We hope this website will give you an idea of what we do here at Rivoli. Since 1994, we have offered creative food, carefully selected wines and friendly service in a comfortable atmosphere.
Chef/Owner Wendy Brucker and Owner/GM Roscoe Skipper wanted to open a restaurant together when they first met in 1986. They wanted it to be a personal expression like trattorias and bistros in Italy and France. While traveling in Paris they stayed near the Rue de Rivoli, named after the town where Napolean defeated the Austrians, and throughout what a lively and lyrical name for a restaurant. When they happened upon a defunct restaurant space on Solano with a secret garden out back they thought it would suit the fresh, earthy food Wendy had in mind. With 25 credit cards and a few thousand dollars, they slapped some bright colors on the walls and hoped for the best. They opened to the encouraging reviews: ‘Three Stars’ from the San Francisco Chronicle; ‘Best Newcomer’ from Focus Magazine and ‘Best New Restaurant’ from Bay Food Magazine. They have since been featured in Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit, Thew New York Times, The L.A. Times and San Francisco Magazine. Rivoli has been a Top 100 Restaurant in the Chronicle since 1996 and has earned 27/30 points in the Zagat Guide. Rivoli is proud to be a certified Green Business with the City of Berkeley.
Place Categories: Bar Dining, California Cuisine, Cheese Plates, Cuisine, Features, Mediterranean Restaurants and Personal Wines Welcome