Berkeley’s Chez Panisse surprise-announced the opening of one of this year’s most anticipated bars in the Bay Area: Bar Panisse. Despite its huge success, the storied restaurant from acclaimed chef Alice Waters has rarely expanded in its 54-year history; Cafe Fanny opened on San Pablo Avenue in 1984, later closing in 2012, followed up later by Lulu in 2021, a collaborative restaurant between Waters and chef David Tanis at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
Notably, at the time of Lulu’s opening, Waters told the Los Angeles Times, “I’ve never wanted to have another restaurant — and I don’t have another restaurant. I am cheerleading for a restaurant that I think is very important to have at the Hammer Museum.”
But never say never. As of Thursday, December 11, Chez Panisse has opened sister business Bar Panisse, literally next door, taking over the home of another beloved restaurant, César. Sitting side by side for 24 years, César was a tapas bar started by Chez Panisse alums Richard Mazzera and Dennis Lapuyade, with Waters’s ex-husband, Stephen Singer, in 1998. To further complicate things, Chez Panisse owns the building, subleasing the space to the trio until the restaurant decided not to renew César’s lease in 2022, in order for Chez Panisse to expand. Longtime customers weren’t happy about this, protesting the change in hopes of saving their neighborhood restaurant, which ultimately closed in July 2022. (César does retain a presence in the Bay Area, however, with Bar César in Oakland.)
With this context in mind, Eater San Francisco dropped into Bar Panisse on opening day.
Curious locals lined up for Bar Panisse’s debut, with a line of about 20 people waiting 10 minutes before 4 p.m. when the doors opened. A mix of longtime Chez Panisse and César diehards, along with local press, the waitlist quickly filled as guests were slowly let into the space at 15-minute intervals. There is likely to be a wait as more locals drop in during the coming months — the bar does not take reservations — but early and late-night patrons might be able to squeeze in with some luck and determination. (Just note the bar closes at 10 p.m. for now.)
Bar Panisse opened on Thursday, December 11, in the former César space. Dianne de Guzman
Dark wood replaced the ’90s honey oak staining in the refreshed space. Dianne de Guzman
Many in line craned their necks to peek inside at the newly transformed building. Gone are some of the late ’90s decor relics like honey oak wood staining, yet other key things remain. The accordion windows at the front that open onto the street were intact, ready for warmer weather; the bar firmly remains on the north side of the space, notably without César’s blue tiling reminiscent of the Mediterranean. Instead, the dining room is now outfitted in darker woods more in tune with the mothership, Edison bulbs bathing the bar and dining room in an amber glow and wainscoting above the bar and behind diners near the entrance. Rechargeable lamps dot each table, and a back counter gives a hint of the action in the kitchen, with a counter serving as the pass. The environment is relaxed, despite the anxious line of people waiting to get in, and servers and bartenders barely missed a beat despite this being the bar’s debut to the public.
“It looks bigger than César,” one patron marveled as they sat down.
Technically, it won’t be Waters in the kitchen at Bar Panisse. Instead, chef Amelia Telc, formerly of Tartine and Mission Chinese Food, will run the kitchen, while Dylan O’Brien of Prizefighter Bar in Emeryville serves as consultant for the cocktail menu, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. On the drinks front, the menu featured a list of eight solid cocktails going from a leaner spritz zhuzhed with quince liqueur and a martini with lemon verbena and saline, to a hearty Whiskey Buck with bourbon and allspice dram, or a Sazerac with rye whiskey, absinthe, and both Creole and aromatic bitters. Notably (for this writer, anyways) the bar also serves one of the better renditions of a gimlet, thanks to the addition of a Meyer lemon cordial and lemon oil. The wine list includes bottles of French and Italian wines, filled out with a few local options from California, plus local beers and ciders. Nonalcoholic drinks include a couple of house shrubs, like one sporting pomegranate, ginger, and Champagne vinegar topped with sparkling water.
From left, sage and anchovy fritters and Gulf shrimp. Dianne de Guzman
Anchovies with celery vinaigrette Dianne de Guzman
The food will continue with the Panisse ethos of sourcing locally as much as possible, and the focus on technique is obvious. The menu is small but mighty, with the majority of dishes falling under the Small Bites category, such as gougeres served with a side of mustard and pickled carrots; two styles of a half-dozen oysters, either grilled with parsley-garlic butter or raw with a mignonette; or hanger steak with a raw artichoke salad. The fresh anchovies with celery vinaigrette stood out, as did the pan de mie with creme fraiche and trout roe, for a treat. For a heartier dish, the Gulf shrimp with nettles satisfied, and would pair nicely with some butter beans. (Word to the wise: You can order some bread to drudge through the oils and sauces — and you’ll want to.) If you need a bit of fried things to snack on, Small Fry offers three options, and I was pointed in the direction of the sage and anchovy fritters — it’s a visually impressive dish, with an anchovy laid over a sage leaf then lightly battered and fried. It packs the punch of deeply salted anchovy with the crispy earthy flavors of sage. An affogato and pavlova round out the desserts for now.
For a next visit, the bartender recommended going for the flatbread with butter, oil, and Calabrian chile. I intend to also go back for the hanger steak for a more dinner-like mood. The dishes mostly skew on the smaller size — it is still a bar after all — but it’s pretty shareable and gives more opportunity to explore the menu.
It’s not quite a surprise that Bar Panisse managed an excellent showing on opening day, but it is a feat I’m willing to recognize and applaud. It was easy to gloss over any shortcomings — of which I didn’t see much, if any — as the bar settled into a vibrant hum of activity. Ear hustling hinted at some promising additions to the bar, such as an eventual expansion to being open seven days a week, and perhaps a brunch (still TBD). But on Thursday, the cocktails were dialed in, and the food spot on, and if this is how operations could sing on opening day, Berkeley should have a lot more good days of eating and drinking ahead of it.
Bar Panisse (1515 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley) debuted on Thursday, December 11, and is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Monday.