Famed Chez Panisse Reopens in Berkeley
It has been a long three and a half months, but diners have to wait no longer, as Chez Panisse is opening its doors again on Monday.
The restaurant, owned by famed Alice Waters, suffered an estimated $200,000 in damage in the early morning fire on March 8. There had been some thought that the upstairs cafe would be able to open sooner, but according to the Chez Panisse website, “we had considered whether it would be possible to open the cafe earlier with construction still going on, but have decided to complete all construction work before opening. This will allow the builders unfettered access to the building without having to open the cafe on a daily basis—which would have slowed their work considerably.”
The restaurant’s original builder and designer, Kip Mesirow, came back to work on the rebuild, along with master woodworker Paul Discoe.
Reservations can be made up to a month in advance for the restaurant.
Chez Panisse is located at 1517 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley.
