Orinda Restaurants

Rocketfish: A new kind of Japanese restaurant in Potrero Hill You can always tell when a restaurant’s got a master chef working in the kitchen. Traditional staples are treated with respect, reinvented, but not to the point where you forget why you loved them in the first place. Your dishes arrive like works of art, every element of food, with its unique color, texture, and shape, enjoyable to the eyes as well as the palate. Read More >>

Skool Restaurant: Making the Grade in Potrero Hill Even when you eat out often, it’s not easy to discover a stand-out restaurant. The ingredients may be fresh but the execution predictable. Or the concept exciting but the taste unappealing. When you stumble upon a place where all the important factors come together – culinary expertise, presentation, and most importantly, good taste – you want to tell all your friends about it. Skool is one restaurant that will exceed your expectations from the very first bite. Read More >>

Usulutan: A taste of El Salvador in the Mission While Mexican immigrants are recognized for creating a slice of home in the Mission, the neighborhood is quite diverse, housing a large number of Central American families and businesses with roots in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and more. In addition to being home to the large, aluminum foil-wrapped “San Francisco burrito” and the many tacquerias that sell them, the Mission is also the place to seek out a taste of El Salvador. Read More >>

Miss Pearl’s Jam House: Good Times in Jack London Square There’s no lack of good food in Oakland’s Jack London Square, and with Miss Pearl’s Jam House on the premises, live music, live comedy, $1 oysters during Happy Hour, and sports broadcasts on the big screen are also in healthy abundance. Read More >>

Delicious Food Company: Dim Sum, quick and easy When you’re in the mood for a light meal or snack that costs under $5 (yes, under $5), Oakland Chinatown is the place to go. A look around the neighborhood reveals restaurants and markets galore, but you’ll also find small establishments selling grab-and-go dim sum. Delicious Food Company is one such place, with everything from the savory to the sweet on the menu. Read More >>

Seoul House: Downtown Oakland Korean Food Seoul House has long been faithful to its corner on 13th and Webster, where the entrance to the restaurant is characterized by large, wooden double doors and an original, distressed wood sign. In turn, fans of Korean food have grown attached to the establishment over the years, frequenting the restaurant regularly even though Oakland boasts strips of Korean establishments nearby on both Telegraph and Broadway. Read More >>

New Gold Medal Restaurant: Late-night eats in Oakland Chinatown If you don’t know a restaurant very well, some of the things you might look out for are the number of people dining there on a given day and, more specifically, the number of locals who frequent the establishment. Located on 8th Street in Oakland Chinatown, the New Gold Medal Restaurant is one of those places with a steady stream of locals stopping in for a bite. Read More >>

Espetus: A bonanza of beef at this Brazilian steak house If you’ve never tried a Brazilian steak house, a hot new culinary trend, you’re in for a treat. It’s a unique dining experience not to be missed, unless you’re a vegetarian. And if you have been to one, you’ll still be delighted by Espetus (Portugese for “skewer”). The San Francisco restaurant (with a sister restaurant in San Mateo) is the Bay Area’s first and arguably still the best. Read More >>

Pasta Bene: Made-to-order Italian food at reasonable prices Pasta Bene may be new to Berkeley, but the Italian restaurant’s been serving San Francisco clients for nearly two decades. It’s no wonder that this place has a loyal following – who wouldn’t want a go-to spot for homestyle Italian food made with fresh, quality ingredients, with generous portions and low prices to boot? Read More >>

La Note: Rustic Provecal dining in downtown Berkeley Brunch at La Note always feels like a special occasion. The charming 1875 building’s interior patio is surrounded by colorful flowers and fruit trees, and quaint table setting details include French country table coverings, brown sugar cubes in a bowl, petite water pitchers and thick jam in a glass bottle. Read More >>