Places for Dining and Food Shopping in Berkeley
If your favorite place isn't listed here, don't fret. We know this list is incomplete, but with so many wonderful spots to indulge a love of good food in Berkeley, we haven't had time to try them all. The ones we list are all personally tested, most of them many times and we recommend them heartily.
The Disneyland of grocery stores has a selection of produce that is unparalleled. Shattuck near Ashby.
Their daily specials feature dishes from India's many and varied regions, each accompanied by a local bread. Every westerner and every Asian Indian I've taken there agree that it's the best. 2448 Sacramento
Owned by Alice Waters and named for her daughter, Cafe Fanny is self-described as "a casual stand up food bar where one can enjoy a peaceful moment to nourish the body." It's open for breakfast and lunch only. (San Pablo Avenue at Cedar St.)
Convivial (albeit sometimes loud) atmosphere and a menu full of the tastiest Spanish tapas around have been drawing diners to Chez Panisse's next door neighbor ever since it opened.
First there was the cheese, then the cheese bread to use up the leftover bits, then the pizzeria next door. On a sunny day, it's easy to find. Just look for people standing or sitting in the grass, happily munching their pizzas.
It'll take you advance planning, persistence on the telephone and a $25 deposit just to get a seat at the table in Alice Waters' legendary restaurant, but devout foodies will find it worth the trouble.
A local waiter told us people stand in line for half an hour just to get ice cream at this Elmwood spot (College at Ashby), but from the samples we had, it would be worth the wait.
An understated, elegant dining room looking out on a pretty flower garden is the backdrop for some of the best cuisine you'll find anywhere. It's been rated a top restaurant by the San Francisco Chronicle since 1997. On Solano Avenue.
The little sister of Oakland's Dona Tomas serves authentic Mexican cuisine made from only the freshest ingredients. If you find yourself wishing you were closer to Santa Barbara's legendary La Super Rica, this place is as close as it gets. In the Fourth Street shopping area, a few blocks north of University.
