Everyone seems to have a friend that just moved to the east bay from San Francisco, and even though it is right next door to SF, moving to a new place can be daunting. Its like when you’re a little kid and you wish you could hang out with your best friend all the time, but then when you actually go to your first sleepover you totally start having second thoughts and realize how weird other peoples families are and sneak off to call your mom to pick you up.
Moving from SF to the east bay is that.
Suddenly there are all of these new people with new clothes, new smells (especially as you get off the bridge), new social norms and new things to do. Unlike SF, the east bay is sprawling, with Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Lafayette and all the way out to the WC. It can be a bit uncomfortable for newcomers who are used to walking everywhere and suddenly find themselves Lyfting, Liming and driving across town. It can also be tough to rebuild your lifestyle repertoire, but that’s what I’m here to help you do.
So whether you just moved, are thinking about moving, or are just looking for something new to do - here’s the SF transplant guide to the East Bay, for everything from your new favorite airport to burritos, pizza and liquor stores - we’re going alphabetical below:
Airport ✈️: The Oakland airport is the closest thing you can get to a private jet experience without having a private jet. It takes a maximum of 8 minutes from the moment you walk in the door til you get to your gate. Whereas if you #flySFO, while beautiful, you’re signing yourself up for two hours of extra garbage trying to get through an enormous parking setup, giant terminals, security, and not to mention the unpredictable “low-ceiling” fog delays. The pain of SFO is especially acute when you’re taking a “short flight” to LAX, where they’ve added on the whole rigamarole of getting into a ride-share. But if you were to instead fly Oakland to Burbank you always have clear skies, an extremely straight-forward parking and lyfting situation and that’s that.
The Oakland airport even has some unusually bougie elements - like the fact that you can pay for VIP parking that is steps from the door, which also lets you jump the line for a faster security screen. The airport is small and efficient and feels made for locals - just a few weeks ago I saw Oakland legend Boots Riley getting a pat-down at security just like the rest of us.
Efficiency aside, the best part is that when you come home to Oakland there’s always a musician there to welcome you - one time it was a family band of 4 kids under 12 perfecting their classical music scores, another time a violinist going to town on the Song of Ice and Fire. Once you fly out of Oakland you’ll never want to fly anything else.
Bottomless mimosas: maybe because i’m not 25 anymore, I kind of forgot that bottomless mimosas were a thing to seek out, but if you want to waste the day away on a Sunday, there’s a hidden gem of a bottomless brunch at the Lafayette Park Hotel where you can order an entree and get your fill of the buffet and bubbles for $49.
Burritos 🌯: if you’re a fan of Lil Chihuahua then you will love Xolo. Also named for a dog (this one named for the hairless dog Frida Kahlo had: El Señor Xolotl) - they make a mean chile verde burrito and an absolutely indulgent chile relleno burrito with a battered and fried cheese-stuffed poblano. Xolo is located in Uptown on Telegraph, a neighborhood that is having serious turnover and revitalization right now. It’s also right by the Fox so its an easy and quick spot to nab a bite before a show. And I somehow almost forgot - they have hands down best breakfast burrito in the entire Bay. They deliver via Caviar and serve beer and wine in the taqueria.
If you fancy yourself more of a mission burrito eater then try your hand at Los Cántaros in Oakland or my new favorite Picante in Berkeley which because of some interior design choices feels a bit more commercialized but is actually a longtime local spot.
And we’ve talked about this before but if you love Gordo’s in the Richmond, you’ll obviously love Gordo’s on College in Berkeley just the same.
Coffee ☕️: The city is all about that Blue Bottle Life these days but the east bay is full of great independents (though there is actually a pretty nice bb on Broadway and one on Piedmont). Locals love Timeless, a vegan dream with two locales and Highwire which you can find in Rockridge and at lots of farmer’s markets but the real fan favorite is Red Bay whose slogan is “Beautiful Coffee to the People”. Red Bay is one of the largest local distributors of coffee and has a stunning roastery and HQ in Fruitvale.
Donuts 🍩: You probably got your SF donut fix at Bob’s - but you’ll really fall in love with Johnny’s Donuts in Lafayette. Like Bob’s this unassuming strip-mall spot has delightfully gluttonous donuts and on weekends a line out the door — except instead of hungover 20-somethings, here its all dads and kids. Where are the women, I often wonder? Are they working out? Should I be working out? Instead I order the sugar rich Apple Fritter, which will be the cause of my early demise but its probably worth it. And the best part is that the folks working always throw a free donut hole or two into the bag, but you can pretend that I didn’t tell you that and just feel special when you get one.
Ice Cream 🍦: If you like Humphry Slocombe or Bi-Rite - the hands down winner for best ice cream in the East Bay is Lottie’s (walnut creek & danville). They make all of their ingredients from scratch (not just the ice cream, the toppings too) and they pasteurize their own cream. I don’t exactly know what that entails or why it would be better that way but it is. And everything is sourced locally and seasonally - which means sometimes your favorite flavor won’t be there — but it probably will be there because everyone’s favorite flavor at Lottie’s is the Vanilla Salted Almond Toffee (colloquially endeared as ‘VSAT’). Its hard to resist. And it also comes in the form of an ice cream cake, which is my only birthday request. They also feature flavors like cranberry sorbet at Christmastime or Honey Candied Kumquat in the summer and they’re not trying too hard like other ice cream shops- their flavors work together and taste great.
