Hidden gem at the bottom of Solano. Lamb stew and steamed mussels are my favorite but everything is yummy. Best part is the atmosphere - a first class dining establishment!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debra Elder
I was shocked that my avocado on toast was on a piece if stale whole wheat sandwich bread.And that it was only a piece of bread. It was not even toasted.I was told the toaster was brokenLater it came back to me from the kitchen burnt on one side and still bread on the other.This was not even real avocado .Like as in fresh. This must have been a spread.My daughter's English muffin for her eggs Benedict was not toasted eiether.And the hashbrowns frozen and were frozen tasting and the oil from the waffle pan tasted off.This food was truly horrible.If your toaster is broken why is this on your menu?The cook?This was a Saturday morning.
A. Wilson
Flavor of the quiche Lorraine was great, but the crust was awful. Looked like it had been baked in a big pan, and had a soggy rubbery crust on the bottom of a rectangular portion of quiche. Disappointing for a French restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Kelly T. Nguyen
Wonderful food, wine, atmosphere, patrons, and owner. Rendezvous ticks all the boxes for a good restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica Balboni
Service was good, but the food was not. My husband and I came here for brunch and we thought with a 4.4 rating the food should be pretty decent. I got an omelette, and it was so burnt that the eggs were completely curdled and rubbery. The asparagus was watery and you could barely taste the dill which of course, was also burnt. Both our home fries were dry and tasted like they were made yesterday, when I asked if they had any creme fraiche (it is a French restaurant, right?) or even sour cream they looked at me like I was crazy. We both got English muffins because the toast options were very limited, they were stone cold, and definitely Thomas English muffins... oh and they weren't even toasted, and they gave us rock hard butter to spread on it. Cool. I normally do not write bad reviews of places, but this was just exceptionally terrible. Could really tell they were cutting corners everywhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Jacob Morentz
Food was excellent and the owner is very nice. I had the French onion soup which I highly recommend. The steak frites and shrimp risotto were also great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Risotto
Scott Wright
Literally THE BEST FOOD I have ever had! Everything is phenomenal! The service is incredible and the owner is SO wonderful! Just Magic!Vegetarian options: Amazing ratatouilleKid-friendliness: Kind to kids
This restaurant serves delicious French cuisine without the pretentiousness of most French restaurants. Laurent, the owner/chef is a delightful host and the Steak-Fries were out of this world. The Vin de Table (house wine) was excellent and the desserts we chose: Crème Brulée and the Crèpe tatin were exactly as they should be. The moule marinière with fries is authentic and as served in Belgium. All in all a wonderful eating experience without spending too much money.
Carson Conner
I was so excited as I read the menu online as there aren't nearly ANY restaurants where I can get a Croque Madame for brunch. Along with that, the menu was well crafted with the other items relating to what would fall under "home style" French cuisine.Unfortunately we felt like we were bothering the wait staff by dining there, and the omelet was made American rather than French. Hash browns were hard/sandy, and English Muffins were rocks.Best onion soup I've had in years though - saving grace
Chris S.
Good menu. Good food, friendly and fast service. Clean and casual inside. Will come again and bring others.
A favorite after the movie next door Food always very good Service too... Have been coming here for many years... will continue...
Maureen L.
Family members used a gift card we gave them and loved their dinner. Mussels and fries, steak and fries, mashed potatoes, asparagus, a warm goat cheese salad, salmon Normandy and several pieces of chocolate mousse cake rendered them all happily satisfied. Had a devil of a time narrowing down choices for their gift card since there are so many options in the area. We're so glad this fit the bill. Sorry it's taken awhile to post this review.
Terry T.
Rendez-Vous Cafe Bistro is bit of France on Solano in Albany. You can dine either outside or inside. I have done both. They now have a lunch menu. I haven't tried many of the dishes on the menu. I usually have the moules et frites. It isn't because I am not adventurous when it comes to food, but it is because the mussels with fires are wonderful. They are plumb and tasty, the broth is so good I try to get every last drop out of the bowl. The serving is generous, I often have trouble finishing my meal. The onion soup is great and so is the Crème Brûlée. Once I was walking along Solano and stopped for a quick pick-me-up of soup and dessert as a reward for getting my step count up. I did have the steak sandwich on the lunch menu I ordered rare and it was medium. I don't eat beef much anymore so I might not be a good judge. I thought it was tasty and with soup and salad it was a bargain.
Penny H.
The place was getting ready to close, but they let us order anyway. The owner and the Staff were very nice and friendly. The food was delicious. My husband and I made reservations for next weekend.
Martin Stein
This is a French "fast" food restaurant. (Bistro is Russian for fast, coming from a time when Russian soldiers were stationed in Paris). The quality of the food was good, there is outside seating on the parking spots next to the street, so not super-intimate. We did enjoy the sole and the lamb ragout. Service was friendly.Kid-friendliness: No problem bringing kids. There is outside seating and it's not a high-brow place.Parking: Paid street parking is close.
