Raphael-Bar Ristorante

RIP Raphael. You were delicious, and your vegetarian offerings weren’t just afterthoughts.

this place was great… where, where did it go?!

Closed? What I think they lost their lease…
Raphael’s is the only place I can think of in the area where you can still get the Italian family-​run restaurant feel.
They are vegetarian but also have fish, the Sogliola is delicious

Certain rules I follow:
If you’re in an Italian restaurant and the waiter has a French accent, beware
If you’re eating ethnic food that’s kosher and it’s not a gazillion dollars, run away as fast as you can. Listen, I’m all for vegetarian food and catering to people’s religiously motivated dietary needs, but to me, it’s a cop out for overcharging for sub-​par food.
Don’t expect a great meal when you’re catering to the lowest common demoninator of a large group with a variety of religously motivated dietary restrictions.
Now, call me a snob from New York who’s had his fair share of ridiculously awesome Italian food, but I had a number of issues with Raphael. First, it had an inordinate amount of bugs, mostly flies and fruit flies, but that made me no fan. Secondly, I had the Caprese with mozzarella that was 982 349 times worse than polly-​o. Think that processed mozzarella that’s been in your fridge for three weeks. That’s what it was like. Checked with some authorities on the kosherness of mozzarella and confirmed that it’s usually not a big deal for it. They could have just cut up the stuff you get at Trader Joe’s and it would have been fine for me. Not only was this inexcusable, but WAIT, they put a ridiculous amount of salt on it. Can I not be trusted to handle the salt on my dish? Has that power been taken away in Berkeley?
Next, let’s talk about the wine list, which was all kosher. So you know, in order to be considered a ‘kosher’ restaurant, they can only serve kosher wines, which severely limits the options here. Let’s just say if you’re coming to California for one meal and hoping for some great local wines, you’ll be disappointed. We had a stock Pinot Grigio from Italy which was fine, I guess.
For my main, I had the rigatoni a la Vodka with Salmon. I’d never had salmon with vodka sauce and was feeling adventurous (I shoulda known to be scared after my appetizer). Of course, this would have made sense if actually HAD vodka sauce in it!!! Now, I don’t think this is up for interpretation anymore. I thought Vodka sauce was universal, hell, everyone knows it, you can get it in any two bit grocery store or bodega in the country now, it’s a PINK sauce. These guys hadn’t gotten the message. It was weak alfredo. I’m wish I was kidding.
For desert, I had an apple break pudding that was drenched in a brandy sauce with so much bad brandy that it was thoroughly inedible. I barely got through it.
To top it off I left with that, «I’m full, but not completely wonderful in my stomach, but not quite gonna puke» feeling which fortunately went away on the walk home.
Oh, and because it’s Kosher (see my rant against Kosher Italian restaurants in my earlier review of Tevere), don’t expect this to be light on the ol’ wallet.
In spite of being scared by the French waiter, the service was extremely friendly, the décor is pretty nice and everyone else in my party seemed to have a good time. Oh and since the owner is kinda connected to a relative (not naming to keep everyone innocent), I guess I’ll be the better man and throw them a bone, but don’t think I’m happy about it.

Great Eats for both meat and veggie eaters. I have had my veggie only eating friends rave about this place and request it when they are in the east bay. — The happy hour is a great bargain too. Sit outside when the weather permits.
Raphael’s is currently closed for construction 10÷22÷07

Not a fan of this cuisine and my umbrella was stolen to boot.

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Berkeley. Great vegetarian cuisine, lots of stuff for the vegan. A nice place to go for a special occasion. Ignore the prices and order up some antipasti, zuppe, insalate, etc. and a bottle of wine to boot. Enjoy the tiramisu. Even though they have a «bar», it’s probably not what your typical boozer is looking for. But when it comes to the food, the very memory of dinner served gets me salivating. Easy BART access a big plus.

Perfect for a spring/​summer happy hour! They have a $ 5 tapas style menu. My favorite is the fresh arugula and spinach tossed with chunks of juicy salmon, layered on a toasted slice of baguette.
The cocktails are phenomenal. I recommend the Kir Royale and Mojito with a tart pool of raspberry coulis. Mmmm…
Great service to boot!

This restaurant was a very pleasant surprise. I kind of meandered in here with a few of my friends one day. The food is excellent. We had three different pasta dishes, and each one had its own unique flavor. Also, it is kosher, which is a big plus for a few friends of mine.

Another reason to love Berkeley for me is you get these little fusions of cross-​cultural ideas that I don’t think about but that really seem to work. Thie is a vegetarian (fish ok) Italian place that also happens to be kosher! You can have a nice Shiraz from Israel (or other wines that are certified Kosher) with your meal. We had an organic Nebbiolo from Italy which had alot of bold, bright fruit in it, delicious. My wife had the gnocchi and I had eggplant lasanga, both were delicious. The desserts looked good but unfortunately we were way too stuffed to find out but that just gives us reason to return. Outdoor seating on Center St is available or go indoor to the more intimate restaurant. A nice evening out can be had here.

I absolutely adored this restaurant — great friendly service, sweet atmosphere, nice wine list, and of course, delicious and unique food. Also, for a nice restaurant, the prices are not as steep as you might think, making for a satisfying dining experience. And lastly, I can safely take my vegan friends there knowing that there will be several options for them to choose from, which is always a nice bonus.

In a word: salty
(+) Italian all kosher menu that is mainly vegetarian with a sizable vegan selection!
(-) the awful reproductions of raphael angel frescoes make this place ugly on the inside.

