Vanessa’s Bistro 2

Nice decoration located at a good location in downtown Walnut Creek. Good displays of Tapas… very good cocktail… will try out more dishes

First, I’d say I would have given this place three stars except the drinks were awful both times I’ve had meals there!
The first time my best friend and I ordered Moscow mules, and the ginger beer was pretty clearly low quality. Neither of us finished our drinks. We ended up having one small plate (can’t recall which one) and it was fine.
We went back another night about a month later to actually have a meal, and we had another terrible drink experience. We ordered mojitos because they were on the happy hour menu. They were actually not even drinkable. My best friend and I are pretty easy going and not picky, but these were just bad. They had way too much alcohol (not in a good way at all) and also wayyyyyy too much sugar. We ended up telling the server and she offered to make us new drinks. We ended up ordering lychee martinis instead bc of how bad those mojitos were. The martinis were better, but were still pretty bad. They had ice cubes in them and neither of us finished them.
The food is average, some of the dishes were pretty good, but on two separate occasions we have had 3 failed rounds of drinks. I probably won’t go back a third time.

I’ve had Vanessa’s on my bucket list for the longest time and was happy to finally drop by during their happy hour tapas. I always get a little scared for my wallet for tapas because of the small plates and tendency to buy several (which can quickly add up), but I have to say, Vanessa’s Bistro made tapas DELICIOUS and completely worth the try.
It was a lazy hot Saturday. All everyone in Walnut Creek wanted to do was stay indoors and hydrate. So I was happy to cool down with one of their happy hour cocktails (paired with a glass of water to rehydrate of course). Ambiance was nice. Not a huge space but it is cozy with large, open windows and seats for a couple of groups. A family was seated beside us, as well as a couple other pairs of friends. Waitresses and vibes are very expected «Walnut Creek,» whatever that even means… Upscale, suburban, privilege, yeah yeah yeah (I could be considered one of them).
Whatever the case, the food was surprisingly satisfying and on point! We ordered everything off their $ 7 happy hour tapas:
– Maple Leaf Duck Confit Lettuce Wraps: so delicious. Lots of flavor in the maple-​duck and could ask for as many lettuce wraps as you like
– Panko Crusted Petrole Sole Fish Tacos: incredibly light and refreshing (the fish tasted SO fresh), and a lot of flavor packed into a taco bite, as compared to other fish tacos. Theirs were delicious
– Green Papaya Salad with Prawns: I’m a huge fan of papaya salad and this was the perfect complement to a hot day. Refreshing, plump shrimp, plus some of those Chinese wafer/​chip things to match. Tasted very clean and satisfying
– Sweet Potato Fries: a little bit heavier compared to everything else ordered, but theirs tasted good. More like sweet potato wedges, but if you’re not full enough, these can fill you up.
– Jasmint-​tini ($ 6.50): I love something a little lighter and floral, not too juicy or sweet and as an avid tea lover, this sounded interesting. Jasmine tea with a tea vodka, mint and simple syrup to lightly sweeten. Not bad, but would’ve just liked a glass of water on this hot day. Still taste the alcohol but perfectly sweet and floral.
Would I come back? Yes. Probably not a lot, but I’d love to come here again if I had some money to splurge on a date night with a friend or two. It definitely does thrive in the downtown Walnut Creek area and serves its clientele well… Everything is full of flavor and leaves you feeling satisfied – not overly full or bloated. Happy hour prices are probably the BEST (not sure if I would come any other time to spend more $$$), but for the tasty food and reasonable prices during their happy hour, I’d come again. Vanessa’s may not be the most inviting atmosphere (considering Walnut Creek’s attraction), but this is such a tasty eatery. Can’t deny my love.

Stumbled to this place visiting walnut creek. They have a great happy hour menu. The shrimp fried rice is very good. The salt and pepper prawns is just okay. The clay pot rice is okay also. Overall it’s a good hang out place with food being secondary. The drinks are good though !!!

Vanessa’s is a great addition to stodgy WC. The service is on point, food is creative and well worth repeated visits.
The cocktails were spot on and not over priced.
Atmosphere is fine for date night or any special event.
You won’t be disappointed.

Absolutely love this place. I’ve had everything on the menu and everything is delicious. Awesome drinks as well and service is impeccable. Recommend to everyone! Good days to come a get a real deal are tapa Tuesday’s and wine Wednesday’s.

Came here with my mom for lunch. Such a cute little place and lovely ambiance. Our server was sweet but she was the only one working along with a bartender and a busser.
She ordered shrimp curry and I ordered salmon with pad Thai.
The shrimp curry was so good. Creamy, flavorful.
The salmon was also delicious but I wasn’t a hue fan of the «pad thai» because it was wide flat and super short noodles which made it difficult to eat and it obviously wasn’t pad Thai noodles.
But I would love to come back and try something new!

