Rustic Tavern

Rude, discourteous management and staff. Were refused service at the bar because we did not intend to order food. Treated so unprofessionally that we would never consider returning. A sad trend at Lafayette establishments.

This place is pretty good. Very comfortable, prices a bit high, menu OK but a bit boring, however the food and overall service was good.
If you are local definitely worth trying.

Love Rustic Tavern.
I feel like I am in a cozy yet modern European Tavern.
We always get the salmon toast appetizer and the Pasta.
Colleen B.

Awesome food and awesome service! Antonio is probably one of the best waiters I’ve come across — he knows his food and wine, and has the best personality! For our appetizers, we ordered the mussels, which were very good. Quick tip: Order some of the sourdough bread on the side to dip in the sauce. Our entrees were both AMAZING! We had the homemade fettuccini — by far my favorite dish, and the New York steak, which incredibly flavorful and is so tender that you can cut it with a butter knife! I can’t wait to come back to try their Sunday brunch!

We’ve walked and driven by Rustic Tavern several times during our travels on Mount Diablo Boulevard. Despite this, we hadn’t had the opportunity to try out Rustic Tavern until a few months ago. We have since been back a couple of times for both lunch and dinner! Rustic Tavern is rustic, for lack of a better word. :) The restaurant is cozy and the servers are friendly. During our visits, we’ve ordered the following: caesar salad, cobb salad, brussel sprouts, and the vegetarian pasta. The food was well-​cooked and delicious. We’ve been meaning to try their nightly smoked specials as well! We will definitely be back again!

On a very rainy evening, six of us enjoyed a marvelous meal at Lafayette’s Wood Tavern. We had mussels, lamb shank, petrale sole, vegetarian pasta, and the persimmon appetizer. For dessert, we split a crème brullee and a tart. The restaurant was completely full, the service was terrific, and each dish was complex and beautifully presented. Rustic, comfort food in a casual atmosphere. Water is served in mason jars. Make a reservation. Delicious!

Good food, nicely seasoned, not over salted. Friendly wait staff. Fairly plain décor. Surprisingly the menus were all in need of reprinting (dog-​eared with food stains). That sort of detracted.

Just enjoyed the most fantastic fish prepared in fish ‘n chips style at Rustic. My husband and I elected to have it without chips and just with a vegetable, a request accommodated without question by the staff. The fish was so fresh, prepared to perfection. Just another fabulous meal at our new favorite restaurant! Incidentally, the pastrami sandwich is also a winner… but beware, this is a two person serving!
Was shocked to read some disparaging, really unfair reviews of Rustic. When dining room load permits, owner hostess does chat with customers with whom they have become familiar/​friendly due to repeated satisfying dining experiences, not because they are neighbors and friends.
The menu offers a great selection of perfectly prepared, generous, attractively presented, fairly priced items.
I would encourage naysayers to give it another try.

Pros:
Pastrami Sandwich is glorious (off menu item)
Brussel sprouts
French fries
Ketchup (it’s not the usual Hienz stuff, their version has more vinegar)
Outdoor seating
Big portions
Cons:
Cod sandwich
Parking around here is terrible

The bf and I went to Laf for dinner on a Monday night and this place was closed. We came back another night because we wanted to try it & it was good but not amazing. In such a foodie location you have to be on-​point. There was nothing bad about our experience but is was also not amazing, just average. We shared the mussels as a starter which was yummy but we needed more bread to soak up the amazing broth that was left in the bowl. The bf had a fish dish that was on special and I had the Tuesday night special (meatloaf). Both were good but we weren’t that impressed. We would go back but with so many options in that area, we are in no hurry. Sorry!

Cute place, quality food and pleasant servers. Parking is atrocious in the small lot (accidents waiting to happen). We eat in DT Lafayette a lot, so parking doesn’t scare us, but this lot needs help!
Food was obviously great quality and well cooked, but lacked seasoning! Please season your gorgeous food! I got a beer battered cod sandwich, salad, iced tea and my son and I shared the cheesecake in a jar with toasted quinoa. That was good till the last spoonful.

