Best Restaurants in Berkeley 2020
January 27th, 2020Forget Yelp — our 2020 list of the best restaurants in Berkeley is, well, the best. BPG has been in Berkeley for over 20 years and employed over 1,000 people — that’s a lot of meals!
Not only are we cannabis enthusiasts, we’re foodies, too. Our team is always searching for the newest nourishment this amazing city has to offer, while appreciating the classics (especially those that don’t break the bank!).
Here are our top picks for the Best Restaurants in Berkeley in 2020. Selected just in time for Berkeley Restaurant Week. We’ve tried everything so you don’t have to waste time on disappointing dinners.
Of course, when using cannabis, you may find yourself with a strong urge to eat (particularly with edibles). BONUS — we’ve paired our favorite products with our favorite places to eat so you can savor every sip, slurp and snack to the fullest extent.
Berkeley Restaurant Week
One of our favorite events, the annual Berkeley Restaurant Week, has arrived!
Starting Tuesday, January 21, and running through Friday, January 31, 2020, restaurants across Berkeley will offer special-value prix fixe menus for $25, $30, or $40.
We love BRW because it’s a wonderful opportunity to discover new places or revisit favorites that share Berkeley’s Cali-cuisine legacy at a reasonable price.
Each of our selections is participating in #BRW20, so check their websites for menus.
Skates on the Bay
100 Seawall Dr Berkeley, California 94710
Skates on the Bay is a beautiful and historic waterfront restaurant for fresh seafood with unmatched views of the San Francisco Bay, offering lunch, brunch and dinner.
Recently renovated, Skates on the Bay now offers modern and stunning decor, a new Raw Bar, elegant Private Dining Room, and innovative local-driven menus.
BPG Recommends: Kalbi Tenderloin Tidbits: Sweet soy glaze, sesame seeds, daikon sprouts, kimchi, and sushi rice; a perfect blend of crunchy, sweet, spicy, and savory that can be shared among friends.
Open Faced Crab Sandwich: Artichokes, tomatoes, parmesan, cheddar on toasted sourdough. If you skip out on the Oven Roasted Crab & Artichoke Dip, this is a must! Melt in your mouth happiness, your tastebuds will thank you.
Pairs Well With: Purple Punch by Maven Purple Punch is the sweet and sedating union of two indica-dominant classics. By breeding Larry OG with Granddaddy Purple, the astonishing trichome laden Purple Punch was born, smelling of grape candy, blueberry muffins, and tart Kool-Aid.
Maven’s product line is curated to elevate the customer’s lives, to make every experience unforgettable. All cannabis is hand-trimmed and carefully handled to maintain the integrity and quality of each flower. It can treat appetite loss and stress. Best for evening usage, like a nice dinner at Skates!
Packaged soon after hand-trimming to ensure it retains its fresh flavor and aroma.
La Note
2377 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
La Note is an authentic Provençal, relating to or denoting Provence or its people or language, restaurant in the heart of downtown Berkeley.
Traditional breakfast and lunch and dinner bistro fare are combined with rustic Provençal meals in a warm and charming atmosphere.
We love their award-winning Patio, open April – October. Perfect on a beautiful sunny day!
Fun fact, the restaurant’s owner, Dorothée Mitrani, a graduate from UC Berkeley’s Environment design program, won an award in excellence in 1998 for “outstanding storefront improvements” and rehabilitation of its beautiful 1875 building.
BPG Recommends: Oatmeal Raspberry Pancake: with scrambled egg and bacon. A thick swirl of raspberry on top of a flavorful and fluffy pancake! What more can you ask for?
Pasta De Chez Nous: Penne Pasta with roasted tomato coulis, sprinkled with Parmesan. They say life is a combination of magic and pasta, this dish proves it.
Pairs Well With: Like La Note, the founder of Atlas Edibles shares a passion for community, quality, and art.
Made right here in Berkeley, the 1st Place Sweet Edible winner of Emerald Cup 2019, is the creation of Chef Ezra Maluth. Chef Ezra found out that his best friend’s father had Stage 4 prostate cancer. Given the task to “find something dad likes,” the Berkeley-area restaurant executive chef put his experience (including an internship at Chez Panisse), and culinary nutrition education to work.
