The Vault Restaurant, located on 3901 Ming Ave, has officially opened on Jan. 1 and has started welcoming guests since.
Ryan Stuteuille, the manager, explained the meaning behind the restaurant’s name. “Well, it’s an old bank. It used to be Great Western, and then it became Washington Neutral, and then it was Chase Bank most recently and then we have a pizzeria in town, Woodstone Pizzeria on California Ave and lennox and so we were initially going to do another pizzeria here but we decided with the vault, the bank vault is still here, that we would just call it the vault instead and then kind of have little inspirations of Woodstone around here. Try to keep the whole banking theme, with little bankers lamps, and we repurposed a lot of the glass and bullet proofed glass around the bank, and just kind of make it feel like an old time-bank.”
The Vault specializes in all types of cuisines, described by Stuteuille as “kind of like an Italian steakhouse I would say. We do pizzas, pastas, steaks, seafood, chicken plates, we have salads.
When asked about the restaurant’s signature dishes, he stated, “Our pizzas and our pizza dough we make at Woodstone Pizzeria and they bring it over here, so I would say that would be our signatures, our dough and the pizza sauce. But as far as that goes I mean we have a really good marinated citrus chicken dish that’s awesome and I would say our steaks are next level.”
When asked about recommendations, Stuteuille suggested, “I think anything with steak and pasta. You can’t lose.”
The Woodstone sandwich came with a side of fries and had an amazing taste. The Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake was also really good, and the portions were great for the price.

The Vault was designed for elegance with a warm lighting that adds an inviting touch making it the perfect spot for a romantic date even if the idea was for casual. “I think when you look around the place it looks fancy, but I don’t really want it to be fancy. I want it to be more casual, just come as you are and enjoy the ambience,” said Stuteuille. The restaurant also features live music on Fridays and Saturdays, with performances by pianists, guitarists, and other musicians from Bakersfield College.
In terms of pricing, Stuteuille stated, “I would venture to say entrees are probably $14 to $40, I mean desserts will cost you another $10 to $12. Appetizers are generally from $9 to $18.” As for serving sizes, “I think they are large, I think they give a good value, definitely.”