Battambang ★ 4.2
Battambang on Broadway in Oakland's Chinatown has cooked Cambodian cuisine since 1993. Beef lok lak and amok lead a menu locals have leaned on for years.
Signature: Beef lok lak, Amok, Cambodian noodles
Vientian Cafe is a lao restaurant in Fruitvale, Oakland.
Vientian Cafe in Oakland's Allendale neighborhood runs a Lao-Thai-Vietnamese counter that locals have voted into a regional Lao standard for two decades.
Signature dishes: Larb, Papaya salad, Lao sausage
Address: 3801 Allendale Avenue, Oakland, CA 94619
Battambang on Broadway in Oakland's Chinatown has cooked Cambodian cuisine since 1993. Beef lok lak and amok lead a menu locals have leaned on for years.
Signature: Beef lok lak, Amok, Cambodian noodles
Tay Ho on 12th Street on the edge of Oakland Chinatown cooks Northern Vietnamese plates with a full bar. Bun cha Hanoi is the lead order at the door.
Signature: Bun cha Hanoi, Banh xeo, Pho ga
Pho Ao Sen on East 12th in Oakland's Eastlake neighborhood runs the city's standard for pho, a Sunday-morning regular for two decades on the corridor.
Signature: Pho tai, Pho ga, Bun bo Hue
Shan Dong on 10th Street in Oakland Chinatown pulls noodles by hand behind a glass counter. Dumplings, sesame noodles and chive pancakes anchor the menu.
Signature: Hand-pulled noodles, Pork dumplings, Sesame paste noodles
Geta is the small Piedmont Avenue sushi counter that quietly serves an omakase in ten or fifteen pieces. Lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday only.
Signature: Omakase, Chirashi bowl, Bento box
Mua on Webster in Uptown Oakland opened in 2008 as one of the first restaurants on then-Auto Row. Family-owned New American with a strong cocktail program.
Signature: Steak frites, Lamb chops, Cocktails