I came here for lunch.
But the food we ordered was not good
Lemon glass chicken and coconut chicken.
The carrot was not cool enough and the food was spicy but there is one taste missing.
I hope they come by more often so the I could tell the waiter…

I was excited when I got here, but then my expectations weren’t met. My Pinot noir was served at room temperature. Clearly have no idea what temperature to serve wine. This is a common problem at a lot of restaurants. The Bahn Mi taste good, but was very dry. The sole fish tacos were tasty — I recommend! The clay pot rice was decent. Was hoping for something more unique. If I changed anything, I would make the pot bigger and add rice. Also watch the dryness of the chicken.
Service wasn’t great. We didn’t even have a traditional check in after first dish served from waiter to see how everything was going. Actually we didn’t see him for a while.
Overall, it was just okay. This is my first stop at this restaurant. I might give them another try to redeem themselves. Although, with such a large bar menu, I wonder if they care more about the alcohol or the food.

This place has been our favorite for a long time. My niece and nephew love the Crème Brulee. Their happy hour is a perfect time to come

Vietnamese tapas? Love!
The food was delicious and fresh.
I recommend the following:
Green papaya salad
Filet mignon carpaccio
We had the following also, but I wouldnt order again:
Prawns and garlic noodles

Came here during happy hour and not only was our service from Carina on point, but the food came out so fast and was so good.
We ordered the garlic noodles, crispy fried chicken breast, filet mignon carpaccio, lemongrass marinated salt and pepper pork loin, strawberry ice cream and the Vietnamese coffee martini.
Everything was delicious! The happy hour menu is totally worth it. So many items to choose from and decently priced. Will definitely be back again.

I saw the amazing Unilocal reviews for this place but that still did not completely reassure me. I was fully expecting the restaurant to be over-​hyped and overrated, BUT I was happily proven wrong. I ordered a Banh Mi sandwich with filet mignon and it was absolutely delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful and the bread was baked fresh. There were also jalapeños in the sandwich that give it a zesty touch of flavor. My friend ordered the Pad Thai and let me try a little of her dish and the flavor was amazing as well, and the noodles were soft and fresh. For dessert we ordered their D’Anjou Pear and Ginger Tarte Tatin, and goodness it was heavenly.
I ended up taking a second friend here the next night and she agreed that the food was delicious. Both of us found the service extremely quick and efficient with all waiters friendly and professional. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you’re looking for traditional Asian cuisine, but if you are of a more adventurous disposition and willing to try Asian Fusion, then this would be the jackpot. One downside is that because of its explosive popularity, the place is extremely crowded and I would definitely suggest making a reservation before coming. On the bright side, the first time I unknowingly walked in and a very helpful host was able to move some things around to accommodate my friend and me, which speaks volumes of their great customer service.

Vanessa’s, what can I say, I have been coming here for happy hour for a few years now. Wednesday is the day folks — ½ off wine and champagne ftw. I come here with a friend much better versed in champagne and prosecco than I, and we split a bottle of the Perrier-​Jouet and order tapas ^ ^
Food: Tapas are tasty! I always get the spicy tofu and really enjoy the vietnamese noodle salad too. True to tapas style, portions are small.
Drinks: champagne as mentioned above, but I’ve had pretty much every drink off the happy hour menu and the bartenders in the afternoons have always made them very tasty!
Ambiance: it can get loud in here around 530 or so when the work crowd comes in, the overall a classy yet relaxed vibe which I like
Service: always on point here. I have some friends with allergies and the cook staff and wait staff have always been incredibly attentive to that
I’ve come here in the evening and I’ll have to say, I think happy hour is better — for some reason the food and the drinks always taste better to me, but maybe it’s the champagne talking?
Enjoy Unilocalers!

Amazing food, drinks, and happy hour! Great overall staff that works together and provides great service.
P. S. Tayllor is an amazing server =)

Can I PUUULLLEEASE give this place 10 stars!!! Everyone from busboy to owner is tremendously kind and do their job so well. I don’t know how they do it or where they have found such commendable employees but this is restaurant owning at its best. Everything here seems so seamless.
But let’s get real FOOD PEOPLE! T.H.E. F.O.O.D!!! Amaaaazzing!!! From the udon noodles (favorite) to tuna carpaccio (favorite) to the salt & pepper gently fried prawns (favorite), garlic fries, the duck appetizer the beef carpaccio, the sandwiches, the DRINKS!!! I FREEAAAKIN LOVE IT! I’m so proud of this business and the restaurant and to see how just great food can make this place such a success. I went the other day with a group of 13 girls and service was fast and this place always has the same quality of food each time. It’s ALWAYS prepared the way you expect. I regret having not gone here in awhile but life gets in the way. The other night was a reminder of just how wonderful this place is.
Best. food. Ever. Hands. Down. That’s all you really need to know :-)

Make sure to make reservations when you want to eat at Vanessa’s. The service is swift, friendly, and competent. The plates are small with enough bites for two. The duck lettuce wraps were tasty. The quail was flavorful. Our favorite dish was the noodles with prawns. It’s large and very satisfying. The green papaya salad was disappointing without any zest. Nevertheless, when you are craving Vietnamese cuisine, Vanessa delivers the essence of authenticity. The bar is hopping! Very popular hang out!

