East Bay food

East Bay food

There will be moments, even years, when I forget about Vik's Chaat. But then I suddenly remember the giant, crispy, thin masala dosa, and a temporarily dormant craving returns. It's hard to find a place in the East Bay that has chaat the spicy, fun, Indian street snacks. I remember poking the garbanzo bean-filled pani puris and watching cholle bhature puff up as a cook fried it. Eating at Vik's is a hands-on, visceral experience.

The East Village Vietnamese restaurant Bánh Anh Em from Nhu Ton and John Nguyen has been popular since it opened in the spring: The line down the block is proof that, even in our age of overhype, customers respond to quality ingredients and strong flavors. Nearly every item on the menu comes loaded with ingredients made from scratch, including the bread in the bánh mì and the springy rice noodles in the phở. And some are punched up by items imported straight from Vietnam.

A buffet's worth of food pop-ups launched in the first year of COVID-19. Some flamed out, while others, like Cenaduria Elvira, became shooting stars. Now, the business that began in a Jingletown backyard and quickly gained notoriety for its focus on flavor-packed, lovingly-crafted dishes from the Mexican state of Jalisco, is ready for the next phase, a brick and mortar in Oakland's Jack London Square.

After closing their Walnut Creek location, Kopi Bar & Bakery is back inside the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA).

A Nosh tipster let us know that the College Avenue location of Jot Mahal, a longtime Berkeley institution for vegetarian Indian food, has closed. Ownership confirmed the closure over the phone and also shared that a new Indian spot, Chandni Chowk, has already taken its place as of Oct. 28. Jot Mahal is still up and running at the corner of Shattuck and Cedar in Berkeley, but 3211 College Ave. (at Alcatraz) is now closed.

When Kopi Bar shuttered its original location in Walnut Creek in June, it left behind many fans who turned out for its distinct menu of Indonesian-inspired beverages and pastries like coconut cappuccinos, creamy avocado coffees and croissants made with klepon, a traditional Indonesian sweet glutinous rice ball filled with palm sugar, colored green with pandan, and rolled in grated coconut.

Kasper's Hot Dogs shut down both of its remaining locations in mid-October, one in Concord and the other on Oakland's MacArthur Boulevard. Started in 1929 in Oakland by Kasper Koojoolian, the brand has now gone from roughly a dozen outposts around the Bay down to zero - though Caspers Hot Dogs, another East Bay chain, is still seemingly doing fine.

Celebrate Halloween with a fun, family-friendly Pumpkin Painting event at Public Market Emeryville! This free, hands-on activity is perfect for all ages and includes up to 40 small pumpkins.

"Music and food are everything to me," said Parche owner and culinary director, Paul Iglesias.

"We wish it could have ended differently but the city had the power, the resources and the final word,"

Last year, the New York Times crowned Rose Pizzeria one of the best pizza spots in the United States. Now, the team behind the celebrated Berkeley staple has opened the doors to a new venture, Cafe Brusco, right down the street from the pizzeria. The all-day cafe features house-made bagels baked in the sister restaurant's pizza ovens along with coffee and pastries from other local vendors, including Good Luck Bakery. Cafe Brusco will also begin offering wine in the near future.

Blue Bottle is set to leave the iconic WC Morse building in Oakland's Temescal district on September 26, per a sign on the cafe's door. Blue Bottle has occupied the historic former car dealership since 2014 and used to offer espresso tech repairs, visible through a plastic partition in the space. The cafe has recently shaved down its opening hours, and an employee said declining business made continuing unviable.

We just want everybody to come represent,

Before last year's inaugural Oakland Chinatown Night Market, community leaders had long dreamed of hosting a big, rollicking night market event - the sort of outdoor bash you'll find in cities across Asia. Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council (OCIC) Executive Director Tony Trinh says the hardest part was getting the Chinatown shopkeepers and restaurant owners themselves to believe such a thing was possible.

My go-to order is the ho fun ($6.62), or as my Cantonese-speaking partner likes to call them, drunken noodles. Bouncy rice noodles, thinly sliced cabbage, caramelized onions, and marinated beef are stir-fried in an umami sauce for the dish. It's topped with sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and a smidge of cilantro, creating a symphony of savory and fresh flavors. Tao Yuen is known for its heaping portions, so even if you ask for a small box, expect the server to fill it to the brim.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 13th. For one night only, Oakland Chinatown transforms into a vibrant night market filled with events like: * Taste of Chinatown: Taste & vote on your favorite local plates 🥟 * Oakland's Asia Cup: Asian basketball teams going head-to-head 🏀 * Nakayama Motorsports Carshow: An array of JDM and Old Schools🏎️ * Live Sounds and Performances: @seijioda , @officialkiyomi , @bussdowncollective + SO MUCH MORE to come! 🧧Follow @chinatownoakland for the latest updates.🧧