’t try it, mainly because it didn’t look very appetizing, and our son didn’t eat much of it himself either, but the cheese inside wasn’t melted at all. I don’t understand how you can make an omelet and not have the cheese melted. After I ate my salad, and a few bites of my soup (which I couldn’t finish because it was so bad) I was still hungry and in desperation dipped into some of my son’s potatoes which were mediocre at best.
It seemed that the table next to us was having issues as well as one of them had to send their entire plate back and told them to «start all over.» Clearly this place has major issues, and quite honestly I’m surprised it’s lasted as long as it has. We paid over $ 50 for one of the worst restaurant experiences in recent memory, and definitely will not be going back, especially since there are so many other great options in the area.

La Fable has slowly snuck in and become one of my favorite brunch places in Berkeley. The first time we came it was because the wait at Saul’s seemed a bit long and they weren’t too busy so we gave them a shot. We were kind of amazed at how good it was. Pefect hollandaise, potatoes that were *gasp* actually cooked all the way through, good service and fair prices.
We’ve since sampled most of the breakfast menu and while it’s largely the classics except for a few dishes, it’s the classics done right. Potatoes are *always* cooked, I love the hash browns, the cheese in them was a pleasant surprise the first time and I’ve craved them since, well worth the $ 1.50 upcharge, the sandwiches are really good renditions of classics, and the french onion soup is also really good.
I still need to come here for dinner, but I hear good things. Next time I need to ask about the croque madam, I haven’t seen it on the menu, but I have heard the server mention it, and since they do everything else so right, I have no doubt it’ll be good too.
The prices are certainly more than fair for the quality of food that you get and the care that gets put into it, need I remind you that their hollandaise is amazing and unbroken and their potatoes are actually. cooked. through.
Minor complaints: I’d like my onion soup left under the broiler a smidge longer to get a touch crispier, and I also need to make sure I bring cash since my debit card hasn’t gone through here twice despite it working literally everywhere else.

Nobody come here! I enjoy my care and wait-​free weekend breakfasts.
My perfect rosemary potatoes that cut like butter.
My textbook eggs benedict, just like Masterchef described.
My sandwiches on crunchy baguette. With my little cup of soup. And my little shovel spoon.
Stay away! It’s mine! I like pretending I’m in a seaside diner on the French coast. Surrounded by warm greys and tans, I can hear the gulls, the waves crashing on the shore. The wide open windows, the rooftop deck. It’s perfect. Let me have my peaceful breakfasts, you vultures!

My wife and I had dinner here on a whim (we were feeling adventurous!), but, sadly, that was likely our first and last visit.
We arrived and could tell they were busy — they had live music on a nice sunny day, and their two servers (god bless them!) were hustling to keep indoor and outdoor patrons happy. We chose to sit outside knowing we’d wait awhile. After 15 minutes, our server took our orders: I ordered a glass of rose, the scallop risotto appetizer and the bolognese, and my wife had the chicken sandwich.
30 minutes later…
Our food arrives all together, the wine arriving 10 minutes before. The breakdown below:
Wine:
Nice! I thought they had a nice, small selection of local and imported wines, and on a hot day it was nice to get a cold glass of rose. This is the only reason I gave them 2 stars.
Risotto:
My risotto looked nothing like the photos on Unilocal,which look quite appealing! The scallop was rubbery and dry, and the risotto looked like it had been sitting for awhile (like when you leave a bit of mac and cheese in the pot and it sits out for about 20 minutes), and they were over-​cheesed (which is something I thought I’d never say… I love cheese) so much so that I carved out risotto bites and stabbed them with my fork like a piece of meat.
Bolognese:
It…was…not good. The noodles were overcooked and really soft, the tomato sauce tasted canned and bland, and there was barely any beef.
Chicken Burger with fries:
Aside from the burger having barely any chicken, my wife said it actually tasted okay. The flavor was nice and the bun was tasty (after abandoning my bolognese I ate what was left of her chickenless sandwich). The fries, however, tasted freezer burned. No amount of hot oil can fix freezer burned fries.
The damages — $ 50, which we found a little steep for what we got on a plate.
If you’re looking for a glass of wine on a nice day, give it a shot. Anything more than wine, proceed with caution.

