Photo University of California, Berkeley Clock Tower as taken on my iPhone
[UPDATED FOR MY 2016 TRIP]
After an amazing three days at Yosemite National Park in 2014, I drove three hours back west towards San Francisco. I never made it out to Berkeley during my previous two trips to San Francisco. Accordingly, I decided to stop by Berkeley for a few hours. Of course, the city is best known for being the home of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). For this reason, the school was my first stop in Berkeley. Naturally, parking is very difficult right next to the campus. However, you can find 2 hour, free street parking a few blocks away if you do not mind walking 10 minutes. From my experience, 2 hours is more than enough to take a walk and see the beautiful campus. If you do not mind parking and walking further, you can definitely find unlimited street parking. I entered through the west entrance on University Avenue. I walked east and up some small hills until I hit Hearst Greek Theater on Gayley Road. Next, I walked south on Gayley Road until I saw the California Memorial Stadium where the football team plays. Afterwards, I turned back west back into the campus to complete my loop. Berkeley is definitely the perfect college town. It reminds me of Ithaca in New York. On the other hand, I have been out of school and working full time for years now. It definitely felt odd to visit a campus with classes still in session and students walking around. I felt a little old and out of place. In my opinion, Berkeley is a nice place to stop by for a few hours if you have some extra time on your trip to the Bay Area. It is also a good place to stay if you are going to Yosemite National Park the next day and want to bypass the San Francisco city traffic. There will still be traffic but at least you cut out a good part of it. Similarly, it is convenient to stay in Berkeley if you are going to or coming from wine country to avoid the San Francisco traffic. For my 2016 trip, I stayed here for a night after visiting Napa Valley and left for Yosemite the following afternoon. It worked out very well. If you are only in the Bay Area for a short time, I would bypass Berkeley and just focus on things to do in San Francisco. If you decide to visit Berkeley, the university is worth a stop. Definitely stop by Gourmet Ghetto for some food. It is also an option as a place to stay if you want a cheaper option outside of San Francisco. You can also reach it via mass transit, the BART, if you do not want to rent a car. Below are other recommendations I have for the city.
1. Gourmet Ghetto
Gourmet Ghetto is an awesome section of Berkeley along Shattuck Avenue and Vine Street that has a lot of great choices for food. Overall, I was very impressed by the selection and the quality of the food. It is less than a mile north of the campus. There is two hour parking around the area. If you want unlimited, free parking, you can drive a few blocks west. I found it on the streets by the intersection of Vine and Edith Streets. If you visit Berkeley, eating in the Gourmet Ghetto is a must.
Gregoire (2109 Cedar St, Berkeley, CA 94709)
It is a French takeout restaurant with very limited seating. There are only a few seats inside on the counter and a couple of small tables outside. Nevertheless, it was my favorite spot in Gourmet Ghetto. I ordered the “box of assorted freshly baked pastries”. It included a croissant, a chocolate croissant, and an apple pastry. They were all incredible: fluffy and crisp. I also tried to order some potato puffs. Since they were only available for lunch, I came back a few hours later and got some to go. They were excellent. I did not eat lunch here but the sandwiches looked great.
Crepevine (1600 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, CA 94709)
It is an informal sit down restaurant where you seat yourself then go up to the counter to order food that is brought to you. It is a good alternative to Chez Panisse, which is more fancy and expensive, in Gourmet Ghetto. In the past, I always thought of crepes as a poorly made pancake. Crepevine changed my opinion. I ordered the “Tri-Berry” which includes strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries with Nutella and chocolate sauce. The dish blew me away. The berries were fresh and the Nutella and chocolate sauce puts everything over the top. The scoop of vanilla ice cream is a nice, appreciated touch. In other crepe experiences, I thought the crepe was too soft which made them soggy with the other ingredients, especially the sauces, in them. At Crepevine, the crepe was crisp. I loved it. The other food looked very good too.
Cheese Board Pizza (1512 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709)
For west coast pizza, it is not bad. I actually enjoyed it. There are long lines for Cheese Board Pizza. However, they have a brilliant setup so it moves fast. They make one pizza of the day and sell it by the slice, half a pie, and whole pie. Consequently, the customer has limited decisions to make and the same pizzas are continually made and ready to be served immediately. I went for a whole pie which is $22. Cheese Board Pizza is also known for their green sauce. Unfortunately, I got my pizza for the road and did not get a chance to try the sauce since there are no cups and I did not want it on my pizza to get soggy over time.
César (1515 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, CA 94709)
It was the only place I tried in Gourmet Ghetto that was disappointing. It is a tapas restaurant so small plates. However, it is a bit pricey. When I read the reviews on Yelp, a couple reviewers noted that it is the best Spanish food they have eaten outside of Spain. I have not been to Spain and have not eaten a lot of authentic Spanish food. For this reason, it is entirely possible that it is just not my taste. I ordered the jamón ibérico. It looks like prosciutto and you eat it on bread. It was ok but I was not a big fan. Of course, it is pork so it is part of a pig. Nevertheless, it tasted a little too much like swine with a strong aftertaste. My friend ordered a sandwich and he noted it was way too oily. The fried potatoes were very good. They were like shoestring potato strips. In my opinion, this spot is hit or miss. You either like the taste or not. If you do, then Cesar is a good spot for tapas.
2. Telegraph Avenue
There are a lot of choices by University Avenue. Students definitely do not have any problems trying to find food nearby campus. I ventured a little bit to Telegraph Avenue for lunch where there are also a lot of options.
