The Patio - Berkeley
In Berkeley, right next to People's Park on Dwight (East of Telegraph).
Try to come while we have good weather for eating outdoors.
The beer list is impressive, including the taps. Their prominent sandwich is The Beast, two hamburger patties with cole slaw and french fries--not as sides, on the burger. They get their bread from a little boutique bakery. Very satisfying.
They have a Lamb Sandwich, sometimes called a Lamb Joe, that is unbelievable. Perfectly spices without being hot, let them tell you which bread to have, I choose wrong when I choose on my own. It's listed as a special, but it's been on the menu both my visits.
They also have a Jambalaya that my companions loved, down to the fine touch of only adding the shrimp just before serving so the shrimp isn't soggy.
This place is cheap, except some of the higher-end (and hard to find) beers. Think college student budget cheap.
- JB
By Jabes
on Jun 1, 2005 03:03 AM
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Hey JB, thanks for posting. I haven't had a chance to eat there yet, but I have the take-out menu and can provide some particulars.
The Patio
2525 Dwight Way
Berkeley 94704
510-868-1708
Hours: 11am to 2am daily
The organic bread is from Hopkins Bakery. Nearly 80 bottled beers, plus 11 on tap.
Happy hour - Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 7pm and all day Friday and Saturday - $1.50 pints and $6 pitchers
Plus there's a coupon: get a sandwich and a beer on tap or fountain drink for $4.95, Mon-Thurs 3pm to 7pm, valid through June 30, 2005
And, it has a real patio for dining/drinking al fresco.
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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Oh no! Did The Patio replace the small international food cafe that specialized in chaat? (Before this it was the chaat restaurant, Athithlan (spelling?) where we had a Chowdown planned and they suddenly closed the day before for good.) They made good chaat and had a friendly owner.
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Yes, sadly, Athithi is gone. It has been gone for about a year now. Personally, I thought it was a worlds better than Vik's. That location on Dwight has a lot of problems with turnover, so if you want to try this new place I suggest you go soon.
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I'm not exaggerating in saying that this place is my single most-craved place in the country right now. It was an awesome discovery by our own Bob(TM).
The jambalay is beyond belief. The burgers are wacky and wonderful (with great grill flavor, and piled high with fries and slaw). The lamb sloppy joes ("light on the joe") are soulful and dotted with spuds. The people are great and genuine. The beer selection is beautifully honed (no crap at all), the delivery lines are clean, the temperature is dead-on perfect (you can't drink artisinal beer ice cold!). The patio area is ultra relaxing, everyone working there is sincere and heartfelt about it, and when I first walked in, they were playing Captain Beefheart. It's like a dream.
I am seriously considering using frequent flier miles to fly out for another meal (I was just there last week). This is a treasure...a place where caring, talented people are pouring their hearts out to make everything really great. Not showy great, just soulful great.
I'm not at all surprised, btw, by Philip's report of a weird sandwich. This place is skewed. Don't expect anything to taste or feel like anyplace else. That's what I love. At long last, some personality!!!
ciao
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Plus it's cheap and open until 2am.
My last address of Berkeley residence was just up the street. I parked nearby and walked right past it, nothing called "great chow" to me. Definitely gotta tune up the chow-dar.
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One of the owners grew up in Philly and there is cheese steak on the menu. Unfortunately, I learned that after I ordered, but the guy next to me said he liked it.
Philly is the origin of The Beast adding slaw and fries/onion rings to a sandwich. Ted (the one with the grey hair) said he always wanted to serve a sandwich like he ate at Primanti Brothers which is in Phillys Strip District. He said the strip was a working class area with lots of union people which he compared to Jack Londons produce section in Oakland.
To me, that is the draw of The Patio, honest tasty food at a decent value. The burger is four bucks, the sandwiches five. The most expensive item on the menu is a six buck chef's salad.
Theres nothing fancy about the place. You place your order at the counter. Theres about 25 items on the board above the tiny kitchen. There a print out on the counter of four or five specials.
Its good food to eat with the huge beer selection. There are sandwiches, salads, chili, onion rings, fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, nachos and jambalaya.
While not classic jambalaya, it is very good with more shrimp, chunks of sausage, chopped onion, chopped green peppers than rice. The rice is more of a sauce enhancer. I like that. It comes with a little romaine, tomatoes and sliced onion on the side and a buttered, grilled roll. At $5.95 it is a deal. The menu says that Alex changes the jambalaya every time he makes it because he experiments with different sausages.
I changed my order and as a result, my burger wasnt Beasted. Although I prefer charbroiled burgers, this was a good grilled version, dense, lean and not greasy or fatty. I think the fat/cream from the fries and slaw would be a good compliment. I really liked the organic bun from Hopkins bakery enough to make me want to check out the bakery.
