Esin Restaurant & Bar

Had a business lunch there today. Large party. Service was exceptional. It was a little loud for a business lunch but we made it work. Appetizers were great, especially the oysters. I got the fish special, a salmon salad. It was perfect.

One of my favs since leaving San Francisco. Try any fish. Esin excels in the desert category as well. At Christmas a must have is the persimmon cake. To die for. Excellent wine selection — Jayson Chard is excellent, but different competition to the also excellent Rombauer. Lamb is very savory. If in a comfort food mood, do the Pot Toast. No knife is needed.

My only qualm is their lack of vegetarian options. That being said, the few options I did have were pretty top notch. I had a pesto risotto with walnuts and tomatoes and it was mouthwatering. I would recommend saving room for dessert as their lemon cheesecake was just the right amount of tart, creamy goodness I could handle. Really enjoyed my lunch here!

My wife and I walk in the door around 8:30pm, there was 5 – 6 tables open. They made us wait by the door until the closest table was made up (this is obviously their worst seat in the house, as they asked «is this seat going to work for you?»).
My wife and I are not snotty, so we took the table and had no issue with this other than the restaurant calling it out as a bad table– 1. By making us wait while other tables were open, and 2. because they themselves pointed this out, without directly saying it was the worst table in the place… I know I am younger, but I can guarantee you that you should not judge a book by its cover and seat people by age.
The blond girl with glasses was our ‘server’ — if you can call it that.
We had to waive down one of the gentlemen working a few times to get our ‘to go box’- for our dog to eat the food (it was that sub par) and also had to waive him down again to get our check. This is because the ‘server’ was sooo busy multi tasking, she had roughly 7 – 8 tables that I could see, but it was hard to tell because she was serving people inside, outside and in the other room/​section. By the way girl– don’t keep asking EVERY table EVERY time how ‘delicious’ everything is. It was NOT delicious.
The food– woof.
Onion soup– my wife and I have had much better straight out of a Safeway Can. The soup was bland and no taste. Neither of us could finish this soup. The steak/​chicken plate my wife and I had were also very bland and had no real flavor to them. I have to be honest I was disappointed. Portion was ok, just flavor was gone.
I am a nice guy so still tipped decent– we didn’t return any food– but was a really HORRIBLE experience for my wife and I to get a quick bite, especially for a cost of over $ 100.
I will not return to this establishment. How they have such great reviews– Mind-​blowing.

I love Esin. It is one of my favorite restaurants in the east bay by far. I have been going here for several years and I have not been disappointed. We always get great service and the food is hot and well executed. The oysters are always good quality and the salads are balanced and crisp. I enjoy the different risotto and I recently had a spinach pappardelle pasta with shrimp and brown butter sauce that was soooo good. My favorite is their chocolate brownie with pecan caramel sauce– I have it every time I come to Esin. I highly reccomend Esin!!! 5 stars.

Contemporary American restaurant with a well designed & well executed menu. Good for a nice night out or a celebratory lunch. We found everything we ordered to be delicious. — from the lamb burger, steak sandwich (lunch menu), arugula salad (dinner side special), halibut with rissotto (dinner special), to the pork chop.
Dessert menu consisted mostly of pies and tarts. The coconut cream pie was heavenly, even for someone like me who doesn’t really care for pies. The peanut butter chocolate cheesecake was sinfully delicious.
It’s supposedly a local favorite — and I can certainly see why.

I’ve only been here for business lunches/​dinners, but it’s definitely a great ‘upscale’ restaurant without the stuffiness or outrageous pricing. Of course, don’t come here and expect everything to be $ 10 a plate, but I think the prices are reasonable for the quality of food you are getting.
The waiting staff is VERY knowledgeable about the food, and really it’s quite impressive when they rattle off the description of the daily features.
Only downfall for me is that parking can get quite hard to find if you are coming during the dinner rush.

Came here a couple months ago for a special birthday celebration. The food was fantastic, service was great. Their Spanish octopus appetizer was amazing! I would come back just for that. It’s incredibly tender on the inside. The entrée portion is perfect for a fairly hungry individual, but is definitely not huge so don’t expect to have leftovers to take home.
The restaurant was packed on the Tuesday night, which was really surprising to me. We had trouble finding parking. Be sure you have a reservation! When we were there, people without reservations were told it’s at least an hour wait.