Ezra speaks enthusiastically of “ood terpenes, and what the aromas we experience as we eat can do to guide the edible experience. Much thought went into each of Atlas’ varieties, and how their flavor profiles fit with the three types (indica, hybrid, and sativa) of full-spectrum rosin infusions.
The granola clusters were a hit with dad, and soon, with everyone who tried them.
Crafting delicious and nutritious edibles infused with flavors from around the world, Atlas edibles always leave you feeling satisfied.
Available in flavors such as Hazelnut Chocolate, Origin Mexican Hot Chocolate, Stratus Lemon & Blueberry & Poppy.
Paisan
2514 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley 94702
Paisan, our beloved BPG neighbor, is a California-Italian restaurant featuring great salads and antipasti, house-made pastas, artisan pizza, and a wood-burning oven.
Offering a full bar with a contemporary cocktail program featuring artisan producers, small-batch distillers, and
brewers. Unwind and enjoy their beautiful enclosed patio, day or night.
BPG Recommends: Paisan Meatballs: with tomato sauce, grana Padano and their Pasta Bolognese with beef & pork ragu, spaghetti, ricotta, grana Padano, basil, oregano.
Pizza Special of the Day
Ask your server! Pizza ranging from delicious options such as
Diavola -fior di latte, spicy salami, charred shallot, nduja walnut romesco, and honey.
Squash blossom -burrata with seasonal squash
Carnivoro – san marzano dop, fior di latte, pepperoni, fennel, sausage, prosciutto cotto, parmigiano, basil
All perfect for sharing with the squad, or hey even by yourself, we don’t judge!
Pairs Well With: Bloom Farms XXX OG Live Resin cartridge!
XXX OG, from parent strains OG Kush and XXX, is an indica that took 1st place in the 2014 Los Angeles Cannabis Cup.
This strain allows muscles to ease from head to toe as dreamy euphoria blankets the mind, crushing stress and coercing happy moods. XXX OG will leave you in the perfect state of mind to enjoy a delicious meal at La Note.
Feel good about your purchase. When you purchase a Bloom Farms Highlighter Set or Highlighter Replacement Cartridge you’re donating a meal to someone in need. This is all part of Bloom Farms 1-1 meal program. One single meal can mean the difference between going to bed hungry and going to bed healthy.
Pollar Pizzeria
1788 Fourth Street Berkeley, California 94710
Roman-style pizza- they cut it, weigh it, reheat it, then serve it to you! The dough is cold fermented 72 hours and has 80/85% hydration. At Pollar, they offer artisan pizzas, antipasti, salads, dessert, beer & wine.
The main thing that sets Pizza al Taglio apart from its pizza siblings other than the unique portioning is the dough, which is made with more water than most.
Pollara’s dough is cold-fermented, meaning that you keep it in the fridge to rise. The chilled temps slow down the yeast without halting the work of the enzymes that break down the gluten during fermentation, so more gluten proteins are broken down by the time the dough achieves the desired rise, yielding a less dense, more airy dough.
In a rush? Waste no time at Pollar. From the moment you walk in, they make it quick and convenient for you to select your food and get you out the door.
Pizza options change daily. Rotating around a variety of seasonal options to customer favorites.
BPG Recommends: Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza with Suppli Classico! Delicious and not to mention pizza accompanied by a fried cheese ball. You won’t want to share any of it.
Choose from a half salad and a slice of pizza for only $9
Fritti, n/a beverage and a slice of pizza for $10
N/a beverage and two pieces of pizza $11
Pairs Well With: Marley Natural prerolls. Nature’s finest cannabis flower rolled in natural, unbleached paper with a crutch filter for that smooth Marley smoke. Offering you the purest tasting cannabis, just like Paisan and their food!
Available in strains like Trident, Jack Herer, Purple Zkittles, and more.
Berkeley Social Club
2050 University Ave Berkeley, California 94704
Berkeley Social Club boasts inspired, contemporary Korean-American cuisine located in the heart of Berkeley’s University Avenue.
Serving innovative Asian dinners and a creative American breakfast and brunch menu with a touch of Asian influence.
