Restaurant suggestions in Berkeley?

[francollinphoto]

Will be in Berkeley for the first time this weekend and looking for suggestions... thanks!

[Robert Lauriston]

À Côté (dinner only, 7 days)
Anh Hong (lunch M-F, dinner 7 days)
Barlata (dinner only, 7 days)
Camino (dinner only, closed Tuesdays)
Cesar (on Piedmont; breakfast through dinner, Tues.-Sat.)
Chai Thai Noodles (lunch and dinner, 7 days)
Champa Garden* (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Chef Yu's (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Chez Panisse (lunch (upstairs only) and dinner, closed Sundays)
China Village* (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Corso (lunch and dinner, 7 days)
Daimo (breakfast through late night, 7 days)
Dopo (lunch and dinner, closed Sundays)
El Huarache Azteca (breakfast through dinner, 7 days)
Flora (lunch and dinner, closed Sundays and Mondays)
Great China* (lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner 7 days)
Green Papaya (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Jayakarta* (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Lanesplitter (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Mua (dinner, 7 days)
Ohgane (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Oliveto (dinner only, 7 days)
Pizzaiolo (dinner only, closed Sundays)
Sea Salt (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Shanghai (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
T-Rex (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Turkish Kitchen (lunch through dinner, 7 days)
Vik's (lunch through 6pm, closed Mondays)
Wood Tavern (lunch through dinner Mon.-Sat., dinner only Sun.)

*Hit-and-miss menus, be sure to read past reports so you order the good stuff.

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Ohgane
3915 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Pizzaiolo
5008 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

El Huarache Azteca
3842 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601

Jayakarta Restaurant
2026 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Dopo
4293 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611

Champa Garden
2102 8th Ave, Oakland, CA 94606

Sea Salt
2512 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702

Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709

Wood Tavern
6317 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

Great China Restaurant
1589 Farmers Ln, Santa Rosa, CA 95405

Champa Restaurant
3550 San Pablo Dam Rd Ste H, El Sobrante, CA 94803

Turkish Kitchen
1984 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Oliveto Cafe
5655 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

Chai Thai Noodles
545 B International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94606

Mua
2442A Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612

Barlata
4901 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

Green Papaya
137 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030

Chef Yu
163 S Murphy Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

[wolfe]

You left out Cheeseboard for pizza, olives and cheese. Also Berkeley Bowl for produce ogling.

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The Cheese Board Collective
1504 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709

[singleguychef]

To add to Robert's exhaustive lists (which actually lists Oakland restaurants as well as Berkeley), I'd add FIVE, the new Scott Howard restaurant in downtown Berkeley and La Note, the French bistro popular for brunch, also on Shattuck.

[Robert Lauriston]

That's by no means an exhaustive list, just the places I return to frequently.

I like La Note for lunch and brunch, particularly when the patio's open, keep meaning to try dinner.

Venturing beyond restaurants, The Trappist is a treasure.

The Cheese Board's one of the three or four best cheese shops in the Bay Area, one of the four best vegetarian no-choice pizza-by-the-slice places, and one of the third-rate bakeries (not bad, the competition's just brutal).

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La Note Restaurant Provencal
2377 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

The Trappist
460 8th Street, Oakland, CA

[JasmineG]

Are there other vegetarian no choice pizza by the slice places?

[BernalKC]

Arizmendi n Emeryville. Close enough...

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Arizmendi
3265 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA

Arizmendi Bakery & Pizzeria
4301 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608

[Robert Lauriston]

The three branches of Arizmendi are basically Cheese Board Pizza clones.

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Cheese Board Pizza
1512 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709

Arizmendi
3265 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA

[rich.f]

I'm curious what you think the other 2 or 3 best cheese shops in the Bay Area are.

[Robert Lauriston]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/41352
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/325943
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/309078
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/650643

[sarahlefton]

Okay, awesome. Which of these would you single out for a casual solo lunch diner? I am often in Berkeley at lunchtime and want to stop and get my yum on.

I tried to hit Vik's yesterday but found parking impossible and gave up. Granted, it was peak hour and I can't walk very far right now (ah pregnancy). But if you have recommendations about the best solo spots for a no big deal meal that would be great.

[wolfe]

You could try the Cheeseboard for a slice. I'm sure someone will let you share a bench. Avoid the dining on the grassy plaza mid street, ground seating only.

[adrienne156]

I on the grass once just for the heck of it and that was enough. I don't know how the people that sit there can endure the exhaust fumes... Blech.

[choctastic]

I don't get the median strip appeal, either. I'll just stand on the sidewalk, thanks.

[JasmineG]

In Berkeley for a solo diner, Sea Salt is great, as is the Berkeley location of Cesar. Wood Tavern is perfect, though it's just over the line into Oakland. Oh, and 900 Grayson is also a good spot for a solo diner at lunch.

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Sea Salt
2512 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702

Wood Tavern
6317 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

900 Grayson
900 Grayson St, Berkeley, CA 94710

[Robert Lauriston]

Corso. Usually meter parking nearby.

Good places with free parking lots: Fellini, Pomegranate, Ohgane, T-Rex.

Also Cafe Rouge and O Chame, though that lot sometimes gets full.

There's also the metered city lot on the north side of the block bounded by University, Shattuck, Berkeley Way, and Milvia. You can walk through the laundromat, Jayakarta, Cafe Tibet, Meridian, and several other restaurants are in that block.

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Ohgane
3915 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Jayakarta Restaurant
2026 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Cafe Rouge
1782 Fourth St, Berkeley, CA 94710

O Chame
1830 4th St, Berkeley, CA 94710

Cafe Tibet
2020 University Ave, Berkeley, CA

[bbulkow]

I think you should say "which would you single out for a casual solo lunch eater *with easy parking and comfortable chairs*". That bit knocks out the cheeseboard for me. Too bad about Indus Village chairs - I had a great meal there on Tuesday.

Oghane would likely top my list. Especially if I was hungry.
900 Grayson would be high - a bit more refined.
China Village gets a strike because it's got too wide a menu to be fun for the solo diner - but that bothers me none, because the food comes fast.

That does give you a geographic spread though, from Piedmontish to Emeryvilleish to Albanyish.

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900 Grayson
900 Grayson St, Berkeley, CA 94710

Indus Village Restaurant
1920 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702

[abstractpoet]

If we're talking Korean food in Oakland, then I would throw Sura into the mix. A great deal at lunch time in particular.

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Sura
4869 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

[Robert Lauriston]

I wouldn't say 900 Grayson's more refined than any of the other places you mention. The food's relatively sophisticated given the diner-type menu.

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900 Grayson
900 Grayson St, Berkeley, CA 94710

[abstractpoet]

Also:

Indus Village (Pakistani)
Digs Bistro (New American)
Cafe Colucci (Ethiopian)
Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen (Cajun/Southern)

And for non-restaurants:

Local 123 (coffee shop)
Acme Bread

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Acme Bread
1601 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702

Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen
2261 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Indus Village Restaurant
1920 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702

Digs Bistro
1453 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94702

Cafe Colucci
6427 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

Local 123
2049 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702

[wolfe]

How are the Indus chairs on a pregnant lady's back?

[abstractpoet]

You know, I was warned beforehand that these were the most uncomfortable chairs in the world, practically--spectacularly uncomfortable. But actually I find them just mildly uncomfortable.

But for a pregnant person, probably not so much.

[Missmoo]

On Solano (since China Village is mentioned) is Ajanta
and I really like Nizza la Bella on San Pablo and Solano

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Ajanta Restaurant
1888 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707

[Robert Lauriston]

Note that Nizza is open for dinner only.