Exploring the Bay Area

The Station Smashburgers The Station Burger is one of Berkeley’s most popular burger destinations. It is a lively, energetic, outdoor destination with a small, to-the-point menu featuring beef smash burgers, ground chicken patty burgers, impossible burgers, rice bowls, fries, and loaded fries, as well as ice cream, milkshakes, and alcoholic beverages. From the second I arrived, I could smell the heavenly scent of the burgers, fries, and other dishes. I looked at what everyone else was eating and became very excited to try my own. The whole outdoor eating area is always abuzz with people, particularly young people and new parents, having a good time in Berkeley’s sunny weather. Some of the seats are protected by a cheap roof, but many of the others are not. The music is loud, and the tables turn over relatively quickly. The point here is instant gratification: a quick, easy fix for your cravings. The kitchen, which is the only indoor part of the restaurant besides the restroom, churns o...

Scoop N Chill In downtown Berkeley, a delightful coffee, ice cream, and sweets stand is hidden inside Crave Subs , the cartoon-themed sandwich shop that I’ve also written about. It’s called Scoop N Chill, and it serves some of Berkeley’s best ice cream! It's a little-known hidden gem, especially because it is so hard to find. The counter Scoop N Chill occupies inside Crave Subs looks adorable, with waffle-cone like lattice and ice cream scoops on the ceiling to look as if they were thrown there. It's bright white and clearly immaculately clean. Reading the menu, you will see that they proudly serve crepes, croffles, and sushi crepes, in addition to espresso/coffee beverages, milkshakes, and gelato, all at competitive prices. I tried the Biscoff gelato and fell in love. Every detail was thought of and perfected. Everything here (not just the Biscoff gelato) is expertly and lovingly made. (The product comes out looking professional, beautiful, and anything but sloppy every time.)...

Helacio's Deli and Cafe Helacio's is a small cafe and deli located on Sacramento Street, serving a wide variety of options. This includes pastries, breakfast burritos, sandwiches, salads, paninis, soup, coffee, fresh juice, smoothies, and ice cream. The entire menu is displayed on the chalkboards on the wall behind the counter, on signs posted along the counter, or in the glass cases that form part of the barrier between the kitchen and the rest of the restaurant. It seems they have something for everyone. You can order and pay at the register behind the counter. They accept credit cards and contactless pay, and the prices won’t give you sticker shock. Almost as soon as you place your order, they will begin preparing your food or beverage. The service is relatively quick, even when it's crowded. The baristas are friendly and work very fast. It’s kind of fun to watch them hurrying around the small kitchen area. Somehow, the finished product turns out looking and tasting per...

Cruz Creamery While I was stopping through Santa Cruz, I was craving something sweet. This led me to try Cruz Creamery on Ocean Street, which was a choice I did not regret. The first thing I noticed about Cruz Creamery was what a cozy and homey place it was to enjoy ice cream alone or with buddies. The restaurant's eating room resembled a nice lounge; it was painted in warm, neutral tones, and it was furnished with comfy chairs, some sofas, and attractive wooden tables. Despite being a small and cozy shop, there was a large variety of desserts available. Most namely, they had different flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, smoothies, and milk shakes. The service was very friendly. I was even offered samples to help me pick a flavor. I ended up choosing butter pecan ice cream and enjoying it very much. It was oh so sweet, and the texture of the ice cream was luxuriously luscious--incredibly sweet, soft and smooth! It made a wonderful contrast with the crunchy pecans that were mixed i...

Salt & Straw Salt & Straw is a business worth visiting on your trip to the Bay Area. It is a step up from your average ice cream shop. Its unique flavors of high-quality, gourmet ice cream are something you won't want to miss out on. Salt & Straw has multiple locations across Northern California, including shops in Burlingame, Los Gatos, Palo Alto, and Hayes Valley. Open from 11 am to 11 pm, these shops provide the ultimate ice cream experience with a rotating selection seasonal flavors on top of a menu of intricate, complex gourmet ice cream options.  There are so many interesting choices that it can be hard to pick, but not to worry, the chain offers unlimited free samples to customers who are deciding.