Berkeley and its East Bay neighbors are not only the birthplace of Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse and the California slow-food movement that transformed the way we eat. Their culinary groundbreaking goes back to the invention of Rocky Road ice cream, American corn nuts and the legendary Mai Tai cocktail.
You don’t have to travel far to find stellar Caribbean fare, amazing banh mi, world-class Italian and cutting-edge vegan. Here are some of the places we love visiting:
1 Get deep into ‘za: Great pizza joints dot the East Bay like pineapple on a Hawaiian. You’ve got Nick’s with its pastry-chef cred and Oakland-style sourdough crust. Berkeley’s Rose Pizzeria slings crackery versions zipping with jalapeño, and cult favorite Emilia’s bakes New York pies. But the most iconic of them all – with more than 225 best-pizza awards and block-spanning lines – is Zachary’s Chicago Pizza.
What, you were thinking Cheese Board? It’s great. But Zachary’s gets props for making Midwest lasagna pie a Bay Area institution, with an ultra-buttery crust and a cornucopia of fresh fillings. Try the classic Italian with sausage and peppers, heavy as a door stopper – you’ll never think about Lou Malnati’s again.
Details: Locations include the flagship at 5801 College Ave., Oakland; zacharys.com
2 Visit a grocery wonderland: It’s not uncommon to hear somebody moved to the East Bay to be closer to Berkeley Bowl, the market founded by Glenn and Diane Yasuda in the 1970s. It’s so beloved, some couples actually take their engagement photos there.
When the Cosmic Crisp apple hit the news, you knew which place would have it first. A kombucha bar? Berkeley Bowl has one, as well as local burrata and imported Japanese goods. And the produce section is amazing to browse, with ivory-white bittermelon and raw garbanzos and a discount shelf that attracts deal-seekers like hungry raccoons.
Details: 2020 Oregon St. and 920 Heinz Ave., Berkeley; berkeleybowl.com
3 Sip the Earth: Snail Bar. Slug. Shuggie’s. Nowadays, it seems, if you’re a natural-wine joint without a weird name, you’re the weird one. But long before any of these trendy places existed, there was Donkey & Goat Winery, the first of its kind in Berkeley, whose barnyard moniker alludes to the funky flavors and Earth-friendly practices that have made natural wine a trend.
D&G wines are made with little intervention and even less sulphur, resulting in carignanes and sparkling merlots as intriguing as they are delicious. It’s no coincidence Wine & Spirits has deemed it one of the world’s top 100 wineries — twice.
Details: 1340 Fifth St., Berkeley; donkeyandgoat.com
4 Try a ‘pumperthingel’: Even before The New York Times declared Boichik’s Bagels as good as New York’s, the place seemed destined for success. New Jersey native Emily Winston was so stricken with H&H Bagels‘ decline, she spent years designing a simulacrum. Made with high-protein flour and Berkeley tap water, her bagels are chewy, malty and shiny.
The sesame bagel has a crunchy jacket of toasty seeds, and the cinnamon-raisin is so good, it needs little more than butter. But the ultimate is the pumperthingel, an oniony/molasses-y mix as dark as a German forest. Slathering it with lox cream cheese launches it into pumpernickel heaven.
Details: 3170 College Ave., Berkeley; boichikbagels.com
5 Get decadent at a taco truck: Foodie social media can be used for evil – remember that fake trend of chicken cooked in NyQuil? But it can also gospelize genuinely fantastic food. Buoyed by Instagram hype, ooey-gooey quesabirria tacos hit SoCal around 2016 and flowed up to the Bay Area, where taqueros drew huge lines of hungry patrons clamoring for cheesy tacos dunked in hot consomme.
You’ll find great versions of the dish – long-simmered beef or goat squished into corn-tortilla purses with melting mozzarella or Chihuahua – all over the East Bay, from El Garage in Richmond to Aguachiles el Tamarindo and the La Santa Torta food truck in Oakland.