Came in hungry on a rainy Saturday for lunch with a toddler. We had a high expectation after seeing the high reviews on Unilocal.We were not here for cocktail or drink, so I am rating based on food.
We opened the menu and saw,
1. Food servings were mostly tapes and appetizers
2. Wine list was longer than food menu
Here’s our order:
1. Dungeness crab sandwich, my husband said its good. Nothing else came on the side. Small portion with the price.
2. Fish tacos (appetizer). Came in three tacos with breaded fried fish. It didn’t even have any seasoning except a pinch of mayo. Tasteless and dry. My toddler refused to eat.
3. Pad Thai, only came in vegetarian option. Taste were good, but the portion was so small, can’t fill up a petite Asian woman.
Nice things were the interior decors and services.

If you’re looking for a quick buzz, you’ve come to the right place! Vanessa’s Bistro 2 has an extensive happy hour menu! $ 6 cocktails and a lot of tapas are 50% off. I ordered the crispy quail, but I wish I tried something else or something different. It was still good, don’t get me wrong, but not enough to sustain me for 2 drinks.
I ordered 1 cosmo and 1 mojito. ~ Being the light featherweight champ of the world I am, I was gone. It’s a great place to start off your night life excursion in walnut creek!

My parents picked Vanessa’s Bistro 2 for our immediate family thanksgiving dinner as they were going to be out of town for the holiday. Looking at the menu, I was wondering… is this Vietnamese food? French food? French Vietnamese?! And then I saw some Thai and Asian Fusion dishes? I had no idea what to expect walking into the restaurant. Our party of 6 met up for dinner on Sunday, November 22^nd at 6pm.
Happy hour: $ 7 each
*Garlic Fries with Sriracha Aioli
*Garlic Butter Egg Noodles
*Panko Crusted Petrale Sole Tacos Garlic Cilantro Aioli x3
*Spicy Chicken Wings with Sweet & Sour Pineapple Sauce
*Slow Oven Roasted Pork with Chipotle Sauce, Tortilla Chips, Cilantro, Pickled Carrots & Daikon
*Salt & Pepper Fried Prawns with Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce
*Salt & Pepper Fried Tender Calamari (steak) with Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce
*Ahi Tuna Carpaccio with Onions, Cilantro, Tomatoes & Ginger Soy
*Thinly Sliced Filet Mignon Carpaccio with Fried Shallots, Onions, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Asian Herbs, (Roasted Peanuts on side)
*Fresh Spring Rolls with Poached Prawns, Vermicelli, Bean Sprouts, Mint, Chipotle & Black Bean Sauce
*Oven Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Potstickers with Ginger Ponzu Dipping Sauce x2
*Crispy Saigon Chicken Rolls with Lettuce, Mint, Pickles & Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce
*Spicy Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Poached Prawns, Fried Shallots & Mint (no Roasted Peanuts)
*Lemongrass Marinated Salt & Pepper Fried Pork Loin with Spicy Pineapple Chutney
*Crispy Fried Chicken Breast, Fried Onions & Jalapenos with Spicy Lime & Pepper Dipping Sauce
Good thing about Sundays?! It’s all day happy hour! We ordered 15 out of the 19 HH tapas offered. They also have a selection of beer for $ 3.25, cocktails for $ 6 and wine for $ 6.50. We brought 2 bottles of wine, so we didn’t take advantage of their HH drink specials. Corkage is $ 15 per bottle.
The food itself was just eh. I found most of the dishes rather bland. I love papaya salad and asked for that extra spicy. Where was the heat for an extra spicy dish?! And the fishy, sweet and sour flavors I love in papaya salad were just hinted at. Very disappointing. The best dish was probably the fish tacos. My bro’s gf got an extra order for herself. Everything else seemed to have an out of place sweet element. Why were our garlic noodles sweet?! I basically doused it in sriracha to hide the sweetness.
Regular menu:
*French Onion Soup w/​Mozzarella Cheese & Garlic Croutons ($ 7.25)
*Shaking Filet Mignon Salad in Garlic Brandy Butter Sauce ($ 13.95)
*D’Anjou Pear & Ginger Tarte Tatin With vanilla ice cream ($ 9)
*Vi’s Vietnamese Coffee & Oreo Cheesecake With whipped cream ($ 9)
My brother wanted the steak salad, so we ordered that off the reg menu. It was one of the better dishes of the night. We ended up returning the french onion soup as it was sooo sweet. Not delicious oniony sweet, but sugary sweet. They were nice and didn’t charge us for it. The desserts were okay. Almost everything had coconut on it, so I was limited in my choices. (I hate coconut.) On the up side, their Regular Coffee ($ 2.25) was really good.
In the end, I never really figured out exactly what type of restaurant Vanessa’s actually is. But whatever type of restaurant they are, I think they need to up their flavor profiles. Everything was either really bland or way too sweet. At least with HH, the bill didn’t do much damage. $ 210 for 6 people before tip. Price wise, that’s not too bad.