We had a nice, solid meal here. I think the ambience is nice here, and I wouldn’t hesitate to take someone here for a date! There were just a few things that I felt could be improved, hence the 4 stars.
We ordered the mussels, friend got a cobb salad and I listened to Victor G. and got the burger (minus the bacon).
The mussels were very good. Sauce was super garlicky and yummy. A few of the mussels were closed, so not perfect, but I would order them again.
I didn’t try the cobb salad, but it looked really delicious… perfect avocado and a good portion of chicken. It got a thumbs up from my friend.
The burger was definitely as good as promised. I found it to be nice and juicy, very tasty with distinct flavors. I thought it was pretty excellent… I gobbled it down super quickly. I wasn’t a big fan of the fries though, their texture was off for me. They tasted kind of stale, even though I knew they couldn’t possibly be. I’m kind of a fry snob, so maybe I’m just picky… but the real problem with them was the house-​made ketchup. The ketchup is unappetizing, bordering on gross. I ate it because I felt obligated to after the waiter’s little spiel about it. Dear all restaurants everywhere: Can we please stop with the artisan ketchup thing? Everyone just wants Heinz anyway! I ended up dipping the fries in the mussel sauce. but I would’ve preferred ketchup. :(
I would definitely return to Rustic Tavern and try some of their other stuff. But next time, I’ll smuggle in a bottle of Heinz!

Me and the Ladies had a girls night out for dinner and drinks last night at The Rustic Tavern. We tried the heirloom tomato, mussels, smoked salmon, and hummus appetizers and we’re completely delighted with them all. The entire staff was wonderful, not bothered at all to take our picture for us and very quick delivering our food and drinks throughout the evening.
The Sea Bass was probably the best I have ever had and was the perfect portion of food.
The fact that the food is organic and locally grown is a huge plus and I wish there were more restaurants like it.
I would highly recommend anyone to stop by and try any of thier delicious menu items.
I am already looking forward to going back for another meal.

had there burger and fries… it was really good… HOWEVER, they were pretensious about there «house made ketchup». Unfortunately, it was not good… so the burger and fries had to be eaten without ketchup.
Yes I asked for real ketchup… but was told, «we don’t serve store bought ketchup»
Sooooo…if you are looking for a good burger and fries without ketchup this is the place to go!

Long Wait to Order.
Longer Wait For Food.
Overpriced.
Small Quantities.
Cold, Poorly Prepared, Low grade hog feed.
NO SOUP FOR YOU !
NEXT …

Wow… We had a fantastic meal here! Everything from the salad to our entrée’s to desert was just perfect! The service was great and the staff made us feel very welcome. We had a great time!

Incredibly impressed by this quaint little restaurant on Mt. Diablo blvd. Went here on a Sunday evening for dinner for a party of 6. We were seated on the outdoor patio, which was great given the terrific weather. But more importantly, EVERYTHING we had tasted incredible. The Australian lamb shank was incredible. Everybody in my party was raving about the quality of their dish. Simply superb food. The portions are also quite large so you leave feeling incredibly full… the only downside to this is no room for dessert!
The staff was also incredibly friendly and attentive. Couldn’t have asked for more. We just moved to Lafayette a few weeks back and I can see this being our go-​to Sunday night dinner spot.

«Well I used to love you but it’s all over now.»
We have been here a lot and had really nice and OK dinners. This weekend we had a 7:15 reservation. Nice greeting, nice table, good drinks and wonderful beet salads. We ordered the special short ribs and Mary’s chicken one of my favorites. Salads were picked up at 7:45. So we waited… and waited… now it is getting to the point where the good vibe is disappearing. At 8:15 the waitress comes over and promises just a couple more minutes. At 8:27 here they come with a plate of well done pork chop and dry well done chicken. Now the mood is definitely down and we pointed out to staff that we had waited in excess of 35 minutes but if they can make two more meals a priority we will wait.
Now along comes a fellow in shorts and a t shirt carrying a rag (the owner) who kneels down so he is on our level and he says «he takes full responsibility… however» he says «just to let you know here is the dinner ticket request and it was put it at 8:08 and you did not wait very long. Up to that point we felt it was just a mistake and were willing to go with it. My husband who is always very cordial and controlled started to explain that if the waitress didn’t put the order in until 8:08 it shows nothing about how much time we sat and waited. But «the owner» wouldn’t hear any of it got up turned his head patted my husband’s shoulder and walked away. I couldn’t believe it and before i could think about it my husband took my hand. Then we got up and walked away. As we walked to our car we heard in the distance «But you’re dinners are ready» and I said OK you eat them.
I guess proving yourself right is more important than keeping a customer.

I was in the middle of eating my brunch when I suddenly thought of BJ’s. BJ’s is a chain Brew Pub and its Brentwood location is our go to spot except for Sunday brunch. Just not good. This was not quite as bad but still not good and it cost, maybe, 50% more. I cannot think of a reason to return.

Came here for Father’s Day brunch. My family has been here a few times and raved about the house smoke salmon. This place gets pretty busy. Friendly staff. We ordered a large coffee to share and was super disappointed at how cold the coffee was. Our waitress was nice and brought out a new one that was pipping out! Now that is how coffee should be. They have a really good arugula salad. The french toast was tasty. The house smoked salmon is a must order. Highly recommend this place for brunch. Small parking lot next to the restaurant.