Food & Drink

FOOD AND DRINK

Best New Restaurant

César   
Small plates are still big news, and when César chef Maggie Pond and partners piggybacked on their Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto success, Oaklanders flocked to this larger hot spot for house-cured meats, patés and cheeses; such signature tapas as salt cod and potato cazuela; and an astonishing variety of cocktails, spirits and wines. César, 4039 Piedmont Ave., (510) 985-1200, .

 

 

 

Breakfast

Mama’s Royal Cafe
    Perpetually slammed Mama’s Royal Cafe—famous for napkin art, home-style cooking and weekend brunch—takes the best breakfast category, with the Blackberry Bistro in Glenview, another down-home star, a very close second. Tucked in between Piedmont and Temescal, Mama’s has been packing in the hungry masses since 1974, appeasing unruly appetites with yummy omelets, awesome scrambles and unbeatable home fries. Mama’s Royal Cafe, 4012 Broadway, (510) 547-7600, www.mamasroyalcafe-oakland.com.

Italian

Lo Coco’s
    Sicilian-style pasta, pizza and regional specials give Lo Coco’s, the wildly popular Piedmont Avenue pizzeria, a leg up on the contenders in the best Italian category. This tiny, always-crowded and unassuming restaurant turns tables fast yet dependably plates up delicious dishes, including unrivaled eggplant parmigiana and to-die-for tortelloni. Zza’s and Oliveto also received voter attention and gave the stalwart a definite run for the money. Lo Coco’s, 4270 Piedmont Ave., (510) 652-6222.

Chinese

Little Shin Shin
    For two years running, Little Shin Shin has separated itself from the East Bay’s vast pack of Cantonese, Schezuan, Hunan and Shanghai eateries, earning diner loyalty with such sure-fire dishes as kung pao beef, hot and sour soup, sizzling black pepper beef, walnut prawns and salt-and-pepper beef ribs. Little Shin Shin, 4258 Piedmont Ave., (510) 658-9799.

California

Bay Wolf and Garibaldi’s
     Bay Wolf and Garibaldi’s on College. (Oliveto garnered greater total numbers, but its votes were scattered   Oakland Magazine readers may not be sure what “California” means, but they certainly love joint winners among Italian, French and California.) The Piedmont Avenue pioneer’s unpretentious integration of seasonal ingredients into Mediterranean styles, its trademark duck dishes and exclusive wine list coexist amiably with the chic Rockridge establishment’s popular bar and eclectic menu of wood-fired pizzas, risotto, local seafood and lamb specialties. Bay Wolf, 3853 Piedmont Ave., (510) 655-6004, www.baywolf.com; Garibaldi’s on College, 5356 College Ave., (510) 595-4000, www.garibaldis-eastbay.com.

Indian

Breads of India
    Breads of India got its start in Berkeley and eventually expanded to Oakland and Walnut Creek, and the reason is obvious: great-tasting Indian food and truly out-of-this-world naan. The often-changing menu features just a few specialties, each with a recommended naan option. Try pairing sizzling tandoori salmon with aromatic garlic naan for a palate-pleasing sensation. The attractive (and newest) Old Oakland location is theperfect place to get to know each menu item. Breads of India, 948 Clay St., \(510) 834-7684.

 

Favorite Restaurant

Bay Wolf Restaurant
    Executive chef and founding owner Michael Wild claims his Bay Wolf Restaurant, an Oakland institution for more than 20 years, hasn’t always been quite the star it is now. “We weren’t made perfectly at birth,” he says. “The restaurant looks nothing like it did 20 years ago.” Whether you believe that or not, the good news is that this Mediterranean-style, carnivorous-oriented restaurant with its rotating monthly menu (where signature duck liver flan plays a regular cameo role), fresh-from-the-field ingredients and hard-to-find-wines, has blossomed into one of Oakland’s best. Bay Wolf Restaurant, 3853 Piedmont Ave., (510) 655-6004, www.baywolf.com.

Mexican

Doña Tomás
    General manager Dona Savitsky and executive chef Thomas Schnetz know their food, enabling tony Doña Tomás to earn top honors for best Mexican cuisine. Seasonal, local and often organic ingredients make their way into DT’s authentic, upscale and original concoctions worth swooning over, among them savory, rich mole; tender, slow-roasted carnitas and artful crème fraîche-drizzled chiles rellenos. Cal-casual Cactus Taqueria made a valiant second-place showing. Doña Tomás, 5004 Telegraph Ave., (510) 450-0522, www.donatomas.com.

