900 Grayson

I’m always excited to find great restaurants in Berkeley, especially ones that are a bit further out. There are usually more Berkeley residents at these types of restaurants, and the vibe is different than your usual campus eateries. I like the change in scenery every once in a while. I’d heard great things about 900 …

Black Bear Diner

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and I’d just woken up, hungry for some quality brunch. My roommates and I decided to hit up IKEA for some cheap and tasty food. But alas! The line stretched beyond the line dividers, and we were starving by then. So we decided to try out a brand new …

The Rib Whip

The McRib has nothing on this BBQ brisket sandwich. The Rib Whip’s Texas Brisket Sandwich, 13-hour smoked and dripping in tangy BBQ sauce, is what the McRib can only dream about becoming. You’ll find this delicious meal, along with an assortment of other rib/pulled pork sandwiches, at the Off the Grid at Berkeley on Thursdays.

The Melt

Fun fact of the day: The Melt was started by the founder of the Flip camcorder company. At first glance, tech to grilled cheese seems like a pretty drastic jump, but when you look a little closer, everything starts to make sense. The Bay Area, especially Silicon Valley and San Francisco, is home to thousands …

Sliver Pizzeria

I’ll just get right to it – Sliver Pizzeria is Cheeseboard 2.0. My roommate and I were famished after our Tahoe snowboarding trip, so after returning to Berkeley, we were planning to get a quick dinner near the downtown Shattuck area. We were strolling on Center just before Shattuck, and imagine our surprise when we …

Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant

There aren’t many standout dim sum places in Berkeley, but thankfully, there’s a much better selection in nearby cities, including Oakland, SF, and surprisingly Emeryville. I’ve heard of “the dim sum place in Emeryville” for quite some time before I finally got the chance to try it out with my roommates. Hong Kong East Ocean …

La Note

Since coming to Cal, I’ve consistently heard this restaurant mentioned whenever people talked about great places to enjoy brunch. I was definitely intrigued but never got around to going – until this visit. I’m glad to say that I can confirm what people have been raving about. It was a Sunday morning, and La Note …

Oriental BBQ (OB) Chicken Town

The name of this well-known restaurant in Berkeley/Oakland is as Asian as it can get. And that’s a good thing because you’ll find yourself sampling some of the best Korean snack/fusion appetizers and entrees at OB Chicken. OB Chicken is a stand-alone restaurant & bar that hosts many of the Korean students that go to …

Homeroom

“What’s so special about a mac n cheese place?” You might be wondering this as you enter a nicely furnished and decorated corner restaurant in the heart of Oakland just off Telegraph Avenue. I was wondering the same thing, and it was hard to imagine paying more than a few bucks for some macaroni and …

Gregoire

Mention Gregoire to most people who know of the place and you’ll hear two words: potato puffs. While it’s true that this take-out gourmet restaurant at Berkeley’s famed Gourmet Ghetto is known for its delicious starchy appetizers, Gregoire is much more than that. With a healthy variety of amazing sandwiches and salads for lunch and …