Top 10 Restaurants On Piedmont Avenue In Oakland California

Piedmont, California often gets overshadowed by its larger, trendier neighbor, San Francisco. However, this small city located in the middle of Oakland is worth a visit. Check out our top 10 places to grab a bite to eat on Piedmont Avenue.

Homestead Restaurant

Restaurant, American

Pamper your tastebuds with a trip to Homestead Restaurant. At this sophisticated New American spot, you’ll find a four-course menu that includes dishes like slow-cooked shortribs with potato gnocchi and wild mushrooms and pan-fried grits with fermented chilies and grilled chicories. The drink menu spans three pages, so even the most critical of beer and wine connoisseurs will be impressed. Just make sure that you save some room for dessert – you won’t want miss Homestead’s flowerless chocolate cake.

Caffe Trieste

With five locations scattered throughout Northern California, Caffe Trieste is the place that Bay Area residents go for a cup of coffee. It’s been around since 1956, and has earned the slogan “The Espresso Pioneers of the West Coast.” You can’t go wrong with a simple house coffee, but if you have a sweet tooth, try a caffe mocha or a chai latte. Caffe Trieste is also a great place to visit for a meal at any time of day. Go during breakfast hours for a stack of banana nut pancakes, or come at lunchtime for a delicious custom panini.

Baja Taqueria

Restaurant, Mexican

If you’re looking for some authentic Mexican food, head to Baja Taqueria. This restaurant offers a great range of tacos, burritos, appetizers, and combo plates. To start, try the fried calamari with smoked jalapeño aioli, or the nacho fries. These are French fries smothered in two kinds of cheese, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Pair your appetizer with a lobster burrito, stuffed with a quarter pound of real lobster. Best of all, every ingredient is guaranteed to be organic, GMO free, and sustainably sourced, so you can chow down guilt-free.

Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers

Restaurant, Vegetarian, Salad Bar

Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers has been a beloved California burger spot for 35 years, offering classic burgers with flame-broiled beef patties on a sesame bun with all the fixings. But Barney’s long history doesn’t stop the restaurant from being innovative. In fact, the menu offers many interesting twists on the traditional burger. Choose the Greek burger, with avocado, feta cheese, and cucumbers in a pita pocket, or the Caribbean burger with sautéed vegetables in spicy jerk sauce. Don’t forget the fries – Barney’s curly fries and creamy ranch dressing are the perfect complement to any burger.

Commis

Restaurant, Bubble Tea Shop, American

If you’re willing to splurge, treat yourself to dinner at Commis. This Michelin-starred restaurant offers an eight-course tasting menu with dishes like caramelized onion financier with bee pollen and Dungeness crab with coral and dried pickled celeriac. It will cost you a pretty penny, but the expense is completely worth it. The restaurant has received top ratings from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. Even people who aren’t seasoned food critics will realize that Commis is something special.

Mr Green Bubble

Cafe, Bubble Tea Shop, Tea , Fast Food

Since the boba craze swept the nation several years ago, several bubble tea shops have popped up in the East Bay, but Mr Green Bubble is one of the best. This trendy cafe has a gigantic menu, and each item on it is endlessly customizable. Once you select your tea flavor, it’s up to you exactly how much milk and sugar are in your drink, and you can also choose from a wide variety of add-ins, like boba, mango jelly, and lychee. If you’d like a more substantial snack, the popcorn chicken goes well with any drink.

Slicer Pizzeria

Restaurant, Pizzeria, Italian

If you’re an East Coast native who believes that it’s impossible to find good pizza on the West Coast, one meal at Slicer Pizzeria might be enough to change your mind. This restaurant offers seasonal pizzas by the slice, with ingredients like butternut squash and zucchini. If you’d like a more traditional pizza, try a pie with Yukon potatoes, apple wood smoked bacon, red onion, and rosemary, or one with roasted mushrooms, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. You can also customize any pizza by adding ricotta cheese, spicy peppers, and more.

Fenton’s Creamery

Ice Cream Parlour, Restaurant, Ice Cream

Fenton’s Creamery has a reputation as one of the best ice cream spots in the East Bay, and it deserves it. In fact, Fenton’s practically has a cult following. People go crazy for the restaurant’s signature, over-the-top sundaes, which always come with massive scoops of ice cream dripping with toppings and sauces. You can’t go wrong with any Fenton’s sundae. If you’re feeling brave, try the Fudgeanna, a creation that includes an entire banana covered in two scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, a handful of almonds, and whipped cream.

Shimizu Japanese Cuisine

Restaurant, Japanese

Bay Area Sushi lovers might find a new favorite dinner spot in Shimizu Japanese Cuisine. The menu offers a variety of a delicious, authentic Japanese food at very reasonable prices. The restaurant’s basic sushi and sashimi dishes are nothing short of simple perfection, but where Shimizu really shines is its rolls. Try a Love roll with shrimp, crab, avocado, tuna, and tobiko, or a Flaming Dragon roll, which arrives at your table in flames. Come in on your birthday for a free dessert.

KronnerBurger

KronnerBurger is a brunch and lunch spot known for its eponymous burger, which is topped with cheddar mayo, pickles, onion, and lettuce on a pain de mie bun. Even if you’re bored of burgers, you’ll still love this inventive menu. For brunch, try the crispy nettle and potato hash browns, with a soft cooked egg, mustard greens, beets, and crème fraiche. If it’s lunchtime, you can’t go wrong with the smoky pork jowl and white grits with buttermilk gravy and fried eggs.

About the author

Aviva Schmitz

Originally from Oakland, California, Aviva is a sophomore at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts majoring in English and Spanish. When she is not busy studying languages or exploring the Greater Boston Area, she can often be found pursuing her other passions, which include eating, drinking bubble tea, and sleeping. She also writes for two campus publications, the Tufts Daily and The Zamboni, a humor magazine. After college she hopes to continue writing and eating her way around the world.