Eateries in Berkeley

A friend recently asked about places to eat at Berkeley. I have been going to Berkeley for work for almost 6 years now and so in no particular order, here are the places I have liked over the years.

1. Jazz Cafe
    This comes up first because I go there so often. The food is flavorful, menu is limited. The specials are exceptional and this place serves a Caesar Salad I could eat for life.

2. Cheeseboard Pizza
    They have one vegetarian pizza on the menu, its different everyday. But you can never go wrong. Live music most afternoons and a casual vibe. Grab your pizza and if there is no space find a park/bench nearby. Its a worker cooperative, just adds to the appeal.

3. Finfine Ethiopian
    For family style, finger-licking, good Ethiopian food, this is my place. Never disappoints - I ate my first piece of chicken here, got so tempted after looking at Mr. S's dish. (This place has since closed.)

4. Chez Panisse
    This is for the chic/fancy dinner or lunch. The place is an institution, as is the owner Alice Waters. She pioneered the whole farm-to-table, local, organic cooking. The dishes are a bit on the pricier side. They have a restaurant and a cafe and reservations are a must.

5. Vik's Chaat
    For Indian street style food, this is the place to go to in Berkeley. When I first came here almost 18 years ago, it operated out of a warehouse. It has grown a lot since. Now its always bustling with energy and people. How they run the whole place so smoothly still baffles me.

6. Berkeley Social Club
    Brunch is a favorite meal of ours, and in Berkeley this is a good place to go to for some modern American-Korean dishes. Casual, industrial ambience - and usually a good amount of wait after you put your name down. Bustling with a relatively younger crowd.

7. Platano
    For some authentic El Salvadoran papusas, this is my place. I go there, order my 2 papusas for lunch and load it up with their pickled cabbage and I am as happy as it gets.

8. Gregoire Restaurant
    I am always afraid I got the spelling wrong. But they serve some amazing potato puffs and other french stuff. Its mostly a hole-in-the-wall, for-takeout kind of place - people grab their dish and sit on some steps outside to eat.

9. Saigon Express
    Simple, cheap, good, comfort pho - enough said!

Ok! So ending this list at 9 does not seem right. I am sure I have forgotten a few. I will come back and edit it soon. Till then...

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