Best Historic Restaurants in Orinda

Very solid old school place. Usually quite busy and energetically loud but the service is always good, the drinks well made and the generous portions of food are well prepared. Salads, fish, veal, and of course the fried chicken were all done just right. The perfect vegetables and mashed potatoes with warm gravy made for a tasty plate. Maybe not for everyone as it's not a trendy, hip, new place but I dig it!

Julia’s is a hidden gem. The building is beautiful and the restaurant is spacious and relatively quiet. You can hear the people at your table speak and this is a major plus, given most restaurants are loud and noisy. The waitress was excellent and the man who helped us pick the wine to go with our meal was above and beyond helpful. We will be back!! I highly recommend having a meal here

Lunch after a matinee is one of our Holiday traditions- this year it was just perfect. The restaurant was packed with diners waiting for tables lined up at the bar, so thank goodness we had a reservation (on a Monday at 3:00PM- who knew?). Once past that minor inconvenience, everything was absolutely wonderful. We shared the Tortelloni appetizer and even though I am an accomplished Italian home cook, it was the best we have ever had. Then we shared the Jack LaLane salad - partly because we grew up with him on TV and the nostalgia was undeniable- and it was perfect. It had a respectable amount of seafood and avocado and was very large. My husband said his Manhatten was excellent. We left vowing to come back soon and often.

We had Christmas tea and it was lovely...just a little on the pricey side. :)

Great service and the owner was very attentive and helpful. Food was really good