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“Can you recommend a new place to eat?” That’s the question Nosh contributors get the most, and it’s a good one — while we all have our beloved standbys, exploring a new restaurant is one of life’s great pleasures. Watch this space every week for the newest restaurants to try in Berkeley, Oakland and the rest of the East Bay. As always, tips and recommendations are welcomed at editors@eastbaynosh.org.
Fieldwork’s newest comfy juggernaut of a beer garden (pictured above) has predictably generated buzz this week beginning with Eater. Built into a 1960s Firestone Auto Service Center, the new San Leandro location is Fieldwork’s eighth and largest at 7,800 square feet, including an outdoor space that can accommodate more than 250 revelers. The craft brewery’s winning formula for relaxed, indoor-outdoor quaffing is on full view here, with ample sun, shade, roomy seating, firepits, loveseats, benches, picnic tables, greenery, bike friendly parking, a 3,000-square-foot indoor space with garage doors, high ceilings and huge windows and adjacent 65-person taproom, artisan pizzas and seasonal bar bites — even a designated outdoor kid’s area and menu. Oh yes, and beer. Lots of craft beer. Fieldwork San Leandro, 100 West Juana Ave. (near Clarke Street), San Leandro
We missed this opening over the summer: El Cerrito Plaza has a new little boba and pastry shop, part of a growing California (and beyond) franchise with Hawaiian inflections from boba entrepreneur David Fan. Lilikoi Boba, 3080 El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito
“Refreshing” seems to be the word most used for this sweet and fanciful new cafe on Piedmont Ave., with lush greenery, comfortable couches and a lovely outdoor patio (with a greenhouse) in back. Food is fresh and Thai-inspired — rice wraps, bowls, healthful proteins, many vegan choices. There is also a menu of coffee and tea drinks and breakfast pastries in the morning. Note: Sister shop Me and Jungle Plant Studio has closed its brick and mortar at 4139 Piedmont Ave., but those gorgeous plants are still available for sale online. Me & Jungle Cafe, 3943 Piedmont Ave. (near Monte Vista Avenue), Oakland
Sliver pizza fans, check out this gleaming new location in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood — spacious, stylish and open for lunch and dinner daily as of Sept. 13, with outdoor seating available on the sidewalk. The long-awaited restaurant opened at the base of the luxe Alta Waverly apartment building, and as at all Sliver eateries, serves one type of pizza per day. Sliver Uptown is the second new location to open this year; Sliver Danville opened in February. Sliver Uptown, 2300 Valdez St. (at 23rd Street), Oakland
Opening Friday is…The Sunday, in Emeryville’s former Patatas. (Hat tip to E’ville Eye.) Details are scarce so far, but the new restaurant will offer Korean-American fusion dishes for brunch and dinner. Watch Instagram for more details. The Sunday Restaurant, 3986 Adeline St. (between 40th Street and Yerba Buena Avenue), Emeryville
Now open in the former Nong Thon Vietnamese Restaurant space in El Cerrito is Tigon (“tai-gon”), meaning “tiger,” featuring new owners and generous portions of traditional Vietnamese cooking. The spacious, wood-beamed dining room adjacent to the Rialto Cinemas Cerrito movie theater remains mostly unchanged. Tigon, 10086 San Pablo Ave. (at Central Avenue), El Cerrito
It’s the opposite of new, but Arinell Pizza’s San Francisco location just closed after 33 years. Now is the time to show some East Bay love to the original Arinell in downtown Berkeley, that enduring hold-out for cheap, foldable, New York-style slices that opened in 1975. If anything should survive the change-pocalypse of the last few years, it’s this simple take-out pizza counter, right? All in favor say “pie.” Or slice. (Make that two.) Arinell Pizza, 2119 Shattuck Ave. (between Center and Addison streets), Berkeley
Benchmark in Kensington opens a new little sister shop starting today. Introducing Benchmark Portavia (“carry out” in Italian), the team’s new storefront for grab-and-go food and dry goods, featuring prepared items such as salads as well as Italian-inspired groceries they use at the pizzeria — cheeses, olive oils, pasta, canned tomatoes, good salt and even pizza dough to go. Hours are limited to begin, but are lunch friendly, and locals are molto looking forward to this new option for the neighborhood. Benchmark Portavia, 380 Colusa Ave. (between Oak View and Santa Fe avenues), Kensington