Any sandwich, not just the burger, can be Beasted for an additional dollar. There are lots of vegetarian options like the mushroom melt, spicy eggplant, and avocado grilled cheese sandwiches.
The chili was thick, saucy and mildly spiced and I think would be great on fries or nachos. They are still out of the lamb. Ted said something about buying the lamb from only one supplier.
I never was at the previous restaurant so I dont know if the decor changed. Theres a small room to the left of the kitchen with a few tables and a couch across from the counter. Next to the sidewalk, a bamboo fence encloses a patio that has a wooden bench along the walls, some metal and Formica tables, not so new umbrellas, white plastic lawn chairs and a concrete floor. I am guessing this didnt change.
Deepak who helped the owners take over the restaurant and helped begin the beer collection just left. The guys at this place are very nice. I would have loved to have a place like this to drop into when I was going to college.
I personally wouldnt make it a destination, but if I worked in the immediate area Id be a regular. Trying a different beer each night could take up a good four months. It tops my list of real late night eats in Berkeley. I cant think of a place in the East Bay that has a better beer selection. Ill also stop in from time to time when Im in the area to see how they evolve. I have to try the Beast at least once.
Melanie, this would have fallen below my chow-dar as well, even after eating the burger. Its nice to have Chowhound point out those special things you might not pay attention to otherwise. It is a worthy little restaurant that I hope becomes a Berkeley tradition.
They are on summer hours currently (schools out) so they close at 6pm on Sunday. The rest of the week they are open 11 am 2am. Id call about the hours. They have only been open three months and seemed to be a work in progress. They originally opened at 8am, but after two weeks gave that up because there wasnt much business at that hour.
The link below has a nice story about the inspiration for the sandwich. I'm can't really say if they did invent this. I've had similar sandwiches in Europe.
Link: http://www.primantibros.com/default.asp
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Super report! If you're inclined to study the local version of the Pittsburgh-style sandwich, it's a specialty of Giordano's in SF and Triple Rock in Berkeley has it some times. Wonder why this is popping up these days?
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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There's no egg on The Patio version, but you could probably request it. They had egg in the potato salad. Also there is the option of onion rings instead of fries. That sounds good to me. I liked the Burger King burger that had onion rings on it.
Thanks for the links. I'll have to do a taste comparison with Giordano's. I wonder if my death certificate will read murder or suicide by sandwich. My arteries are clogging just thinking of it.
I hope someone from Philly tries the sandwich and posts on their opinion.
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More red wine, my friend, more red wine. (g)
Our chowpal, Shep, hails from Pittsburgh, hope we can catch his attention.
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Melanie, thanks for correcting the city from Philly to Pittsburg. It was the beer talking. I guess that would make it a Pittsburg cheesesteak which might explain the portobella mushrooms on it.
You mentioned a coupon. It is on the back of the takeout menu. Tap beer and a sandwich for $4.95 has to be one of the best bargains in the Bay Area.
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Primanti Bros and the Strip District both reside in PITTSBURGH, PA not Philly. The cheesesteak is Philly's only claim to fame. And in Pgh we only put fries and slaw on our sandwiches, not onion rings. If you are even in Pgh, make it a point to stop by Primanti's and have a giant sandwich and an IC Light - it's quintessential Pgh culture :)
Link: http://www.primantibros.com/
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You are so right about The Patio! I ate there with family and friends and the service was genuine. I selected something off the menu at radom and it was worth the risk. It is a small and friendly place to eat in the right location.
I live in Long Beach now, but when I am in the Bay, you can catch me at the patio. By the way, when I was there they were playing Cannonball Addreley WOW!!!
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Had a quick bite there before a show on Sunday. Unfortunately, no lamb joe on the menu. The guy behind the counter said the jambalaya wasn't ready.
So, I opted for the pastrami. Kinda weird, served with cheese, lettuce, tomato & onions. I chose the multigrain bread. They didn't have rye. But this place is not a Jewish deli.
The beer selection was awesome. I'll have to return and try the jambalaya.
Philip
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The Patio will be no more!
Everyone has until Dec. 20 to eat all the beasted cheeseburgers they could handle, because The Patio will close. The owner, the guy who's there in the evenings, said that it's been a good two-year run. He already has a job lined up elsewhere.
Dec. 20, mark the date, and take advantage of this place before it is no more.
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No! Can anyone confirm this? Is it true? I had plans to go there on Friday.
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My roommate stayed around for the farewell bash, in late December. There was free food, and the kegs were emptied.
I'm afraid it's true, though it would really make my month, maybe my semester, if you swung by and it was still open.
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