6 of us had a less-​than-​wonderful experience this evening, with comic relief from one of the strangest menu items I’ve seen since Mongolia. Service was barely adequate. The scampi with pesto and asparagus came without either pesto or asparagus. (Following a complaint, two thin stalks were brought on a separate plate.) The mussels were bland. The half roast chicken was chewy and bland. The goat cheese was almost tasteless. And the music was so loud, ordinary conversation was not possible.
That menu item: «Poulet burger, $ 9.95. With chicken, $ 2 extra.» We asked our waiter, who said, «I guess they put some chicken on the chicken.» He said he’d go ask the owner, but no report was made.

Alan and I met here for lunch today. The space used to house Chester’s Bay View Café and before that other cafes whose names are lost in time. I didn’t review Chester’s and I certainly didn’t review its predecessors, though I ate there. As La Fable the place has a bright, clean sunny look, w/​warm yellow walls and charming French art celebrating the Eiffel Tower. You walk in from Walnut Street and there are a few tables and a bar area. Once you pass a display case w/​macarons and other pastries the room opens up and there are more tables w/​a variety of chairs to choose from. There’s also an upstairs deck, which is mostly where I have eaten.
We were greeted and encouraged to take a seat wherever we liked. We chose the straight back chairs we find most comfortable, but there are also lower, softer looking easy-​type chairs. We were given menus. There were many dishes to choose from and it wasn’t an easy choice. I was interested in the pain perdue but then the cheese plate called. Alan pointed out the Deux Demis, which was a combination of the cheese plate and the plate of assorted sausages, more salumi, thinly cut. That was what I went for, of course, so I have to return for the pain perdue and the other dishes that interested me. I ordered iced tea to drink and Alan ordered water because he knew he would share my iced tea. He ordered an omelet sandwich, which reminded me of something my dad used to make when I was a kid, only more sophisticated.
Service was charming and gracious, the waitress familiar from other places we had eaten where she had worked. The four cheese were delicious, as were the various meats and tiny halved cornichons. Slices of baguette accompanied them and were replenished when they ran out. Alan’s sandwich was tasty too and I wouldn’t hesitate to order it, which suggests yet another trip. Prices were quite reasonable. The tea was freshly brewed and delicious.
Toward the end of our meal a sweet old dog from the Holistic Hound across the way wandered in and walked over to our table. She stood there looking deserving and sat when I told her to. Finding no handout forthcoming she walked over to the occupied other table in front. At that point one of the staff noticed her and alerted her owner, who retrieved her. If we had been in France it would have been no problem, but US laws are different. I like dogs in restaurants as long as they’re well mannered and this one was. We will definitely return. I’m already thinking about friends I can introduce to it.

Went for brunch on ³⁄₁₇ so first week open.
I was surprised to read that most of the wait staff is carry-​over from Chester’s because the service was slow and seemed uncoordinated. Maybe getting used to the new menu?
Was told to seat ourselves, waited about 10 minutes, then grabbed some menus we saw on the upstairs bar. Waited longer before the waitress came. I wanted something from the cocktail menu and was told there was no bartender, but she’d check if they could do it. About 5 minutes later she returned and said she still didn’t know. I changed to a Prosecco and she disappeared before we could say we were ready to order.
Finally got our order in. I got the Bacon, Potato & Onion Omelet (paysanne?) and the g/​f ordered her usual Eggs Florentine.
And we waited some more while other tables who ordered after us got their food…
The Eggs Florentine had the usual spinach along with a slice of tomato under the poached egg, half a roasted tomato and home fries (
). The slice of tomato was grilled or roasted which was tasty and different than most places that put on a fresh slice. The eggs were slightly over-​poached with the yolk starting to set. The Hollandaise was rich and one note; it needed more lemon juice for some acidity to cut the richness and something like dried mustard or cayenne to add more dimension to it.
Bacon & Onion Omelet had no home fries since there was potato in the omelet (
). First time with potato in an omelet and I liked it overall. I would have preferred the bacon to be crispier. I liked the flavors of the herb roasted tomato half.
We’d never been to Chester’s so can’t compare food or service.
3.5 stars for the food. Rounding down for the super slow (but friendly) service.