CuisineArtisan bread
Price$
NeighborhoodDowntown
HoursMon-Sat 08:00-17:00; Sun closed
Last verified

Why locals love it: Most visitors buy Acme bread at cafes and never visit the production bakery on San Pablo Avenue where all of it is baked.

Hidden gems: tours, tastings and classes in Berkeley

Berkeley Food & Counter Culture Tour★ 5.0 (1)

Guided tour · 2h 30m

Berkeley Food & Counter Culture Tour

Explore Berkeley's North Shattuck neighborhood (formerly the Gourmet Ghetto) and UC Berkeley on a guided walking tour. Enjoy food stops, see the Campanile, and visit t...

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Location

Address: 1601 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702

Also in downtown

Kiraku

$$ Japanese izakayaDowntown

Japanese izakaya behind an unmarked B entrance off Telegraph. Seasonal small plates and yakitori with daily specials. No website or social media. $15 minimum.

Why locals goUnit B behind a Telegraph address; the entrance is easy to miss; no website, no social presence.

Full downtown food guide →

More hidden gems in Berkeley

Song Tea

$$ Chinese teaSolano Avenue

Single-origin Chinese tea shop on Solano Avenue. Teas from Taiwan, Fujian and Yunnan. Tasting format lets you compare same cultivar from different farms.

Why locals goTea shops don't appear on typical Berkeley food lists; Solano Avenue is underrepresented in food media.

Wat Mongkolratanaram Sunday Thai Market

$ Thai home cookingSouth Berkeley

Thai Buddhist temple open on Sunday mornings for a community food market. Pad see ew, curry, mango sticky rice and sugar cane juice bought with $1 tokens.

Why locals goNo signage from the street; visitors who find it call it their best Berkeley food memory.

Kiraku

$$ Japanese izakayaDowntown

Japanese izakaya behind an unmarked B entrance off Telegraph. Seasonal small plates and yakitori with daily specials. No website or social media. $15 minimum.

Why locals goUnit B behind a Telegraph address; the entrance is easy to miss; no website, no social presence.

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant

$$ Wine retail and tastingGourmet Ghetto

Kermit Lynch has imported French and Italian wines since 1972. Burgundy, Rhone, Provence and Italian growers he has worked with for decades. San Pablo Avenue.

Why locals goOff the Shattuck Avenue main strip; many visitors never venture to San Pablo Avenue for wine.

Monterey Market

$ Produce marketGourmet Ghetto

East Bay chef produce source since 1958. Chez Panisse has shopped here since the 1970s. California seasonal varieties at prices below specialty market prices.

Why locals goHopkins Street is not on the tourist circuit; most visitors go to Berkeley Bowl and miss this market where Berkeley chefs actually shop.

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