Hidden gem at the bottom of Solano. Lamb stew and steamed mussels are my favorite but everything is yummy. Best part is the atmosphere - a first class dining establishment!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was shocked that my avocado on toast was on a piece if stale whole wheat sandwich bread.And that it was only a piece of bread. It was not even toasted.I was told the toaster was brokenLater it came back to me from the kitchen burnt on one side and still bread on the other.This was not even real avocado .Like as in fresh. This must have been a spread.My daughter's English muffin for her eggs Benedict was not toasted eiether.And the hashbrowns frozen and were frozen tasting and the oil from the waffle pan tasted off.This food was truly horrible.If your toaster is broken why is this on your menu?The cook?This was a Saturday morning.
Flavor of the quiche Lorraine was great, but the crust was awful. Looked like it had been baked in a big pan, and had a soggy rubbery crust on the bottom of a rectangular portion of quiche. Disappointing for a French restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Wonderful food, wine, atmosphere, patrons, and owner. Rendezvous ticks all the boxes for a good restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service was good, but the food was not. My husband and I came here for brunch and we thought with a 4.4 rating the food should be pretty decent. I got an omelette, and it was so burnt that the eggs were completely curdled and rubbery. The asparagus was watery and you could barely taste the dill which of course, was also burnt. Both our home fries were dry and tasted like they were made yesterday, when I asked if they had any creme fraiche (it is a French restaurant, right?) or even sour cream they looked at me like I was crazy. We both got English muffins because the toast options were very limited, they were stone cold, and definitely Thomas English muffins... oh and they weren't even toasted, and they gave us rock hard butter to spread on it. Cool. I normally do not write bad reviews of places, but this was just exceptionally terrible. Could really tell they were cutting corners everywhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Food was excellent and the owner is very nice. I had the French onion soup which I highly recommend. The steak frites and shrimp risotto were also great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Risotto
Literally THE BEST FOOD I have ever had! Everything is phenomenal! The service is incredible and the owner is SO wonderful! Just Magic!Vegetarian options: Amazing ratatouilleKid-friendliness: Kind to kids
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Risotto, Steak Frites, Cr
This restaurant serves delicious French cuisine without the pretentiousness of most French restaurants. Laurent, the owner/chef is a delightful host and the Steak-Fries were out of this world. The Vin de Table (house wine) was excellent and the desserts we chose: Crème Brulée and the Crèpe tatin were exactly as they should be. The moule marinière with fries is authentic and as served in Belgium. All in all a wonderful eating experience without spending too much money.
I was so excited as I read the menu online as there aren't nearly ANY restaurants where I can get a Croque Madame for brunch. Along with that, the menu was well crafted with the other items relating to what would fall under "home style" French cuisine.Unfortunately we felt like we were bothering the wait staff by dining there, and the omelet was made American rather than French. Hash browns were hard/sandy, and English Muffins were rocks.Best onion soup I've had in years though - saving grace
Good menu. Good food, friendly and fast service. Clean and casual inside. Will come again and bring others.
Restaurantji Recommends
A favorite after the movie next door Food always very good Service too... Have been coming here for many years... will continue...
Family members used a gift card we gave them and loved their dinner. Mussels and fries, steak and fries, mashed potatoes, asparagus, a warm goat cheese salad, salmon Normandy and several pieces of chocolate mousse cake rendered them all happily satisfied. Had a devil of a time narrowing down choices for their gift card since there are so many options in the area. We're so glad this fit the bill. Sorry it's taken awhile to post this review.
Rendez-Vous Cafe Bistro is bit of France on Solano in Albany. You can dine either outside or inside. I have done both. They now have a lunch menu. I haven't tried many of the dishes on the menu. I usually have the moules et frites. It isn't because I am not adventurous when it comes to food, but it is because the mussels with fires are wonderful. They are plumb and tasty, the broth is so good I try to get every last drop out of the bowl. The serving is generous, I often have trouble finishing my meal. The onion soup is great and so is the Crème Brûlée. Once I was walking along Solano and stopped for a quick pick-me-up of soup and dessert as a reward for getting my step count up. I did have the steak sandwich on the lunch menu I ordered rare and it was medium. I don't eat beef much anymore so I might not be a good judge. I thought it was tasty and with soup and salad it was a bargain.
The place was getting ready to close, but they let us order anyway. The owner and the Staff were very nice and friendly. The food was delicious. My husband and I made reservations for next weekend.
This is a French "fast" food restaurant. (Bistro is Russian for fast, coming from a time when Russian soldiers were stationed in Paris). The quality of the food was good, there is outside seating on the parking spots next to the street, so not super-intimate. We did enjoy the sole and the lamb ragout. Service was friendly.Kid-friendliness: No problem bringing kids. There is outside seating and it's not a high-brow place.Parking: Paid street parking is close.