The Top 29 Places to Eat and Drink in Berkeley
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Rank 1. Tanzie's
Thai
- The New York Times 2025 · Khanom Krok · The Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S.
- Eater Restaurant Where We'd Want to Be Regulars
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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- 50 Top Pizza 2025 · #50 · 50 Top Pizza USA
- San Francisco Chronicle 2025 · #13 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Top East Bay Restaurants
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Rank 3. Ippuku
Japanese
Low wooden tables and extensive sake selection conjure a Tokyo izakaya in downtown Berkeley. Yakitori emerges from the binchotan with smoky char—thighs, necks, hearts, gizzards—while Dungeness crab korokke and caramelized yaki-imo arrive golden and crisp. A discreet entrance rewards those who find it.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #91 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Berkeley Restaurants
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Rank 4. Vik's Chaat
Indian
A spare Berkeley canteen where chaat and tandoori chicken share counter space with a grocery market, each bite carrying authentic char and spice. Lunch specials offer serious value; the kitchen closes early, so arrive hungry and on time.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #62 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Berkeley Restaurants
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Rank 4. Great China
Chinese
Great China appeals equally to students, families, and style-conscious diners with refined ingredients and generous portions at modest prices. The tea-smoked duck and mung bean noodle platters shine; arrive early or expect a wait.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- San Francisco Chronicle Top East Bay Restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Berkeley Restaurants
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Rank 6. The Cultured Pickle Shop
Asian-Inspired
- San Francisco Chronicle 2026 · #59 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Berkeley Restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Top East Bay Restaurants
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Rank 7. La Marcha Tapas Bar
Spanish
The team behind Ñora Cocina Española brings paella and tapas to a lively San Pablo Avenue room where head-on garlic shrimp and salt cod croquettes arrive alongside inventive rice dishes like pork-heavy "tres cerditos." Groups congregate around sizable pans while solo diners work the L-shaped bar, each finding their angle on Spanish food executed with clear technical skill and generosity.
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Rank 7. Chez Panisse
Californian New American
The open kitchen and wood-burning oven anchor a dining room where the four-course menu shifts daily, its dishes tethered entirely to what the Bay Area's markets offer that season. Waters' foundational principle—that ingredient purity and timing matter more than technique—remains the throughline, whether you're eating spring peas or August figs.
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Rank 7. Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya
Japanese
Chef Asuka Uchida's modern izakaya dispenses skewers, karaage, and sando with equal precision from a sleek blue storefront. Green bean fritters dusted with sansho and silken tofu ginger showcase technique that extends across every corner of the menu.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Francisco Chronicle Top Berkeley Restaurants
- Esquire 2021 · #38 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 10. Kiraku
Japanese
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Rank 11. Comal
Mexican
Comal's open kitchen showcases wood-fired tortillas and bold Mexican cooking built on pristine ingredients, anchored by smoky rock cod tacos with avocado aioli. An excellent cocktail program and extensive agave selection keep the industrial-chic Berkeley dining room perpetually packed.
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Rank 12. Masterpiece Coffee
Chinese
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Rank 12. Tacubaya
Mexican
A Berkeley counter-service taqueria animated by locals streaming in for breakfast chilaquiles and limeade, its festive dining room and front patio hung with pink papel picados. The enchiladas arrive draped in smoky guajillo-tomatillo sauce, the quesadillas stuffed with kabocha squash and pecan cream—food that tastes like it has earned its perpetual line.
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Rank 12. Boichik Bagels
NY-Style
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Rank 12. Iyasare
Japanese
Japanese technique meets California produce in a buzzing Berkeley room where small plates—grilled vegetables with black garlic, hamachi with wasabi snow, clams in sake broth—shift seasonally but never disappoint. The wine and sake lists anchor an evening built for sharing.
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Rank 18. ID Cafe
Southern Indian
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Rank 18. FAVA
New American
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Rank 18. Grégoire
French
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Rank 18. Kaokao Grill
Chinese-American
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Rank 18. Las Cabañas Mexican Grill & Taqueria
Chaipas-Style
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Rank 18. Lemat Restaurant
Ethiopian
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Rank 18. Emilia's Pizzeria
NY-Style
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Rank 18. El Mono
Peruvian
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Rank 29. Cafe Ohlone
Ohlone