Exploring the Bay Area

The Cheeseboard Pizzeria  The Cheeseboard Pizzeria is perhaps Berkeley’s most coveted pizza shop. With a loyal following and a sterling reputation, the line extends down the sidewalk, sometimes even winding around the corner, at almost every hour this famous pizzeria is open. It’s the kind of place that legend precedes, so you should try it if you’re ever even nearby. Having been a Berkeley staple for decades, it's my experience that it’s not an exaggeration to say it’s pretty much known to everyone who’s ever inhabited Berkeley for any long period of time. The Cheeseboard Pizzeria is not your typical pizza place. It has a large patio with lots of seating, where people of all ages love to gather. Unlike your typical restaurant, it’s a great place to enjoy some live jazz music performed by a selection of talented jazz artists with real instruments in real time; they almost always have a group of musicians performing their hearts out. This creates the fun ambiance that makes it such ...

State Flour Pizza Walking down College Avenue in the Elmwood area, what at first appears to be a small hole-in-the wall place to grab pizza-by-the-slice turns out to have a a cozy upstairs eating area, perfect for diners wanting a restaurant environment for lunch or dinner.  My first experience with State Flour pizza was when I was looking for a mid-afternoon snack and stumbled upon a reasonably priced piece of pepperoni pizza, which I gratefully devoured. After that, I had it in my head that this was simply a place where you order at a counter in a small business and are given a small portion to eat at one of their few tables or take with you. I liked it, but I was surprised when my friends invited me there for dinner. I discovered that night that although they do offer takeout to people stopping by and those who order online, their second-story dining room upstairs offers an ideal restaurant experience.  My much-loved afternoon pizza stop turned out to become one of my favor...

Bobby G's Pizzeria  This pizzeria is a real find! I was walking by when I saw an advertisement for inexpensive pizza sold by the slice. Naturally, I decided to stop in.  The restaurant was dimly lit with lots of televisions for airing sporting events. One wall was green like part of the Italian flag, and there was some nice modern art, as well as some nice Cal regalia. The menu hung above the counter on chalkboards.  Looking at the menu, I discovered that they also sold whole pies, salads, pasta dishes, and paninis as well as a variety of alcoholic beverages. But I came to try the individual slice. I ordered and paid at the counter and then I chose a seat and waited for them to bring my pizza slice. When my slice first arrived, I was taken aback by how large it was! The price was so low that I was expecting something smaller. It was very attractive, and the server offered me parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. It was served hot. The cheese was salty, hot and stretchy....

Caffe Chiave Caffe Chiave is a cute and homey Italian cafe overlooking San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. It’s the kind of place you go to when you’re hungry and leave feeling satisfied.  The interior design, like the menu, has clearly been influenced by Italian style and culture. Its design utilizes warm-colored wood and dark red trim, a color scheme that reminds the visitor that this is an Italian cafe. The speakers play instrumental music that goes with the Italian-inspired theme. The cafe is not particularly large, nor is it jam-packed. It holds about twenty small tables that are spaced apart enough to give each table some distance and privacy. This creates a cozy and comfortable feel. With the nice Italian music to help drown out conversations between other guests, it’s a very nice place to have an intimate conversation with friends or colleagues over food or coffee. Caffe Chiave serves the public as both a coffee shop and a restaurant. The baristas sell coffee (including house dri...

Lucia's  Lucia's is a pizza joint in Berkeley known for providing an incredible dining experience. I came across it by word of mouth (a couple of my friends were crazy about the place), and when I went to check it out, I was blown away by the quality and quickly became a fan. Lucia's pizzeria is a high-quality semi-casual eatery dedicated to authentic Italian classics, like pastas and pizzas, as well as other Italian side dishes and appetizers. Even the salads are made with a signature Italian twist.  The dishes demonstrate incredible culinary mastery while adhering to traditional Italian recipes. Their culinary mastery is hard to beat. This is not your typical casual pizza joint. It is a sit-down restaurant with good service where you order off an extensive menu at your table, wait a fair bit of time for your dish to be prepared by trained chefs in the kitchen, are served at the table, and then when you are done, you pay at the table. The prices reflect that it is a high-e...

  Italian Homemade Few things are as enticing as warm, homemade pasta served fresh for a reasonable price. Italian Homemade has a customizable pasta experience unlike any other I've experienced in the area. You can pick your noodles, pick your sauce, and pick your add-ons.  The results are so delicious they are shocking. Every bite of pasta has recently been freshly made dough, rolled out and cooked to perfection in their own special kitchen. You can see where they roll the dough.  Meanwhile, the sauces are savory, warm, and satisfying.  They also have set menu items like lasagna, meatball platters and tortellini, which are also prepared fresh in their kitchen. If that's not your thing, they also have salads and flatbread sandwiches that are crowd pleasers.  This chain has multiple locations in the Bay Area. They do catering as well. I recommend this place because it is yummy and affordable. 

Marcella's Lasagneria This restaurant is a place to try at least once! Although it is a bit pricey, costing about $20 a plate, the food is definitely worth tasting, and the portions are big enough that the could be split between two diners. It's the kind of homey Italian pasta that you may not be able to find anywhere else in the Bay. The menu consists of different types of lasagna and other pasta dishes, all with a homemade and hearty flair. I have personally tied both the Abruzzo and Bolognese lasagna dishes. Served with bread and salad, these dishes were substantial, tasty, and satiating. I fell in love with the warm, chunky tomato and soft layers of pasta. I savored every bite. I can't think of many restaurants that pour that much effort into making a product that is of such high quality in terms of flavor and texture. At the same time, I have never eaten at a restaurant that served food that tasted so much like comfort food. The flavors are familiar, yet exquisite, mak...