Kid-Friendly

Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers
    Where do busy parents wind up after soccer or swim practice? Kid-friendly Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers, of course. It’s inexpensive, the burgers are good and there are dozens of flamed-broiled options that go way beyond the traditional (organic tofu burger, anyone?), not to mention soups, salads and
sandwiches. Check out the four East Bay locations at www.barneyshamburgers.com. 

Barbecue

Everett & Jones
    When it comes to ’cue, Oakland voters left no doubt—it’s Everett & Jones by a landslide of smoked pork ribs, all-beef links, open-fire-grilled chicken, crusty brisket, bountiful sides and, of course, the mouth-watering sauce (in three degrees of heat) that has tantalized taste buds since 1973. See www.eandjbbq.com for Everett & Jones’ five East Bay locations.

Pizza

Zachary’s Chicago Pizza
    Legendary Zachary’s Chicago Pizza KOs the field, and it’s no secret why: The cheese-laden, chunky-sauced stuffed or thin pies are the stuff of obsessions, keeping the pizzeria constantly overrun. From a slice of piping-hot pepperoni to the mountainous stuffed spinach-and-mushroom pie, Zachary’s turns pizza-making into an art. No time to wait? Zachary’s half-baked pies for takeout are not half bad. Visit www.zacharys.com for info on the three Bay Area locations.

Coffee Shop

Peet’s Coffee & Tea
    Peet’s Coffee & Tea has the lock on Bay Area coffee hangouts. Expertly roasted, perfectly brewed and always fresh, Peet’s inspires an almost cult-like following and is guaranteed to perk you up. Cups come to customers (or “Peetniks”) in serene, calm settings where mellow classical music starts every morning off just right. See www.peets.com for store locations.

Tearoom

L’Amyx Tea Bar
    Everything you know about tea may not be wrong, but it’s probably incomplete without a visit to L’Amyx Tea Bar, our readers’ preferred source of everything from green, black and white to herbal and pu-erh teas, as well as brewing-technique tips and a refined oasis ambience. L’Amyx, 4179 Piedmont Ave., (510) 594-8322 and 3437 Lakeshore Ave., (510) 835-8322, www.lamyx.com.

 

Editor's Choice

A Handmade Corn Tortilla for the Ages

LA MEXICANA RESTAURANT   
    La Mexicana Restaurant may have changed hands once or twice over the past 40 years, and the hands that pat out the homemade corn tortillas almost certainly are different, but the results—large (8-inch), thick, almost-pillowy griddled treasures of lovingly formed masa—are amazingly consistent. Whether you enjoy it as the casing of a generous La Mexicana enchilada or the crisp foundation of a tostada; use it to sop up tomatillo and mole sauces; eat it solo, slathered with butter; or take home a dozen ($6) for some innovation of your own, this is the quintessential tortilla—product of a craft that should never be allowed to die. La Mexicana Restaurant, 3930 International Blvd., (510) 533-8818.

 

French

Jojo
    Two longtime Bay Area chefs, Curt Clingman and Mary Jo Thoresen, brought the taste of the French countryside to Piedmont Avenue in 1999 and haven’t looked back. Not ones to chase culinary fads, the chefs keep it simple, tempting with the likes of saffron-and-fennel-scented seafood stew and Meyer lemon curd tartlets. The pair are passionate about food and great dining and, for the second year in a row, our readers agree that Jojo is the place to go. Jojo, 3859 Piedmont Ave., (510) 985-3003, www.jojorestaurant.com.

Burger

Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers
    The standard-bearer of hamburger heterogeneity, Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers stands uncontested in the hearts and bellies of Oaklanders. Freedom of choice is the rule, from ground chuck or turkey to chicken breast, eggplant or tofu; from buns to baguette, pita or rye and everything (cheeses, bacon, mushrooms, pesto, avocado, artichoke hearts) in between. Check www.barneyshamburgers.com to find Barney’s East Bay locations.

Vegetarian

Golden Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant
    Vegetarian fare has never tasted so good. At Golden Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant, chefs skillfully use ingredients such as soy protein, wheat gluten and vegetables and nuts to mimic the meaty tastes and textures of regular Vietnamese and Chinese favorites. The restaurant also gets high marks for its affordable buffet. Golden Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant,
1301 Franklin St., (510) 893-0383.

