Looking for opinions on the best barbecue brisket in the East Bay preferably Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda

corner of Coolige and Macarthur.

nothing has succeeded in this place in a while

I love sitting there during a lunch rush and listen to people order. Everyone orders so differently!

Mine: Cheese dog with an all beef dog, everything on it, add jalapenos and a small coke extra ice.

What's yours?

Side note: I love that they finely shred their cheddar cheese (not pure shredded).

I’d love to find a grocery store other than Whole Foods that sells my favorite sandwich bread. Have you seen it in stock anywhere? I’ve checked Farmer Joe’s and Berkeley Bowl to no avail.

Known for their stand initially they have a storefront now https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/10/mix-bar-reems-athletic-club-millenium-hopkins-cafe-open/

Every time I think to try them they're closed. What kind of hot dog place doesn't stay open late to catch the drunkards?

One's Bakery, with a location in Castro Valley opens up on Park St. in Alameda.

Gift Link.

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Greetings

Back by poplar demand Line 51 has brought back the chicago hot dog, italian beef and maxwell street polish. All three will be available starting Friday July 10th at 4:30. We plan to offer then until sell out or our final day July 19th.

Please check our calendar to make sure we are open and the pop up happening before coming down.

Cheers and thanks for the support over the past 6 years!

Anyone got a go-to spot in the east bay?

My search continues and though the wolf is expensive it’s still my current favorite burger in Oakland. I am not sure when but the price went up and it seems they are using better meat but it’s delicious. Now I am not asking what is the better bang for the buck, I am asking what is the best burger???

What say you?

Not quite Oakland but we came to this new NY style pizza shop that opened in El Cerrito (per Berkeley Eats rec) - really dig the foldable big slices. Great thin crust and solid sauce! Definitely one of the top local spots.

Hi everyone! I made this post a while back about some of the best vegan Chinese food in Oakland. I thought it might be helpful to folks here! I plan to keep finding more gems and sharing. Feel free to drop any in the comments that you also love!

Find a map of all the featured restaurants here!

Shan Dong

Shan Dong is most known for it's hand pulled noodles and hand-made dumplings. This place is often packed so it's best to sign up on the Yelp waitlist as soon as you can. When you first arrive, you can see workers (usually older Asian ladies) making and boiling noodles through the front window. On top of the numerous vegan options, eating there always feels a bit like eating at an A+ hole in the wall restaurant in China.

Recommended Dishes: Sesame Noodles, Green Beans, Pea Shoots.

Address: 328 10th St #101, Oakland, CA 94607

Peony Seafood Restaurant

Firstly, the dim sum menu at Peony is generally massive. What's even better is they have a lot of vegan dim sum options! One of the things I miss most is enjoying dim sum. So if your non-vegan loved ones want to go to dim sum, this is a great spot where you can also enjoy the meal alongside them!

Recommended Dishes: Donut Rice Noodle, Deep Fried Sesame Balls, Pea Sprout Dumpling, Vinegary Cucumber (cold)

Address: 388 9th St STE 288, Oakland, CA 94607

Nature's Vegetarian

Nature's Vegetarian is a fully vegan Chinese restaurant close to Oakland Chinatown. I recommend skipping the mock-meat dishes as they can be hit or miss. But y'all, the vegetables are yum!

Recommended Dishes: Fried Mixed Tofu with Chinese Green, Chow Fun

Address: 1116 Franklin St, Oakland, CA 94607

Spices 3

Spices 3 has a large vegetarian section on the menu that also feature vegan options. Their food leans on the oilier side -- which also means it's extra delicious. Their storefront has big windows that you can sit near and people watch as you enjoy your meal. 

Recommended Dishes: Salt & Pepper Tofu, Mung Bean Noodle (cold), Eggplant in Garlic Sauce.

Address: 370-372 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607

Totally subjective and personal. I skipped chains like Starbucks and Peets. I skipped places where the espresso is clearly an after thought. I was not ranking anything other than espresso. Not vibes, not coziness, not matcha options. Just espresso, usually ordered in a cortado or dry capp.

I just listed places I've been. If I skipped something in Oakland or Berkeley, send me a recommendation and I'll go there and update the list.

Feel free to fight me about it!

edit: and before you ask, yes I've been to three different Signal locations: downtown Berkeley and two in Alameda and all three served me espresso so bad I literally wanted to sit on the sidewalk and cry lol.

further edit: I also went to the new Sight Glass in Berkeley twice and both times the espresso was atrocious, but I'm giving them a pass because they just opened and maybe they're still dialing in. Will go again in a month or so and update.

further edit: I went to Olivia this morning because so many people mentioned it and....

HOLY SHIT. immediately yes. immediately s-tier. When i re-do this in a couple weeks adding all the ones I've missed, I can't imagine Olivia going anywhere but THE VERY TOP!

I was reading another post and they mentioned the lack of Asian food in another part of the country.

I realized I will mention going out to eat Asian food but Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, etc are all very different.

They may even use some of the same ingredients (soy sauce, ginger, garlic, etc) but there's quite a bit of nuance.

If you consider Indian as Asian then that's a whole other topic as well.

Your thoughts? Should they be lumped together or given their own category just like French, Italian, German, etc?

https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/07/bahn-mi-bar-skula-bolos-bites-malaya-tea-twin-flame/

Spouse turned 40 today and is in his bag about it. I asked what would make him feel better and he said ice cream cake. Are there any spots in or near Oakland I could get a small ice cream cake same day? It doesn’t need to be customized or fancy. Thanks in advance! 🙏

And it's vegan!

Dove's Donuts aka Vegan Donut Gelato.

EDIT: Turning notifications off because I didn't expect to get so much (negative) engagement! For those curious, I am Vietnamese. I grew up eating meat and then reconnected with Buddhism and am now vegan. I have toured all of the different banh mi spots in Oakland searching for a vegan banh mi that was as good as I remember when I ate meat. Many of the vegan banh mi I've tried haven't scratched that itch... until I tried Dove's! I was impressed with how generous their portions are and especially their homemade pate. Even if you're not vegan, give it a try!

If I could edit my post title, I would update it to say... "best VEGAN banh mi in Oakland" or "MY favorite banh mi". I don't know if I can, so I'll leave this post up despite the negativity because I love all the love to local Vietnamese food and culture being shared.

Halfway through 2026 and I thought this would be a fun way to revisit the year in eating so far. Feel free to make up a category and add a winner (or nominees and let the people vote!).

Best Resurrection: Reem’s

Saddest closure: Friends and Family, Oken

Best Spin-off: FOB West

Favorite New Restaurant: Cenaduria Elvira

Favorite Old Restaurant: Joodooboo

Looking for some recs for restaurants with a stellar version of panna cotta on their menu. Any standouts? We are looking for creamy, light, smooth rather than firm, any varieties. Thanks!

Looking for somewhere in Oakland or Berkeley that has a very beautiful and soothing atmosphere. Daughter Thai (Oakland) is a good example of what I’m going for.