We are a neighborhood bistro serving an eclectic, seasonal menu with an outstanding selection of small-production wines. Dinner and lunch daily; patio and dining room seating for lunch is on a first-come, first-served basis.
"Thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Me, my wife, and twin 7 year old boys ate an early dinner here. Didn't expect to find such a high quality place in a shopping mall. We received a warm welcome. The food was prepared with care and an obvious passion for cooking. Great flavours. We had clam chowder, duck confit, a seafood pasta, and a beautifully cooked, tender pork chop. The wine list, of carefully chosen boutique local producers, puts to shame many a list of big names you might find in more extravagant restaurants. This was our first visit and we will be back - one of Marin's better restaurants and means you don't always have to go into he city for a fine meal."
Dined on 03/15/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"Pappardelle with short ribs was delicious. Melt in your mouth meat and tangy brown sauce. Lobster, scallop risotto very good. Hot bread and olive oil and balsamic. Chef came to table and introduced herself. Brought a nice glass of white wine for me to try with the risotto. Lots of parking in the shopping center. A great neighborhood find."
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, notable wine list, neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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"Vis A Vis Bistro hums as any great bistro should. The energetic and bubbly owner/chef is attentive to her patrons, their tastes and the preparation of each dish. My husband and I have now dined here several times in the past year, and neither of us has ever experienced an off note. Our past and present menu favorites include: tuna tartare, duck confit, scallops, halibut, lobster salad and flat iron steak with shiitake bread pudding. On the lighter side, the fresh fruit and chantilly cream dessert is the perfect way to end the meal. Everything we have been served at this restaurant is delicious and memorable. Vis A Vis has a great wine list as well, with the largest selection of wines by the glass we've seen among Marin wine bars."
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, neighborhood gem
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"I was very impressed.... Good Food, Good service, Friendly staff and owner. The only downside is the amount charged for corkage. I highly recommend it."
Dined on 04/23/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, hot spot
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"Another wonderful evening with friends in this charming and refined bistro. The food is as good as it gets - - the service is personable and on point - yet there is absolutely no pretension. Background music? Diana Krall softly crooning "Peel me a Grape." What an absolute pleasure!"
Dined on 04/11/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, great for lunch
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"My wife and I recently had dinner here since they have opened and all I can say is they have been very consistent with the quality of their creative dishes. This is a good find."
Dined on 04/12/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion, great for lunch
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Review 14 for Bistro Vis À Vis
Overall rating
(Very Good)4/5
Wonderful food. A noise level
OpenTable Diner Since
Dined on 04/06/2013
2005
Dined on 04/06/2013
2005
Food
(Outstanding)5/5
Service
(Very Good)4/5
Ambiance
(Good)3/5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Wonderful food. A noise level that is absurd when it could be altered by simply putting acoustical tile on the ceiling."
Dined on 04/06/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"My second visit was just as outstanding as the first! The service is friendly, competent and professional. The food is well conceived and beautifully executed. And the wine list (and the wine pairing advice) is excellent. I'll be a regular."
Dined on 03/29/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"Food was amazing- Warm lobster salad infinitely more delicious, had twice the lobster, and was less expensive than one I'd just had an extremely well-known restaurant. My date was wowed by the moistness of the confit but took more than her share of my halibut.Next time I'll bring a group as there were quite a few new dishes since my last visit"
Dined on 03/15/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, kid-friendly, notable wine list
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"This was my first time at Vis a Vis but it won't be the last. The tuna tartar was mouthwatering and the house pickled veggies refreshing. The came over to discuss our wine choice and stayed to chat a few minutes. I can't wait to go back."
Dined on 03/15/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"This was an outstanding dinner experience. Truly a "neighborhood gem," improbably located in Larkspur/Greenbrae's Bon Air shopping center. Excellent fusion cuisine; friendly and attentive service. Remarkable wine list!! Highly recommended!"
Dined on 03/09/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"We like to go here to get in & out before a movie. Very good food for this type of restaurant. My favorite is the fish tacos & my husband has tried a lot of different things, all good."
Dined on 03/02/2013
2005
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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"I love this restaurant. The food was great and the service was terrific. The owners make you feel like you're in their home. My wife and I will be regulars"
Dined on 03/02/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, great for lunch
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"Stumbled upon this place as I was looking for a place to take my parents. I was surprised to find such a highly rated place in the Bon Air shopping center. It was delightful. Our group had a variety of dishes and all were terrific. Shrimp in the cioppino was especially good. Jorge, our waiter, did a great job of recommending dishes and accompanying wines. We will definitely be back."
Dined on 02/23/2013
2003
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"We had a fabulous time. Soo stocked some sake especially for me as I am not a wine drinker. I appreciate this very much. Also, the others in our party are extreme wine enthusiasts. Soo took great care in selecting wines with my friends who had a fantastic time trying many eclectic offerings.
Great night from start to finish."
