2377 Shattuck Ave


Average Overall Rating:

(4 out of 5)

Average Coffee Refill Rating:

(4 out of 5)

(3 out of 5)

Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 4/27/2007

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I have lived in Berkeley less than two years, and I cannot tell you how many times I've been to La Note. It's simply fabulous. I take everyone that visits me there for breakfast, but I recommend getting there before 11 if you don't want to wait at least an hour.

I love the pace of the restaurant, especially if you're lucky enough to get a patio table so you don't have to deal with the din of the cluttered main room. The servers there have always been friendly and chatty with me, so I don't know what the story is with some of these reviews. Maybe they were put off by the French? (It used to be that all the servers were bilingual in French/English, but I think that requirement has relaxed.)

The breakfast is extremely affordable and pretty much all good (although the oatmeal was a little lacking in the blueberries). The pancakes are nice and filling, and the ham'n'cheese omelette is one of the most fulfilling versions of that simple meal I've ever had. I tend to get the Provencales tomatoes instead of potatoes when possible, but dishes like the Cote Nord (eggs scrambled + goat cheese over levain bread with both potatoes and tomatoes...my personal favorite) don't make me choose. Be warned - there's no customization of the dishes, so when it says scrambled, you can't get them overeasy. But I think they know better than me how the food should be cooked. :-) And the coffee is fabulous.

I've eaten there for dinner, and while the food was well-cooked, it's a little heavy for my liking and considerably pricier (if breakfast is $$ then dinner is $$$$).

Award Nomination: Best Breakfast Ever

Review #10258Review by: SQUIDCAKES on 3/6/2007

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Café La Note gets virtually everything “parfait”. I love all of their egg dishes, pancakes & "pain perdu" with the berry coulis. The lunch menu is equally adept with beautiful salads and delicious sandwiches. I can never get enough of the tomatoes provençale or the potatoes with their garlicky caramelized fabulosity. The café au lait is consistently excellent.
I've always found the servers to be courteous, conciliatory and attentive.
This is where I go and take others for a weekend brunch treat.
No big surprise that the wait can be long on the weekend.
The best things in life are worth waiting for, n’est-ce pas?


Award Nomination: Best Breakfast Ever

Review #9793Review by: breakfastisbest on 9/26/2006

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i love la note. its my favorite place to eat in berkeley. all the servers are adorable, and i have had no issues with timely service. i just expect to wait a little longer in a packed restaurant.

Award Nomination: Best Service

Review #8574Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 8/4/2006

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Doesn't Apply

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Food: Great! Some of the best stuff in Berkeley (especially dinner). I have had many great meals there and will go back for more.

Service: Awful! (at the door) The host/hostess is always kinda rude and snobby. Its like they know they can fill all the seats--and they will--so they don't bother being--minimally--nice. This aspect of La Note is sort of a drag. At the table, service is fine (albeit a bit slow, due--again--to its popularity).

But, go try it anyway and grow a bit of a thick skin before you get there.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #8153Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 1/21/2006

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Food was excellent, but my experience with a rude, non-attentive wait-staff on a non-busy Tuesday makes it not worth it for me to go back.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #6638Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 5/4/2005

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I've only eaten at La Note a few times and the food is great, but after my last experience, I will probably never go back. Gourmet Magazine printed their gingerbread pancakes recipe awhile back. I'll just make that at home.

We arrived on a weekday morning around 9:00, the week between Christmas and New Years. There were 4 of us. After about an hour of waiting, we were told by the hostess that we would be next. Shortly after that, one of my friends had to leave in order to make it to work in SF on time, and purchased a pan au chocolate to take with her. A few minutes later, a different party of 4 was seated. We asked the hostess what had happened, and she said that now that we were a party of 3, we would have to wait for a 3-person table, which would be ready in about 20-30 minutes. Needless to say, we left immediately.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #4943Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 9/10/2004

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I don't want to tell you how fabulous this place is... because the line to get in will then get longer. We take all of our out of town guests here. France would be proud to know they have a true slice of home so far away :)

Award Nomination: Best Breakfast Ever

Review #3832Review by: katie on 4/24/2003

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This is the cutest place - very romantic for morning-after bliss.

Review #1621Review by: slsmithson on 3/27/2003

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very pricey, but service is great and atmosphere as well.

Review #1415Review by: kdots3 on 10/19/2002

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La Note is my favorite favorite comfort food restaurant. As you can guess, the food is french, but... It is just amazing. The wait for breakfast on the weekends can be long, but it's worth it! Try going first thing during the week days (or, gasp, even for lunch or dinner). Their outdoor patio is also beautiful. This is almost always my #1 choice when considering a weekend brunch in berkeley!

Award Nomination: Most Comfortable

Review #1033


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Reviews submitted here are meant to pertain to breakfast only. While Mr Breakfast cannot vouch for the validity of each restaurant review, he feels pretty good vouching for the excellent character of the residents of Berkeley, California - who are primarily responsible for the review(s) you see above for La Note.