Koja Kitchen (2395 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704)
Koja Kitchen is a popular food truck in San Francisco. It has a sit down restaurant in Berkeley. The layout is like a fast food restaurant with better décor. You order at a counter and get your food very quickly. The food is excellent. After I got my food and sat down, I took out my iPhone to snap a picture. The guest sitting next to me noted “It is definitely worth taking a picture”. I ordered the beef koja and kamikaze fries. I highly recommend both. Koja is a sandwich that has rice patties as buns. The beef was very tender. The rice patty buns were very crisp and delicious. The kamikaze fries are crisscut fries topped with Korean BBQ Beef, kimchi, green onions, signature sauce, and Japanese sweet mayo. I have a low tolerance for spicy but the sauce is not that intense. It is just enough spicy to give a kick but not be overwhelming. Koja Kitchen is not cheap but it is not expensive either especially when you consider the quality of food. Since it is affordable and in a college town, there will be students there. If I went to school at UC Berkeley, I would have definitely gone to Koja Kitchen at least once a week. In terms of parking, do not waste any time trying to find street parking, there is a parking lot right across the street between Telegraph Avenue and Dana St. You can enter on Durant Avenue or Channing Way. It is free if you park for less than an hour. It is only a dollar or two if you choose to stay a little longer.
CREAM (2399 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704)
There is a CREAM right next to Koja Kitchen. If you have any room for dessert, I definitely suggest CREAM. I was actually full and tried it a couple days later in San Francisco. However, CREAM first opened in Berkeley. It serves ice cream sandwiches. You pick the cookies and the ice cream. I tried a similar place in San Diego called the Baked Bear and I loved it. CREAM is much better because the cookies are better and the ice cream is richer and smoother. The pistachio ice cream is ridiculously good.
3. Coffee
Philz Coffee (1600 Shattuck Ave. at Cedar Berkeley, CA 94709)
Philz specializes in pour overs. As a result, there will be no specialty lattes, latte art, or anything of those sorts. Normally, I enjoy lattes because I do not like the bitter taste of coffee by itself. Nevertheless, I absolutely loved Philz. I ordered the Tesora. The pour over was very rich and smooth. Their teas are also excellent. I ordered a green tea. The barista was very helpful and took the time to explain to me how their menu worked. In addition, she asked me whether the coffee or tea was for me. I simply smiled and answered “both”. The coffee shop is also spacious and has plenty of room for customers to study or do work. As a result, it is in a perfect location by Cal Berkeley. Overall, this location was a fantastic experience.
Artis Coffee (1717B 4th St, Berkeley, CA 94710)
I am not a coffee drinker and rarely drink coffee. However, I have a friend who has become a fanatic in recent years and educated me about great coffee. We found some great spots for coffee in San Francisco a couple years ago. As such, I decided to try some coffee in Berkeley. I had high hopes for Artis Coffee after seeing the 4 ½ stars on Yelp. The location looks great and is definitely a spot where you can relax and read a book, study, or do some work. A lot of good coffee shops will do art with their drinks in the form of flowers with the milk. As my friend taught me, the baristas can only do it if they make a good shot and warm the milk to the correct temperature. Accordingly, it is a litmus test for a good drink. Unfortunately, the barista completely messed up my drink. It is difficult for a coffee shop to train all their baristas to make quality drinks. The barista who made my drink looked like she just started. Consequently, I am going to give Artis a break because the pictures of the drinks on Yelp looked great. My mocha still tasted ok but not great.
4. Indian Rock Park
If you are looking for a good hike or exercise, Indian Rock Park is not that kind of park. It is basically a large rock at the top of a hill within a residential area. It is a great location in Berkeley because of its great view of the Bay. As seen in the picture on the left, there is a short set of stone stairs that get you to the top of the rock formation. In the middle picture, you can see the Bay Bridge and city skyline behind the fog. In the picture to the right, you can see Alcatraz on the left and the Golden Gate Bridge on the right in the distance. From my perspective, Indian Rock Park is a must see if you are in Berkeley.
5. Lodging
North Berkeley
I used AirBnB during my second stay in Berkeley in 2016. I found a room in a house in North Berkeley. It is the typical college student, residential area. It is not terrible but not a great area either. I just wanted a place to sleep for the night so I was not too picky. It was also close to the North Berkeley BART station for anyone who wanted to take the BART into San Francisco. If you wanted to stay somewhere nicer, I would stay in Gourmet Ghetto.
Renaissance ClubSport Walnut Creek Hotel (2805 Jones Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94597)
If you are in the Bay Area and want to stay outside of the city, I highly recommend the Renaissance. Walnut Creek is east of Berkeley. It is a 40 minute drive from San Francisco without traffic. If you are visiting, avoid the weekday morning rush hour and the everyday rush hour in the afternoon. I drove into San Francisco before 8 AM twice on the weekend and left after 7 PM. I did not run into much traffic. If you plan on driving to wine country or Sacramento, Walnut Creek is also in a nice spot between San Francisco and those locations. It is a very nice suburb. The Renaissance is arguably the best hotel I have stayed at. The entire hotel looks great. My room was very clean and comfortable. It also has a full gym connected to the hotel that includes two full court basketball courts, racquetball courts, aerobics, spin classes, etc. I did not spend too much time in the hotel so I did not have a chance to utilize those features. The gym is complimentary with your stay. If you enjoy running outside as I do, I recommend the Contra Coastal Canal Trail which is right by the hotel and runs through Walnut Creek.
About Pat Wong
Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies. Patrick is also a passionate foodie. He is Yelp Elite for three years in a row and shares his great finds in New York and his travels.