{"id":95496,"date":"2025-12-15T17:49:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T17:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/95496\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T17:49:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T17:49:14","slug":"bar-panisse-alice-waterss-companion-to-her-fabled-berkeley-restaurant-is-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/95496\/","title":{"rendered":"Bar Panisse, Alice Waters\u2019s Companion to Her Fabled Berkeley Restaurant, Is Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

Berkeley\u2019s Chez Panisse<\/a> surprise-announced the opening of one of this year\u2019s most anticipated bars in the Bay Area: Bar Panisse<\/a>. 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<\/a> in 2021, a collaborative restaurant between Waters and chef David Tanis<\/a> at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Notably, at the time of Lulu\u2019s opening, Waters told the Los Angeles Times<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019ve never wanted to have another restaurant \u2014 and I don\u2019t have another restaurant. I am cheerleading for a restaurant that I think is very important to have at the Hammer Museum.\u201d<\/p>\n

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, C\u00e9sar. Sitting side by side for 24 years, C\u00e9sar was a tapas bar started by Chez Panisse alums Richard Mazzera and Dennis Lapuyade, with Waters\u2019s 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 C\u00e9sar\u2019s lease in 2022, in order for Chez Panisse to expand. Longtime customers weren\u2019t happy about this, protesting the change in hopes of saving their neighborhood restaurant, which ultimately closed in July 2022. (C\u00e9sar does retain a presence in the Bay Area, however, with Bar C\u00e9sar<\/a> in Oakland.)<\/p>\n

With this context in mind, Eater San Francisco dropped into Bar Panisse on opening day.<\/p>\n

Curious locals lined up for Bar Panisse\u2019s 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 C\u00e9sar 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 \u2014 the bar does not take reservations \u2014 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.)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Bar Panisse opened on Thursday, December 11, in the former C\u00e9sar space. Dianne de Guzman<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Dark wood replaced the \u201990s honey oak staining in the refreshed space. Dianne de Guzman<\/p>\n

Many in line craned their necks to peek inside at the newly transformed building. Gone are some of the late \u201990s 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 C\u00e9sar\u2019s 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\u2019s debut to the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks bigger than C\u00e9sar,\u201d one patron marveled as they sat down.<\/p>\n

Technically, it won\u2019t 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\u2019Brien of Prizefighter Bar<\/a> in Emeryville serves as consultant for the cocktail menu, the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"Shrimp<\/a><\/p>\n

From left, sage and anchovy fritters and Gulf shrimp. Dianne de Guzman<\/p>\n

\"Anchovies<\/a><\/p>\n

Anchovies with celery vinaigrette Dianne de Guzman<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 and you\u2019ll 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 \u2014 it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 it is still a bar after all \u2014 but it\u2019s pretty shareable and gives more opportunity to explore the menu.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not quite a surprise that Bar Panisse managed an excellent showing on opening day, but it is a feat I\u2019m willing to recognize and applaud. It was easy to gloss over any shortcomings \u2014 of which I didn\u2019t see much, if any \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Bar Panisse<\/a> (1515 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley) debuted on Thursday, December 11, and is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Monday.<\/p>\n