Dinner in Oakland

I have an early flight at Oakland Airport on Saturday morning and decided to stay near the airport Friday night. I’m looking for a suggestion for a place for a solo dinner on Friday, preferably seated at the bar. Last year, I went to Forge pizza, and liked it a lot, but I wasn’t alone and we ate outside. That is not what I am looking for this time. Lalimes? I used to love that place.

If you have any interest in Ramen, then Ramen Shop in Rockridge would be a great choice. Bar seating, and Ramen Bar seating as well. It was started by folks who were at Chez Panisse. They moved to Japan for a year to immerse themselves in the ramen culture before opening the restaurant. They even imported a noddle extruder.

Not only is the Ramen world class, the mixed drinks are great and there are always a couple fun (and always changing) apps to choose from.

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Belotti has excellent homemade pastas and is walking distance from Rockridge Bart. They get crazy crowded but you might luck out at the bar if you go early. The pappardelle is a favorite, as well as the beef tartare.

Wood Tavern is a staple and the crispy pork belly is a classic. You can hedge your bets by putting your name down at Southie, their more casual sister restaurant next door.

Uzen is a respectable neighborhood sushi joint. It’s not fancy but it satisfies the craving.

If all else fails, Cactus’ crispy tacos always hits the spot.

Thank you John and Betty. Ramen Shop looks great. I have been to Wood Tavern a couple of times and was considering it, and it is still a strong maybe. Will check out your other recommendations.

Wow. It’s like I have a twin out there. Love all those places except we have yet to get to Belotti. Hard seat. Ate at Uzen last Saturday. End the night with an order of toro. Prices but my lord, so worth it.

Ramen shop is great too.

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Ah, a fellow Berserker in the neighborhood! I wonder if we’ve crossed paths without knowing it. :slight_smile:

The trick for Belotti might be to go for brunch if you don’t want to plan ahead and make a reservation. It’s not usually full when we pass by it on Saturday afternoons.

I got to Belotti early and the bar was fairly empty. Started with a Negroni and then ordered the pappardelle, which was fantastic, and had a glass of Sagrantino. Small and fantastic place. Thanks for the recommendation.

Glad you enjoyed it!

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Any updates to this thread? I like the recs here, though I’ve to a few of the places in this thread! Looking for lunch places (quick/FF and sit down) and dinner. Should be byob for dinner. Also plan to hit the Punchdown & Ordinaire, anything else? Any new beer bars? TIA-

Since then, I’ve been back to Belotti twice. Hugely disappointed with our dinner a year ago. Mixed up our cocktails and insisted that they were correct. When I told the waiter my husband is allergic to gin, he double checked with the bartender and, yes, they were reversed. Americano and Negroni can look similar but there was no doubt when I tasted it. The second screw up was when they served my husband the wrong pasta. Stupid service. I was back at the bar last winter and it was a great dinner.

I enjoyed my dinner at The Wolf last winter and Rivoli last Fall. I don’t know if I can get my husband back to Belotti but I would go there on my own and grab a seat at the bar.

How did I miss this thread??!!

While Oakland isn’t a metropolis, it’s not a small town either. The area by the airport is a food desert, besides In N Out, compared to what’s in the Rockridge district or even downtown. Where you’re staying, where you are willing to venture to (Oakland still has its dodgy areas, despite noticeable and ongoing gentrification throughout the city) and what type of cuisines you enjoy will have a major impact on recommendations.

I’ve been to Oakland more times than I can count. I’ll walk, use BART or Uber to get around. Downtown, Rockridge, Mosswood, Piedmont, etc. al good. Just curious on new places to try. Doesn’t have to be high end. For instance, where in Chinatown would you go for dim sum and is there a good Sichuan place?

We actually go thru the Webster Tube to Alameda for dim sum - East Ocean. NOT to be confused with the East Ocean in Emeryville, though that unaffiliated AFAIK location does have the amazing waterfront views of the Bay and San Francisco.

Sichuan is something I alas can’t partake of much nowadays. When I was sweating happily while digging into hotpots, it was actually further south in Newark that I’d go with friends.

Since you’re a regular in Oakland, you may have already tried the following casual/FF places that I frequent:

New Gold Medal - damn good Cantonese in Chinatown
Pho Ao Sen - best pho broth in the Bay Area IMO in the San Antonio District
Banh Mi Ba Le - location on International Blvd in the San Antonio is dodgy as heck, but the banh mi and noodle dishes are the best QPR anywhere this side of In N Out
Bakesale Betty - renowned lunch only spot in the Temescal that makes a fried chicken sandwich (or salad) so good, the newly opened Chase Center in SF is selling them
Geta - hole in the wall sushi place that’s decently authentic, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. In the heart of a popular area of restos and bars on Piedmont Avenue
Koryo Jajang - Temescal spot specializing in Korean black bean sauce noodles (get the jeng ban version if you’re dining with, preferably, several people), it’s unpretentious and inexpensive. We also always get the fried shrimp (gan poong) with the sauce on the side
Anh Hong - just a bit south of Lake Merritt on International Blvd, their $20/person of Vietnamese “seven courses of beef” is an outstanding value, especially if you enjoy making your own wraps using the provided rice paper crepes. Nothing fancy about the place or area, and corkage is only $9/bottle

Thank you ERPark, I’ll probably avoid San Antonio and parts south out of convenience. Battambang use to be a favorite but I haven’t been in ages. We may catch a gig at Yoshi’s, so downtown one night could be a possibility.

I love Great China for one of the best Peking duck I’ve ever had, and possibly the most interesting Chinese dishes I’ve ever had - Double Skin. It’s got sea cucumber, noodles seafood and pork, and a bunch of vegetables and the waiter finishes the prep at the table. It’s sort of like a lot of stuff that would be “meh” solo but together make an uber awesome dish that’s not too rich or too light.

Da Nang Quan for bun bo hue
Homeroom for mac ‘n cheese
Mr. Green Bubble for boba and fried chicken wings
Dopo for their house charcuterie and a glass of Italian wine
Ben and Nick’s for neighborhood pub food
Peony or Gourmet Delight for dim sum
Nick’s for a casual pizza place

Great China is good but it’s in Berkeley, not Oakland. If you want to go to Berkeley too, add Cheeseboard and Gioia Pizza to the list.

Oh, my bad, sorry. But if you get to Berkeley…
[snort.gif]

Thanks Betty and Alex. Great to see Dopo & Gourmet Delight are still around. Is Reem’s in Fruitvale worth the trek?

Can’t say I’ve been to Reem’s!

Resurrecting this thread for a post covid update. I’ll be in Oakland visiting family this summer and I’m looking for rec’s. MAMA is a definite, and Wood Tavern looks interesting though I’d like to know about their wine selection, since their web site doesn’t have any information. Any other recommendations or updates would be appreciated.