Berkeley Friday Night, recs please

[naugahyde]

hi,
i'm going to the Foo Fighters show at berkeley community theater and looking for some good dinnner nearby before the show. totally open to type of food. thanks!

[naugahyde]

we're driving. i do like the parking once idea. thanks for all the suggestions.

[The Dive]

When we go to BCT, we park early (and once) and go to Jupiter or trek over to Triple Rock (my first choice). If you want more upscale, Downtown is right there too. I really recommend parking just once.

[berkeleypie]

I disagree that downtown is "no mans land" I like Ryowa Ramen also Udupi Palace and Chaat Cafe for Southern Indian.

[Morton the Mousse]

Head up to the Gourmet Ghetto for the best eats in town(downtown is no man's land). Depending on your price range I'd consider (least to most expensive): Cheeseboard Pizza, Socca Oven, ChaYa, Gregoire, Taste, Cafe at Chez Panisse. Not all of these are actual sit down restaurants, take out and counter seating are very popular in the area.

Edit to include websites:
cheeseboard.coop
epicuriousgarden.com
gregoirerestaurant.com
chezpanisse.com

[Robert Lauriston]

Not much chance of a Friday night reservation at Chez Panisse on such short notice.

[Robert Lauriston]

Here's a good thread on Pomegranate. It's on University just east of Sacramentao, a little bit of a schlep if you're taking BART or want to park once.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

Closer to the theater, Ryowa Ramen, The Mediterranean (shawerma, falafel), Great China ("double skin," tea-smoked duck).

Decent food at two brewpubs, Jupiter and Triple Rock.

[kc72]

BARTing or driving? type of food and amount you'd like to spend?

[Kung Foodie]

I highly recommend Pomegranate on University near MLK. Dinners are about $14 to $19 each. It's what I call upscale casual...with a nice interior and great good, but you can dress down and still feel comfortable. My fav dishes are: pomegranate walnut feta appetizer, spicy lamb shanks, kabobs (either lamb or beef filet), the chicken salad, or the pomegranate chicken.

It's not exactly next to the theater but it's totally worth a visit, and you'll probably come off the freeway onto University anyway.

[julieswan]

If you are looking for something within walking distance to the Community Theater, then Pomegranate is probably not your best choice. BCT is a block below Shattuck, on which there are a number of good choices. Sushi Ko is a decent Japanese restaurant, about 4 blocks away. About 3 blocks away is Pho Hoa for basic Vietnamese Pho, not the best, but not bad. There are a number of tacquerias in the area as well. Also the Ramen shop on University a few doors below Shattuck or Taiwan (Chinese) across the street from there.

[chocolatetartguy]

Actually Pomegranate (just below California) might not be such a bad choice for proximity to BCT (just above MLK). By my count that's only 7-8 relatively short blocks from the theater and there should be no trouble parking around there.