Dear old Dad and I had dinner here tonight. Pretty crowded for a Tuesday, so we were seated at the bar, which turned out to be totally awesome! Sally, the bartender, made us feel completely comfortable and right at home. Dad and I shared an appetizer and a salad, and combining those with an entrée and gelato apiece, we were filled right up. We couldn’t have asked for better service – I asked for a wine recommendation to go with my gnocchi, and was suggested a perfect Sauvignon Blanc. The food is quite good, the gelato homemade and delicious, and while it may be a bit noisy (there were several big parties), sitting at the bar was great! I’d definitely do it again.
Edited down a star, unfortunately, because a return trip showed that having a reservation and being seated at a table (in a party of 4) is much less inviting than simply walking in and being seated at the bar. The service was very uneven and took FOREVER, possibly because there was only one waiter and us plus several large parties. The food was still quite good, but the long waits for even glimpses of the waiter made the evening tiresome instead of enjoyable.

This place is interesting to me because my girlfriend is one of those folks who is vegetarian except for seafood, which exactly fits the menu here. We’ve eaten here a few times and the food is consistently very good, with an interesting wine selection to boot. We haven’t gone wrong yet with their fish, pasta, risotto, or pizza. Their desserts are also excellent.
I agree with previous reviewers that the interior is loud, but I disagree that it’s ugly. I also don’t find their portions small (but then, I tend to think that most restaurants’ portions are too big).

The fact that this place is kosher is cool (ironically it’s harder to find a kosher restaurant that serves jewishy food in the bay area). so, my food was pretty good, if not overpriced. Lots of interesting fish choices. Main complaint is that the service was unabashedly bad. Like they took forever, brought us the wrong stuff, and were totally inattentive — to the point where it was just absurd, especially for a fine dining-​ish establishment. It was good though. I would recommend it for health-​conscious people because there were lots of good veggie options with asparagus and eggplant and things of the sort.

«From Noah, the same guy who brought real New York bagels to Berkeley» ??? Talk about damning with faint praise. If Raphael’s is to italian what Noah’s is to bagels, then run!
I should point out that I have not yet eaten at Raphael’s, so this is just a comment. Please ignore the stars.

Just got back from dinner and thought I’d share.
Pros: Excellent service; good tasting food; decent wine list; kid friendly; fair prices for what you get to eat.
Cons: Small portions; noisy.
Noise is amplified somehow (II think it’s the high ceiling) so it’s pretty noisy; needs some redecorating, although it is very clean and quite comfortable, the place desperately NEEDS some style. Bad rag-​rolling paint job on the walls. Funky cherubs on the ceiling. The bathroom, although once again very clean, is located outside the dining area in this ittle hallway where you gotta be careful not to trip over a mop or a broom or something.
My husband felt the portions were small. He ordered salmon ravioli and got only one — a large delicious one — but not enough for a man with a healthy appetite. Two would have been perfect, or it should come with a salad. It was just one big ravioli on a plate. He also did not like his dessert, saying he felt the raspberry sauce on his chocolate cake was too sour and needed more sugar. I tasted it and thought it was quite good.
If you do go, try: Pizza crust appetizer, it’s a crispy chewy pizza type dough with rosemary and sea salt served with a little drizzle of olive oil; and the gellato which was rich and creamy and perfect. Oh and I had an exquistely prepared Cosmos. Perhaps the best Cosmos I’ve ever tasted.

As a Jewish resident (who LOVES Itallian food) of the Bay Area, I have a soft spot in my heart for Raphael’s. This soft spot is softened by the fact that I am friends with Noah (the owner’s) son and know the entire family. They’re very nice people.
Even if I did not have these biases, I would still give Raphael’s a five. Every meal starts out with Raphael’s signature (delicious) breadsticks. Pasta here is excellent, even for an authentic Itallian restaraunt. I highly recommend the alfredo– INCREDIBLY creamy and out of this world– and for bleu cheese fans, anything topped with the Gorgonzola sauce. Dessert, however, is as always the best part of the meal. As a tiramisu enthusiast with high standards, I would rate the tiramisu as being «very good» (not excellent– no Stella’s Pastries– but definitely very good). I highly reccomend anything in any sort of liquer sauce at Raphael’s– those desserts are incredible.
As far as the atmposphere goes, Raphael’s is typically somewhere between a bustling family restaraunt and a quiet «couples only» atmosphere– it is in fact a great restaraunt for both occasions.

Noah, from Noah’s Bagels, has done it again. The very same person who brought real New York bagels to California has managed to open a kosher restaraunt that tastes good. And not just good, damn good, amazing even. The waitstaff is excellent, and even more amazing, all seem to be Italian. Equally amazing is there seems to be no turnover, it’s always the same waiters. If knowing your waiter isn’t enough, Noah himself frequently visits, often bringing his family with him. Look at me, i’m raving, and i havn’t even mentioned the food.
The food is all spectacular. i can think of nothing bad to say about anything in the whole of the place, ok, maybe the little cherubs in the ceiling are over the top. Aside from that this place is mavelous. Don’t skip desert either, the Tiramisu is rather good.

Raphael is a wonderful italian restaurant with half price drinks from 3−6pm (happy hour). The desserts are probably the best thing here, though, and they all have wonderfully complex sauces and additions (not just a slice of chocolate cake, you know? Great tiramisu).
In addition, Raphael sports a Kosher menu that is entirely lacking any sign of poultry or meat. Here, you will only find seafood & vegetarian dishes. I don’t have a bad thing to say about Raphael – a tip would be to go on Saturday night, because they seem to pick up business more on Sundays because of the Kosher crowd.
Raphael also has a decently priced, decent selection of wines and great soup, and is owned by/​opened by Noah from Noah’s Bagels.