Chicago-Style Pizza 🍕: Paxti’s rules the roost for Chicago-style pizza in SF, but Zachary’s is king in the east bay. Initially opened in 1983 in Rockridge, the company now has locations in Berkeley, a fancyish one in Pleasant Hill by a mega movie theater and one way out in San Ramon. The restaurants have been fully employee owned since 2010 and have won hundreds of awards for their pizza. The place is usually bursting at the seams and as with most deep dish pies, it can take 30+ minutes to make it - so the east bay pro-tip is to call in your order “half baked” and finish it off in the oven so its hot at home.
Grocery Store 🛒: you can read about my costly obsession with Lafayette’s Diablo Foods, but the other leading EB grocer is Berkeley Bowl - which originally took over a bowling alley in the 70’s and kept the name for its first location. They have a shiny newer location called Berkeley Bowl West too. Both locations have unbeatable produce and support loads of local suppliers for everything from bread to wine.
Liquor store 🍾- Epicurean Trader and Cask are the best liquor stores in SF but thankfully there is a Cask on College in Berkeley. Other places with impressive, boutique liquor selection include the aforementioned Diablo Foods in Lafayette and Umami Mart (for Japanese booze specifically 🍶) in Oakland.
Queso + Cocktails 🍹 - Tacolicious has really taken over all the key neighborhoods in SF for their fun vibe and quick and consistent food and cocktails. East Bay favorite Doña Tomás recently closed their Temescal location and opened anew in Piedmont with a huge, beautiful space called Doña. It’s a quick service restaurant and has been packed to the gills since it opened. They have a big bar, plus cocktails and queso, a solid outdoor space and are very toddler friendly.
Sandwiches - there are so many, but these are my top picks: Stay Gold Deli (one in west oakland, one on san pablo) for drip-off-your-hands sandwiches, then there are two rival delis a mile apart from one another: Moruccis and Genova, both in walnut creek doing italian-style and custom sandwiches exceptionally well. Ratto’s is a 4th generation deli in downtown Oakland, and Augie’s is a relatively new Canadian deli in Berkeley that pays homage to Montreal’s famous Schwartz’s.
Shopping 🛍️: Let’s face it, if you lived in SF in your 20’s you definitely found yourself shopping in the east bay trying to see how much you could fit into your zipcar from the Emeryville Ikea, but there’s so much more to east bay shopping these days — from adorable vintage retailers like Maison d’Etre, big markets like Alameda flea and all of your favorite brand names too. If its chain stores you’re after, you can satisfy your needs at Broadway Plaza, the vast outdoor shopping center in Walnut Creek. It’s a leisure-filled breath of fresh air compared to the tourist deathtrap of Union Square. Broadway Plaza has ample and relatively affordable parking (plus valet if you’re feeling it), wide sidewalks, trees and two high-end chain steakhouses with great happy hour deals after a day of shops. But if you’re looking for something a little less “Walnut Creek”, try Fourth Street in Berkeley which has a good mix between local and big box stores. With home furnishing stores like Design within Reach and CB2, or clothiers like Lulu Lemon, Madewell and Amour Vert - you can cover all of your bases. I‘m a big fan of The Gardener - a local home and garden-themed retail store founded in Berkeley in 1984 which features gifts that would be perfect for the type of friend that likes to garden, knit, bake or whittle - and if you live in the east bay, that friend very well may be you.
Tapas & Spanish food 🥘: if you get your Catalonian fix at Bellota or Coqueta in SF then you’ll absolutely love Duende in uptown Oakland and Teleféric Barcelona in Walnut Creek. I’m one of those people that insists you can’t get good food east of the Caldecott but Teleféric caught me by surprise. This is the third in a series of restaurants - the first opened in Sant Cugat, Spain and was so successful they opened the second location in Barcelona. The Walnut Creek locale opened a few years ago and its so unexpectedly good that I started to wonder if they accidentally ended up in WC because they were looking for real estate in San Francisco but then were sold on Walnut Creek as some crafty realtor billed it to them as “the SF Bay Area”? Kind of like the time I booked a ryokan in Kyoto Prefecture thinking it was the city of Kyoto but it was 2 hours away? Just seems odd to go from owning a restaurant in a beloved major metropolis like Barcelona to owning your next restaurant in a random suburban mini-city like Walnut Creek. On the Spanish-language version of their website they refer to it as their “San Francisco” location, further evidence to support my conspiracy theory. Anyway - the vibe is very fun, the cocktails are creative and the tapas and pintxos are delicious. Plus they do a flamenco night every Monday at 6 - bring your date, bring your gal pals, or do what I did and bring your mom.
Tiki Bar - Tradr Sam’s might be your jam in SF or maybe its the insane rainstorm at the Fairmont that gets you - but the east bay is home to an abundance of tiki-themed establishments including the original trader vics - read about two ebay Tiki Bars here.
Transportation: The BART is your new best friend. Love to hate it, hate to love it.
If you don’t like trying new things and want the restaurants you already know and love - here’s a handy list of all the best SF places that have east bay locales.
Have a friend you’re trying to get over the bridge? Please forward this on!