Yellow Vase — Restaurant in Rolling Hills Estates

The food here is much more consistent than the service. Most of their food is excellent and likely better than you might expect, especially when it comes to their breakfast, sandwiches, pasta and dessert! The prime rib was especially delicious; the chicken (in any dish) is so succulent and tender; the Alfredo has a perfect balance of lightness with flavor! (Best I've ever had!); and the desserts are impeccable - the cannoli could be served in Italy! Unfortunately, the steak and fries is NOT as advertised. Menu says it's an 8oz center cut but in reality, it is an incredibly frail hangar steak that is largely inedible fat - huge disappointment; I do not recommend! There was so little meat on this "steak" that I left hungry (after paying way too much to not be fed).

The ambiance overall is very quaint and perfect for couples! There is usually a very serene atmosphere to this place. However, that really depends on which crew is working. The daytime crew is great! They are helpful and may even go out of their way to give advice. Unfortunately, the closing crew is absolutely awful! A disgrace to any restaurant but especially one in Rolling Hills/Palos Verdes! Rude, unprofessional and inappropriate staff members can turn a heavenly place into a nightmare. Beware of this crew! They took our order and our payment THEN proceeded to tell us that they close at 8pm, "just so [we] know"... even though it was almost an hour away. So does this restaurant kick people out if they don't finish before the time they stop taking orders? I thought the whole appeal of this place is supposed to be a European cafe where you get to take your time and relax? What kind of business does that, especially AFTER you already took my money and gave me no other option? I was finished with my food and out of the door with 15 minutes to spare, by the way, so the pestering was absolutely uncalled for. The restaurant was packed as could be, especially considering part of the place had been closed off with the tables and chairs put up so no one could use them. This forced us to sit somewhere that was still dirty from the last customers and we had to ask them to clean it up for us, as it was the only place we could sit and they knew that but hadn't cleaned that up yet (too busy pushing people out). Additionally, this cruel crew decided to lock the bathrooms an entire hour before closing/stop-taking-orders-time! What kind of nice restaurant locks their patrons out of the bathroom while still serving them food and beverage? Despicable! On top of that, this crew is so unwelcoming and careless about their customers, that they started mopping the floor in front of the entrance, 30 minutes before closing/stop-taking-orders-time! Are you serious? That's called a hazard! To make matters worse, the "employee" decided to engage in karaoke while cleaning around me as I'm eating. If I wanted to hear karaoke while I ate, I would've went to a karaoke bar, not Yellow Vase. I could've let that go, as inappropriate and unprofessional as it is, if you hadn't insulted us, rushed our meal and locked us out of the bathroom - which we have a legal right to use. It's such a shame to see such a beautiful place with such polar opposite environments depending on the crew. If this place were consistent in who they hire, it'd be a sure-fire pleasure to visit...

I visited your restaurant today with a friend and was disappointed by the service, which is surprising as I am a regular customer and have never experienced this before.

We ordered two breakfast meals with coffee. I requested 2nd refill for the coffee, and specifying that I’d like it diluted with some hot water. However, I wasn’t informed that there would be an additional charge for this. Instead, I overheard the staff discussing the charge in Spanish, perhaps assuming I wouldn’t understand. Only after handing me the coffee did they inform me it would cost an additional dollar.

If there is a charge for coffee refills, that information should be communicated upfront, not discussed among the staff. I've never been to a restaurant that charges for a basic coffee refill, so this caught me off guard.

The dollar charge itself isn’t the issue, but the way it was handled left a negative impression. Unfortunately, this experience has made me reconsider returning to...

First time here, got food to go. Got their Monte Cristo sandwich, which is an old school classic that is rarely made anymore, outside of Disneyland's Blue Byou. Yellow Vase's version is black forest ham and Swiss cheese between excellent chibata French toast. Dusted with powdered sugar and maple syrup it is one of the best versions I've ever had. Sorry, no sugar-free syrup available. Still, an awesome portion, it was great to have this old friend again! The wife got their Caprese vegetarian sandwich with pesto on chibatta. Comes with grilled Eggplant and peppers and to tomato. Very, very delicious. Everything was done perfectly. Would definitely order this one again. Comes with a side green salad with an excellent basalmic dressing. Got two Arnold Palmers. They have some serious looking pastery cases, which we will have to...