They combine top-notch chefs, top-quality locally-sourced organic ingredients and a relaxed, spacious atmosphere to create a haven for people who love great food and drinks.
BPG Recommends: Mascarpone Blueberry stuffed Crunch French Toast! Feeling a little extra? Add berries, and enjoy something savory and sweet! Guaranteed to satisfy your munchies. You can thank us later.
Bulgogi Bowl w/ sauce! Rice bowl with Marinated ribeye, red onion, lettuce, and oyster mushroom. Perfect to warm your belly during these cold winter days.
Pairs Well With: Being that Berkeley Social Club is a social and stylish experience to be enjoyed with others, we recommend Gelonade by Connected.
Winning 1st place in Cannabis Cup’s Best Sativa flower, the judges raved of its tangy, floral and citrus taste, with potent and uplifting effects–a perfect pair for your delicious affair.
Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse
1920 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, California 94704
Triple Rock opened its doors in March 1986, the creation of brothers John and Reid Martin. For the past 30 years, they’ve served Berkeley the freshest beer it’s ever tasted. They take pride in themselves for using the finest ingredients to create unique brews every day of the week.
BPG Recommends: Southern Fried Chicken Plate! Petaluma Chicken Marinated in Seasoned Buttermilk, Mac and Cheese, Seasonal Vegetables, and Black Pepper Bacon Gravy. Our mouths are watering just thinking about it!
Chow n’ Brau! Main, side + beer for $12 the best deal in Berkeley available daily until 4 pm! Special burger switches up every Wednesday. Try something new every week.
Pairs Well With: Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops Sparkling Beverage. This IPA-inspired sparkling beverage is made using everything Lagunitas knows about hops – but non-alcoholic with zero-calories and zero-carbs. Infused with THC from the finest, sun-grown cannabis.
A hoppy sparkling water that drinks like a beer! You get all of the fruity and tropical notes from the hops, but without all the other things that can weigh you down.
Try Hi-Fi Hops 18:1, Hi-Fi Hops CBD, and Hi-Fi Hops Sparkling Water. Because Cannabis + Hops = A match made in heaven.
La Marcha Tapas Bar
2026 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley, California 94710
Spanish cuisine is more than flavorful; it is brimming with energy and passion.
La Marcha’s menu of tapas and paellas, coupled with a community atmosphere, reflect the chefs’ shared passion for Spanish cuisine, and their desire to transport the lively tapas bar culture they both experienced in Spain here to Berkeley.
Fusing the best of Spanish culinary traditions with the bounty of fresh produce and ingredients, La Marcha is perfect for impressing visiting friends and family. Either way, you’ll want to bring a crew so you can enjoy all the delicious tastes this restaurant has to offer!
BPG Recommends: Patatas Bravas! Fried potatoes, spicy calabrian ñora sauce. ñora peppers are a small, round, intense and sweet-fleshed red pepper that is always used dry, to add flavor to stews, cocidos or soups. Make sure you can take a little heat before ordering this savory dish.
Pella Tres Cerditos chorizo, smoked belly, shoulder chop, leeks, apple cider, saffron, and rice! This dish will leave you scraping the bottom of the pan wanting more. Pella portions are quite large, making it perfect for sharing.
Pairs Well With: Trust us, you’ll want to have a huge appetite before tackling this meal. Kiva’s award-winning chocolate bars debuted in 2010 and are offered in both milk and dark chocolate in a variety of fun flavors and potencies for your enjoyment, such as White Chocolate Raspberry, Dark Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate, plus Chocolate Blueberry and Salted Caramel Terra Bites.
And, you can feel good about your purchase. Kiva is one of BPG’s partners for our 20th anniversary campaign. Anytime you purchase a Kiva product at BPG, you’re helping the community.
Can’t make it to Berkeley Restaurant Week? No worries, check out San Francisco Restaurant week, Napa Valley Restaurant Week, Alameda Restaurants Week, and Concord Restaurant Week!
We hope this list helps you narrow down what restaurants and products to select next time you’re in Berkeley.
We want to hear from you! Did your favorite make the list? Who did we miss?! Send your thoughts to us on Instagram and Twitter! We’re always searching for the best bites and buds in Berkeley.