Sushi

Tachibana
    Great Japanese cuisine and fresh sushi make Tachibana a local favorite. The never-too-crowded Rockridge establishment attracts noshers with comfortable atmosphere, dim lighting and a long sushi bar manned by several very friendly chefs who can turn heads with sashimi assortments, melt-in-your-mouth spicy scallops and bonito flake–garnished agedashi tofu. The East Bay has a lot of good places to eat sushi, but Tachibana is clearly our readers’ favorite. Tachibana, 5812 College Ave., (510) 654-3668.

Ice Cream

Fentons Creamery & Restaurant
    When 112-year-old Fentons Creamery & Restaurant claims it gives customers old-fashioned portions, it’s not kidding. About halfway into your handmade ice cream dish, you may begin to wonder what you’ve signed up for. Focus on the great taste and you’ll make it through. Fentons Creamery & Restaurant, 4226 Piedmont Ave., (510) 658-7000, www.fentons-creamery.com.

Editor's Choice

Most Sought-After and Talked About East Bay Sandwich

Bakesale Betty
    Hipsters, squares and parents pushing babies in strollers—plus anyone else in the know—are on the Bakesale Betty bandwagon, making a habit out of the Temescal bakery’s famed chicken sandwich: a gargantuan buttermilk-fried chicken breast on fresh-made bread with a nest of oil-dressed savory coleslaw spilling forth. Mmm! Bakesale Betty, 5098 Telegraph Ave., (510) 985-1213, www.bakesalebetty.com.

Small Plates

À Côté
    À Côté fanned the tapas flame into a small-plates revolution in Rockridge, taking place à côté (next door to) Citron. Communal tables, specialty cocktails and nearly four-dozen wines by the glass add convivial accents to seasonal Mediterranean bites and such year-round faves as pommes frites, croque monsieur and mussels with Pernod. À Côté, 5478 College Ave., (510) 655-6469, www.acoterestaurant.com.

Beer Selection

Barclays Restaurant & Pub and luka’s taproom & Lounge
    It’s a two-way tie this year between two very worthy candidates for best beer selection. Last year’s winner, Barclays Restaurant & Pub, scores again with its constantly rotating selection of beers on tap, of which there are always 30 available. But the new kid on the block, Luka’s Taproom & Lounge, makes an equally strong showing with its tasty selection of 15, mostly Belgian, beers on tap. Can’t we all get along? We’ll drink to that. Barclays, 5940 College Ave., (510) 654-1650, www.barclayspub.com; Luka’s, 2221 Broadway, (510) 451-4677, www.lukasoakland.com.

Margarita

Doña Tomás
    Carnitas, tamales and rellenos may rule the menu, but the various hand-shaken admixtures of top-shelf tequilas (Pepe Lopez, Sauza Blanco, El Tesora, etc.), liqueurs (triple sec, Citronage, Cointreau) and fresh lime keep Doña Tomás in the south-of-the-border vanguard of the contemporary cocktail renaissance. Doña Tomás, 5004 Telegraph Ave., (510) 450-0522, www.donatomas.com.

Happy Hour

Luka’s taproom & Lounge
    Luka’s Taproom & Lounge is such a great place to go after work that it won the category for best happy hour—without even officially having one. But Luka’s does have fun specials, the best being $1 oyster night every Monday. Also, look for “drinking liberally” from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. every second and fourth Wednesday of the month and half off all bottles of wine on Sundays. Get there early, grab a seat and order Luka’s signature cocktail, the Buddha’s hand martini; it’s the sound of one hand drinking. Luka’s, 2221 Broadway, (510) 451-4677, www.lukasoakland.com.

Cocktails

Paragon
    Chic and sexy with an über-hip vibe, the Paragon inside the Claremont Resort & Spa is the go-to spot for high-end specialty cocktails. Drink-meisters behind the bar hand-stir premium spirits, including house-infused vodka, tequila and rum, with fresh-squeezed juices, delivering colorful and flavorful concoctions in the bar, which grants a bird’s-eye view of the Bay Area. Paragon, 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley, (510) 549-8585, www.paragonrestaurant.com.

 

Editor's Choice

Hottest Place for Cool drink

Z Café and Bar
    When Z Café and Bar owner and mixologist, Mehdi Zarekari, left San Francisco to open his new restaurant in downtown Oakland, he brought only one thing with him: the Mehdi Special. It’s the drink that has built Mehdi a loyal following wherever he has bartended. Now patrons can get Mehdi’s amazing take on a classic mai tai anytime at Z Café. Pair the tropical treat with some of Z’s spicy garlic shrimp to be transported to Polynesia. Z Café and Bar, 2735 Broadway, (510) 663-2905, www.zcafeandbar.com.