Berkeley, CA

    AMERICAN

    Bistro 1491 (Albany)
    Bongo Burger – what to order: burger (duh!)
    Cafe Rouge – what to order: NOTHING! Stay away from this place.
    FIVE Restaurant and Bar – what to order: roasted bone marrow
    Gather – what to order: vegan “charcuterie”
    — first visit
    — second visit
    Herbivore the Earthly Grill (all vegan) – what to order: ollalie berry pie, rhubarb pie
    Jodie’s (Albany) – what to order: grits and bacon, pancakes are excellent too! EVERYTHING is good here.
    Nation’s Giant Hamburger (the Greater Bay Area)
    Revival – what to order: anything vegetables and/or fruits
    just desserts
    UCafe (bakery) – what to order: avocado smoothie! UPDATE: this place is closed 🙁
    Venus
    Zut! – what to order: desserts!

    CHINESE

    99 Ranch Market’s Bakery (Richmond)
    China Village (Albany) – what to order: pork shoulder
    Renee’s Place (Albany) – what to order: NOTHING!
    Sheng Kee Bakery (Taiwanese bakery) (Richmond)
    Taiwan Restaurant – what to order: pickled cabbage soup with tripe

    DESSERT

    Crixa Cakes – what to order: Boston cream pie and poppyseed rugelach
    Ici – what to order: ANY ice cream to your heart’s content
    Comparison post: Masse’s Pastries vs. Reuschelle’s Cheesecake

    FRENCH

    Bistro Liaison – what to order: seared pork loin
    Crepes A-Go-Go
    Grégoire – what to order: grilled seitan sandwich
    La Bedaine – what to order: smoked salmon on baguette
    La Note – what to order: frankly I’m not impressed by this restaurant at all to recommend anything here.

    HAWAIIAN

    Wiki Wiki Hawaiian BBQ – what to order: teriyaki pork chop, loco moco

    INDIAN

    Biryani House – what to order: chicken tikka masala
    Himalayan Flavors (Indian and Nepalese) – what to order: mango kulfi

    ITALIAN

    Corso – what to order: NOTHING! Do NOT go here.

    JAPANESE

    Anzu – what to order: any Americanized sushi rolls
    — first visit
    — second visit
    — sushi
    Cha-Ya – what to order: vegan chocolate cake
    Ippuku – what to order: EVERYTHING! (to be fair, I strongly recommend the chicken liver, squid ink fried rice and black sesame ice cream)
    Iyasare
    Kaze – what to order: tonkotsu ramen with gyoza
    Kiraku – what to order: corn tempura, lotus root chips, Kiraku ribs
    Miyuki
    Musashi – what to order: gyutan (grilled beef tongue)
    O Chamé – what to order: grilled caramelized eel – UPDATE (Nov 2013): this restaurant is closed and replaced by Iyasare.
    So Oishi – what to order: ramen burger – UPDATE (February 2015): this place has been closed
    Sushi California – what to order: 49’er roll, black seaweed salad, purple sweet potato korokke
    Sushi Ko
    — sashimi
    — uni (sea urchin roe) sushi

    KOREAN

    Berkel Berkel
    — first visit
    — second visit
    Now changed to: 1a. Cho Korean BBQ. UPDATE (August 2011):  it has changed to a vegi house. UPDATE (March 2012): it was gone in a fire, and it is still an empty lot of debris at the moment. UPDATE (November 2013): It is now So Oishi.
    Crunch – what to order: tteokbokki

    MEXICAN

    Tacubaya – what to order: taco al pastortorta al pastor

    MIDDLE EASTERN

    Alborz
    Azerbaijan Cuisine [CLOSED]
    Razan’s Organic Kitchen

    PIZZA

    West Coast Pizza

    VIETNAMESE

    Ánh Hồng – what to order: bo nuong sa (lemongrass grilled beef sausage) and bo mo chai (fat-wrapped beef sausage)
    Le Petit Cheval – what to order: only go here if you want food ready in 5 minutes, otherwise it’s not worth it.
    Le Regal – what to order: banh hoi with grilled meat
    — fried rice and bánh hỏi
    — cá kho tộ (claypot fish)
    — phở
    Phở Hòa [CLOSED, now changed to Toss]
    Saigon Express – what to order: another cheap place that I don’t recommend. UPDATE (Dec 9, 2015): order the clay pot rice with beef
    Vanessa’s Bistro – what to order: beef carpaccio

    OTHER SOUTHEAST ASIAN

    Da Nang Krungthep Thai Cuisine
    Dara Lao Thai Cuisine – what to order: sticky rice roll, mordin
    Jayakarta – what to order: ayam kalasan (roasted chicken with palm sugar), mi goreng (fried rice noodle) and pangsit kuah (chicken wonton soup)

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