It’s here! Temescal’s 31-year-old Ethiopian standout Cafe Colucci and its sister spice company Brundo are now fully open inside their new, larger location at 5849 San Pablo Ave. in North Oakland. (Reminder that the former location on Telegraph Avenue is now closed.) Cafe Colucci, 5849 San Pablo Ave. (between Stanford Avenue and 59th Street), Oakland
As announced by Nosh last week, this long-awaited restaurant dedicated to Indigenous food is now welcoming guests. Founded by Louis Trevino and Vincent Medina, Cafe Ohlone’s new incarnation is called ‘ottoy (“to mend or repair” in the Chochenyo language), and is in the courtyard of the Hearst Museum of Anthropology on U.C. Berkeley’s campus. Reservations can be made online. Cafe Ohlone/’ottoy, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley
The Chronicle listed this new Union City doughnut and pastry spot among its East Bay openings last month, with sweet offerings that have Japanese, Hawaiian, Taiwanese and other influences. Be warned that hours are limited, as DoughWeiMe is only open Thursday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. or when they sell out. DoughWeiMe Donuts & Pastries, 31858 Alvarado Blvd., Union City
Everyone’s favorite irreverent, small-batch (and really, really good) ice cream maker Humphry Slocombe has a new scoop shop on Bay Street in Emeryville. Thanks to the E’ville Eye for the…scoop. Though the shop’s already open, look for a special grand opening celebration on Sept. 13, and expect more Bay Street food and drink openings to come as the new Bay Break food terrace concept ramps up. (As for Humphry Slocombe, Nosh enjoys picturing potential Emeryville-based versions of the group’s famed, collaborative ice cream flavors – the Swedish Sundae? Ratatouille?) Humphry Slocombe Bay Street, 5641 Bay St., Suite 234, Emeryville
A commenter let us know that Jungdon Katsu’s Japanese dishes were well worth checking out. The delivery and take-out only spot is a new tenant inside North Oakland’s Longfellow Food Hall. Jungdon Katsu inside Longfellow Food Hall, 5333 Adeline St. (at 54th St.), Oakland
Contributor Brock Keeling’s story on Oaklandia Cafe & Bakery’s expansion is a sweet one, and begins in a famous Bay Area cookie shop once located in the same downtown space. Oaklandia Cafe, 555 12th St. (ground floor of 555 City Center), Oakland
Hot, beloved sandwich purveyor Ok’s Deli, formerly a pop-up and known for its Asian-inflected but also classic Americana-style creations, opened its first brick-and-mortar location Sept. 1. Cesar Hernandez of the SF Chronicle has a thorough report of the shop’s sought-after offerings, including a spam mi sandwich with housemade, artisanal spam. Nosh’s report from 2021 on the pop-up offers more insight into what chef Albert Ok’s new spot is all about. Ok’s Deli, 3932 Telegraph Ave. (at 40th Street), Oakland
Boozy-boba fans and nonboozy-boba fans alike should check out One Milk Tea’s new. spacious location in Oakland’s Chinatown, opened as of Sept. 2. The Sacramento-based boba mini-chain says it’s rapidly expanding across the state, with East Oakland and Alameda outposts also in the works. So far, this new spot is their only Bay Area location to offer “alcoholic boba,” by which they mean tea infused with soju or sake. One Milk Tea Chinatown, 349 7th St., Oakland
Fans missing their favorite Capitola-based pies and slices from the now demolished Pizza My Heart location on Bay Street can now find them for take-out and delivery inside Oakland’s Longfellow Food Hall. Pizza My Heart inside Longfellow Food Hall, 5333 Adeline St. (at 54th St.), Oakland
Alameda-based coffee greats Signal Coffee have just opened their first Berkeley location on Solano, in the former Brazilian Breads. Owner Brendan Doherty told Nosh contributor Anna Mindess that the location will offer coffee and pastries not found at its other outpost, and that it expects to hold a grand opening celebration in coming weeks. Signal Coffee Roasters, 1707 Solano Ave., Berkeley
Thanks to an East Coast reader visiting family in Hayward, we’ve heard that that city has a promising new Chinese restaurant in Tasty Szechuan, opened in recent days in the former A Heart Szechwan Fish space. Local reviews are bordering on excitable so far. Tasty Szechuan, 766 A St., Hayward
Featured image: Inside Fieldwork’s new San Leandro space. Credit: Fieldwork/Instagram
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