Dined on 02/23/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list
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"The food, wine and service here exceed any other table available in Marin. And most in San Francisco and Napa. No need to look further for a top notch restaurant. You can put Zagat away. Eureka! It's Bistro Vis A Vis!"
Dined on 02/23/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion
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"This restaurant is such a lovely surprise in the middle of Bon Air shopping center, with original lively food and an amazing wine list. The chef seems to have mastered a variety of cuisines, from Italian to Asian to Hispanic and they're all here, held together by the theme of fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation, and amazing wine matches. Service is friendly and attentive at both lunch and dinner. It's obvious that the Bistro has developed a local following and we are glad to be a part of that."
Dined on 02/13/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, great for lunch
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"This evening I went to BVaV on my own since my bride was on an errand of mercy in The City. I sat at the counter. I was able to get great service from my server , Jorge, and talk to owner/chef Soo Young as well. I have given up wine for Lent, so I had sparkling water. Seems like a crime given BVaV's extensive by-the-glass wine list. I started with the large field and herby House Greens topped with onions pickled in a house-made vinegar. Then my first taste of BVaV's fish tacos. I slathered each one with BVaV's house-made hot sauce... great flavor, and only hot when I poured it on. Dessert was the Affogato- house-made vanilla bean ice cream with a shot of espresso). My counter seat got me the house-made ingredients story. Extra fun!"
Dined on 02/21/2013
2003
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion
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"A wonderful Valentine's Day dinner = a price fixe menu with optional wine pairings. Perfect from start to finish. How fortunate we are to have this wonderful bistro in our community!"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch
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"Loved our meal. The only complaint was every time the door opened cold air blasting in made it uncomfortable. Maybe they could add a curtain to block the dinners from the elements."
Dined on 02/10/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"I hadn't been here for several months, and now I think I'll go back ASAP! The chef modified a dish for me to make it gluten-free,and offered a complimentary wine pairing that was outstanding. The service is wonderful. The wine list is so unusual and I discovered yet another delicious wine that I'd never heard of before. The food is always a perfect combination of flavors."
Dined on 02/11/2013
2001
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"My favorite restaurant in Marin. Delicious, creative food gorgeously presented with the most delightful and knowledgeable owner attending to your every need. Not to be missed."
Dined on 02/06/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion
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"A wonderful evening in a small, intimate bistro. Delectable chiopinno (how do they do that octopus?). Amazing starts: wilted spinach salad (with lots of bacon), grilled romaine with Pt. Reyes blue, beef carpaccio (with avocado - surprising and delicious). Perfect desserts. The smoothest creme brûlée around. Perfectly paired wine. Competent yet non-intrusive service. Warm ambience. Like an evening with friends (if your friends were Michelin-quality chefs). What a treat! Thank you!"
Dined on 02/07/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion
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"We enjoyed fresh and vibrant beet soup, followed by delicious, tender scallops dusted with fennel pollen and scrumptious fish tacos. Superb! Drank a tasty Zin and Sauvignon Blanc to accompany our meal."
Dined on 02/05/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion, great for lunch
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"The halibut was perfectly cooked with a wonderful, inventive preparation and presentation. Lobster roe pasta special .... yummy! And the Greek wine the server recommended with the pasta was unique and delicious."
Dined on 02/05/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, great for lunch
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"Having done the marin restaurant scene about a hundred times over this has become our favorite. Short ribs, my favorite lobster roe pasta, even the bread - really the kind of thing you'd expect from an expensive Napa restaurant-- not to mention the amazing wine list"
Dined on 02/05/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"While I thought the food at this place was OK, the setting was more like a casual lunch place than a pricey dinner venue. The tables were bare industrial type, there were bright lights, the wait staff was adequate, but not exceptional and the food was very expensive for such a casual place. Our dinner for 2 where we shared a salad, each had and entree and brought our own bottle of wine(corkage $25pretty pricey) cost $110. For that price I have dined in many places where the setting was much more elegant and the food much better."
Dined on 02/01/2013
2002
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"Our first time and we were very pleased. Service was very good and food was excellent. Chef came out to check on our food shortly after it was served. Will go back for sure!"
Dined on 02/02/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"We'd gotten out of the habit of making reservations as Soo ALWAYS squeezes us in ... this Saturday not so much... the Sunday re-do consisted of fabulous duck confit and lobster cappelini and an "experimental" chocolate cookie for ice cream sandwiches."
Dined on 01/27/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, great for lunch
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"CERTAINLY DID NOT LIVE UP TO THE REVIEWS ON OPEN TABLE. FOOD WAS JUST OK.....NOTHING NOTEWORTHY.....AND SERVICE JUST PASSABLE. WITH SO MANY REALLY EXCELLENT CHOICES IN MARIN AND IN THE CITY WE PROBABLY WILL NOT VENTURE BACK."
Dined on 01/25/2013
2011
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