One of the best fine dining restaurants in Danville/​Tri-​Valley! Esin shines as a wonderful establishment with superb service (from the hostess to the manager to the servers to every staff member), lovely ambiance and delectable dishes. It’s located in a posh plaza that houses other restaurants, shops and high end gym. Parking is available in the shared lot between all businesses. There is outside and inside seating at Esin, whichever tickles your fancy. Inside, the high ceilings and eye-​catching chandeliers provides for a pleasing atmosphere. Some of the tables for two can be a bit intimate as you can surely hear others’ conversations, but the noise level is still lively and not too distracting.
I have eaten at Revel, Esin’s sister restaurant about 6 times and remember that the Esin pastry chefs makes all the wonderful desserts for Revel. I made it a point to save room for dessert at Esin that evening. My gf and I weren’t actually too hungry so we ordered two starters and a dessert to share.
— Salmon Gravlax: The house smoked salmon was served with crostini and a side of cole slaw. Only with there was more salmon because it was quite good.
— Grilled Asparagus and Buratta: Also served with crostini to spread the gooey buratta. Asparagus was grilled to tenderness but not overdone. Buratta was creamy and topped with some sprouts to give it some extra texture.
— Bread Pudding of the Day: It was apple and the warm bread pudding was definitely worth the calories! We could taste the cinnamon and custardy fluffiness. Friend commented that it wasn’t too sweet and just perfect.
Total tab was about $ 60 (including a cocktail gf ordered).
Overall, Esin is the type of place you go for a special occasion, date night, group night or if you just want a really great meal. I can’t wait to come back and try the mains, but will for sure have some more desserts!

We go here at least 2 X per month.
Best ambiance in Danville.
Best craft cocktails in Danville.
Best steak in Danville
Best patio in Danville.
Best fries in Danvile too :)
Service is outstanding. Always on point and oh… Yeahhhh … Desert is AMAZEBALLS

Esin is a lovely establishment location and décor-​wise, and I had a satisfactory luncheon here with the parents on a weekend morning. It’s certainly a little more upscale than your typical casual dining restaurant, and so my expectations were higher as a result.
We came relatively early to beat the bruncheon crowd, which was a good call as a line was just starting to form as we finished our meal. The interior is nicely sunlit and boasts of classy tablecloths and well-​placed furniture. The ambiance leans towards the formal end and could be interpreted as intimate, but not insufferably so. Our waiter was quite friendly and very attentive, almost too much so, but I prefer that to the alternative. We ordered a lot of food, and with that came my ten thousand questions, and he was kind enough to patiently explain each dish and relay recommendations.
Meze platter:
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I thought this platter was nice, but nothing really stood out that much to me. I liked that the pita was toasted and warm, but it was a little scarce for the variety of toppings provided. The olives were probably my favorite, but none of the other offerings were particularly interesting.
PEI mussels:
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I adore mussels, and I loved that these were of the smaller black variety versus the larger, meatier green version. These mussels were some of my favorite morsels of the meal, as they were perfectly cooked and succulent and paired very well with the slightly vinegary sauce. The bread was on the overly crunchy side for me, but it was very tasty dipped in the sauce.
Corn chowder:
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I was not a fan of this corn chowder, although I liked the little surprises of actual sweet corn kernels popping in between the smooth chowder. The main lackluster quality was that the soup temperature was barely lukewarm. It was also slightly sweet, but I think that would also have been alleviated if the soup had been at a higher temperature.
Pot roast:
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This came as a highly recommended dish from our server, and I did enjoy the mashed potatoes and pot roast, which was cooked nicely if a little salty. The green beans were too crunchy for my taste, as were the root vegetables; I felt like I could barely bite through the carrots.
Prawn Cobb salad:
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The salad ingredients were fresh and bright, so they were obviously of good quality. The bacon was a bit unappetizing in that it was limp and overly salty, and the prawns, while grilled nicely, were bland. I did like the fresh and perfectly ripe avocado, as well as the crisp romaine hearts. I may almost have preferred this salad without the bacon and prawns.
Angus hanger steak frites with side of arugula salad:
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The frites here reminded me of shoestring fries, and they were cooked nicely and served generously. I like the thinner variety of these fries, especially as they were tossed with subtle herbs. The arugula salad was way overdressed for me, and the Angus steak was slightly salty.
Grilled petrale sole with green beans and mashed potatoes:
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I thought the petrale sole was nicely cooked, although I wasn’t a fan of the strong capers. The mashed potatoes were again lovely, but the green beans were once again under for me.
Crème brûlée:
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I have a weakness for crème brûlée, and this version hit the spot. It had a nicely burnt crunchy top, super smooth cream underneath, and was sweet but not too much so. The shortbread cookie was also fresh and delicious dipped in the cream.
Baklava:
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I took a small bite of this with the sauce below and immediately downed half a cup of coffee. it was that sweet. The exterior was flaky enough, but I can’t imagine how anyone could finish the entire piece without feeling like their taste buds had gone numb from the sweetness. I much preferred the previous dessert option to the baklava.
Overall, I think Esin is a nice restaurant for a potentially dressy evening out; it maybe just wouldn’t be my first choice for the food.

