Readers Say The Darndest Things: Restaurants & Bars

Best African Restaurant
Asmara
Watch out for the honey wine, it sneaks up on you. — Kylie
Gabbard

Best Barbecue
Everett & Jones
Their Obama innaguration block party was enough to warrant an award.
That was a truly Bay experience. — Paul Williams

KC BBQ on San Pablo
Everett and Jones is good, but don’t sleep on KC BBQ, with their
homemade hotlinks and some of the best beef BBQ in town. —
Maurice Lyles

Uncle Willies
All of the ones you listed are REALLY BAD. —
Maria

Best Biker Bar
Godspeed
But don’t tell anyone. — Amani

Lanesplitter
Um, THESE are our biker bars? Ha. — Erica

Best Breakfast/Brunch
La Note
Le Pain Perdu — it made me cry tears of happiness. —
Lena

Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe
Even with all of their vegetarian substitutions, it’s still
gloriously unhealthy. — Ann Marie Faust

The Old Place Seafood House
Their dim sum on Sundays is to effing die for. — Mai
Nguyen

Best Brewery
Buffalo Bill’s — Hayward
They were the first in the area and they have never lost their touch
for maintaining a tradition of excellence and a flair for innovation.
— Maria Ochoa

Pyramid
The free movies. — Aaron French

Triple Rock
Monkey Head! — Ann Marie Faust

Best Cafe/Coffeehouse
Awaken Cafe
Love the live updates on the Bart schedule! And that they have rice
milk! — Rachel

Cole Coffee
NOT Cafe — Willis Stork

Day of the Dead Cafe
Skeletons and tea! — Conan Neutron

Peet’s
Coffee defined. — Alida Birnam

Best Chinese Restaurant
Shen Hua
It’s a little pricey for Chinese food, but tasty. Try the
potstickers and you will sing “Love Lockdown” by Kanye West in
Mandarin. — Maurice Lyles

Best Cocktails
Dona Tomas
Their margaritas are like alchemy in a glass. — Chelsea
Moorhead

Flora
Only place outside New Orleans I’ve had a good Sazerac cocktail.
— Frederic Leist

Best Deli
Genova Deli
Who doesn’t love Dominic? — Arougendorf Gillis

Saul’s
Because it is. — Holly Le Du

Best Desserts
Bakesale Betty
Legendary for a reason! — Dele

Masse’s Pastries
They made our wedding cake. It was KILLER. Only wedding cake I
actually wanted MORE of. — Peigi Chace

Best Dive Bar
Hotsy Totsy
Mid-century porn — Neocles Serafimidis

Mello-Dee
Evokes the best in darkened lounge style places to drown your
sorrows, or find new ones. — Peter Bullen

Missouri Lounge
Although it’s climbed a couple rungs above dive lately, the chill
atmosphere and bevy of hoodie-clad guzzlers have remained in this home
away from home. — Maggie

Best Gay Bar
Bench and Bar
Three stories of gay boys dancing!!!! — Amanda
Joost

Velvet
Best lesbian bar. — Amy

Best Indian/Pakistani Restaurant
Ajanta
Nicest people, best food. Fresh ingredients and really interesting
dishes you don’t find elsewhere. — Anuradha
Vikram

Vik’s Chaat Corner
It’s always packed for a reason! — Julia Nowak

Best Japanese/Sushi Restaurant
Coach Sushi
If you order sake, they give you unlimited refills. Luckily, I live
within walking distance. — Njeri Eaton

Kamakura
Faith Yamamoto is the most gracious restaurateur in the world!
— Claudia Perkins

Best Karaoke Bar
The Alley
I wouldn’t call it karaoke, though. — Mark
Shaw

Best Korean Restaurant
Ohgane
I’m drunk, it’s ten o’clock, what’s open? — Obi
Kaufmann

Best Mexican Restaurant
Doña Tomas
But Tamarindo should be on this list. — Dan

Huarache Azteca
These other choices hardly qualify as Mexican food —
Salvador

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
La Mediterranee
I was on the Check Please! episode 409 shoutin’ this out y’all! Dig
it deep and hard baby, you will be glad you did. — James Duncan
Cook

Zatar
One of the best secrets ever — Gary Parsons

Best New Restaurant
Camino
Bellanico, too! — Steven Horowitz

Picán
Sleek and swanky, yet unpretentious, Picán offers cool
cuisine in a unique atmosphere. It deserves its status as a destination
restaurant, bringing something special to Uptown. — Jonathan
Bair

Best Pick-Up Bar
The Serenader
Also, best bar to get your ass kicked by an old lady with a cane.
— Ericka Doolittle

Best Pizza
Zachary’s
They all rule for different reasons. But Zachary’s is doing a pie
you can’t get ANYWHERE else in the bay. — Kevin
Watson-Graff

Best Salads
Cafe Gratitude
Let’s see, genetically modified canola oil and a hit or miss policy
on organics coming from a cutthroat corporation or a truly conscious,
raw organic salad that actually nourishes the body and mind coming from
the heart … hmmmm. — Salaka

Whole Foods
Make your own. — Claire Carrick

Best Seafood Restaurant
Sea Salt
$1 oyster happy hour. Enough said. — Max
Hechter

Best Steaks
[Cafe] Rouge
They butcher their own — Claire Carrick

Best Teahouse
L’Amyx
Also a great place to go with a nine-year-old girl. — Cindy
Fressola

Numi’s Tea Garden
A hidden oasis of peace in a rushed and chaotic world. —
Timothy R Yee

Best Thai/Burmese Restaurant
Burma Superstar
So psyched they opened in Oakland. —
Oaklandpete

Best Tiki Bar
Forbidden Island
Surf videos do make a difference in the ambiance. — Jeff
Swanson

Best Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant
Cafe Gratitude
The affirmation deal is a bit much, so look past that and just eat
the delicious food. — Benjamin Thompson

Golden Lotus
Fake wings, cult action, enlightenment, BAM!!! — James Duncan
Cook

Soley Vegan
Where did you goooo? — Ana Rasquiza

Best Vietnamese/Cambodian Restaurant
Le Cheval
This place runs like a well-oiled machine and the food is delicious.
— Olga Texidor

Phnom Penh
This is my number one favorite restaurant for 25 years! —
Pati

Cheapest Drinks
Missouri Lounge
The Special and/or El Especial have ruined many a Sunday morning for
me. — John Peck

Stork Club!!!!
$2.00 PBR All the time!!!!!!! — Misty Fagundes