I’m so glad I finally got to try this restaurant in Danville in the East Bay! It was located in a shopping center with lots of parking!
I came here for lunch and tried their Truffle Cheese, Meze Platter, Kale Salad, and the Salmon Lunch Special.
The cheese was out of this world. It was accompanied with a flavored spread and bread. They have a three cheeses you can choose from and I liked that you can just get one and not all three.
The Meze Platter was one of my favorites. A great variety of yummy Mediterranean treats including hummus, eggplant dip, yogurt, dolmas, olives, pepper stuffed feta and pita bread.
The Kale salad was light and fresh. You could also add protein to any salad. The Fish was salmon that day and it also came with a side salad.
Overall, great service and a great meal. Can’t wait to come again for dinner next time!

Two words– lamb burger!
I always come here with my work team for birthdays. Everything on their menu is delicious, but the lamb burger is a must try. It’s not on their menu, but most of the time they have it as a special. Just ask the server. It comes with a side of fresh chips.
I’ve also had the salads here a few times, really good as well. You can’t go wrong at this place!

My Airbnb host told me about this great neighborhood place that stands its ground with anything in the city. We went there on a week night and it was the best meal I’ve had on my 1 year of staying in the Bishop ranch area.
Two tech execs with expense accounts and a desire for great food had a wonderful meal. Some tables were celebrating with special meals. A truly nice place. Best restaurant in the area.

Brian, our server was the best. I have never met someone who seemed very passionate about their job. He was very knowledgeable about the menu. He checked on us several times throughout the meal. He is the reason I’m giving this restaurant 4 stars. Amazing customer service!!! I hope management sees this post and make him the employee of the month or something.
I ordered the lamb loin chops. My husband ordered their salmon special tonight. Oh so yummy!!! The lamb was cooked medium rare, so juicy. I only wish there was more of it on the plate! The salmon was nice and flaky, how it should be cooked.
We will come again!

Since our plans changed for NYE, we were scrambling to find a place to dine. Although we couldn’t get in and wanted to start the New Year right a few days later.
I always get their fresh grilled salmon salad. Their salad portion is always a little different depending on what’s in season. I never eat persimmon as my Mom just didn’t serve it in an appetizing way, growing up. Esin does it right, every time. She definitely only uses the freshest ingredients, every time. I’ve never had a wilted salad EVER.
Still my fav restaurant in the Tri Valley after so many years…

Came here for a holiday dinner along with my coworkers. The service was friendly without being overbearing, and the place itself is classy.
Had a prix fixe meal that included butternut squash soup, pot roast, and bread pudding. The soup had great flavor, pot roast was tender and definitely a comfort food, and the bread pudding was perfectly sweet. Our whole table scarfed everything down and had nothing but great things to say about the food.
A little on the pricier side, but would recommend for future gatherings, or a nice dinner with friends/​dates.

Yum yum and yum!
Celebrated a baby revealing luncheon here. Great friendly staff (seriously very friendly peeps!!) had their prix fixe menu consisted of four courses; huge portions that are meant for sharing. Started with cheese plate, flatbread for dipping and the meze platter. I then had the pumpkin purée soup (off the chart smooth), pot roast, shared some salmon and pumpkin risotto. Finished with an affogato plus bread pudding. Buuuuurp!
Friendly service that felt like a home meal. Won’t mind traveling a bit far for a second try!

It had been several years since we had dined at Esin and we are so thankful we returned. Our knowledgeable and attentive server was Mona who suggested we share a salad and PEI mussels. It was perfect. We ordered a flight of wine at $ 17 (A tempernillo, a cabernet, and a pinot) with our entrees of lamb and halibut. The pour was ample We finished off the meal with the lemon meringue pie. Every dish was beautiful and scrumptious. The restaurant was packed and it was a very pleasurable evening.

With a casual outdoor patio and a more formal interior, Café Esin can accommodate different types of gatherings. My husband and I had lunch outside yesterday (partly because the air conditioning inside was so cold). The patio is right beside the parking lot but there wasn’t a lot of traffic in the lot so it was fairly quiet.
Our waitress was very friendly and professional. The menu (Sunday) was definitely ‘lunch’ (which we prefer) as opposed to ‘brunch’. My husband had the Grilled New York Steak Sandwich. I had a bite and the bun was very fresh, and the meat was very tender. My husband really enjoyed it. I had the Grilled Eggplant sandwich (with Swiss instead of goat cheese) and it was also very good. The Focaccia was very fresh (notice a trend?) and the warm veggies covered in gooey cheese were great. The side salad was also very good. The dressing had a lot of fresh herb flavor.
Esin’s web site mentions their desserts and suggests you ‘save room’. I totally agree. There were so many choices. In addition to the list on the menu they also had quite a few ‘daily specials’. We had the Brown Butter tart with fresh blueberries and nectarines (one of the specials). It was so fresh! We both loved it.