Readers Say The Darndest Things: Restaurants & Bars

How you voted in 2010.

Best African Restaurant
Cafe Eritrea D'Afrique
If only they hadn't changed their sign so it's no longer "a cozy place to be." Veggie combo still amazing though. — leesajay

Best Bar
Acme Bar
The only bar with Jameson, Fernet, and Evan Williams Whiskey on TAP! — hellsfirewoman

Easy Lounge
One of the few places using fresh juices and fruit in their amazing seasonal cocktails. Plus they have the best DJs in the bay and a smoking patio. This is my favorite of the favorites. — zooey66

Heart and Dagger
Bring your dog! — huzzam

Missouri Lounge
Recession Specials + Gazebo + On-Site Barbecue = Big Fucking Win for West Berkeley. — Oakonnor

Scotts on 19th Street in Downtown Oakland
That double vodka saved my life on one hard day! Thanks Rod! — Jennifer Cogley

The Aloha Club
Longest bar and coldest beer in town. — camilito

The Trappist
They even have a gluten-free beer! — rebecca8a9d

Best Barbecue
Brown Sugar Kitchen's baby back ribs
The director of the Michelin Guide raved about these ribs. They're a secret for now but they won't be for long! — Psurkis

Double D's
Awesome, seriously the best barbecue I've had in Cali. Such a tiny spot tucked between International and 12th on 1st in E.Oakland! — NicoJ

T-Rex
Don't be discouraged by their logo; best drinks, BBQ, and tasteful-but-classy vibe in town. — tracip15

Best Breakfast/Brunch
Bette's Diner
Expand your space already. — BJexpress

Piedmont Cafe
The waitresses are reeaally funny. — Monkey Man

Best Chez Panisse Spinoff
SO SICK OF THESE!!!
Best new idea: No more Chez Panisse spinoffs! — Tiburoncita

Best Chinese Restaurant
Shen Hua
Perfect combo: dry fried chicken and dry fried green beans. — storm

Best Cocktails
Boot and Shoe
The house-made tonic. Hello?!! — Psurkis

Easy Lounge
On Saturday they go to the farmers' market and get fresh produce and make up some tasty drinks on the spot. — alxndr

Flora
Hands down the most consistently perfect cocktails! Balance, flavor, appearance — magnificent. — LarenaLovesOakland

Forbidden Island
Zombie!!! — Oakonnor

Sidebar
All their specialty drinks are served two ways: Classicist (a classic preparation) and Locavore (preparation focusing on local ingredients). Try the locavore for a new take on your favorite drink. — adamsax

Best Coffee
Mexican Organic at Cole Coffee
Forget all the fashionistas. This is the real deal brew ha ha. — balanceman

Best coffeehouse
Zocalo

In San Leandro. — PamelaE

Best Deli
Genova
Are there other delis? — balanceman

The one on Solano that has a Z in it. — alxndr

Best Desserts
Nieves Cinco de Mayo
Sr. Abundis mixes up his own homemade ice cream by hand. The flavors are sublime ... there are the usual but also the unusual — rose petal queso (cheese) pecan and corn. Muy sabroso! — pamela magnuson-peddle

Best Gay Bar
White Horse
Um, is there more than one? — leesajay

Bench and Bar
Franklin St. near Broadway merge. — jravens

Best Healthy Fast Food
Amanda's
And Amanda is really cute too. — Tom Walton

Best Homegrown Fusion of Cuisines
Le Moose Crepe Cafe
Best Fusion of Thai and Crepes you'll ever have! — renaflor44

Best Indian/Pakistani restaurant
El Sombrero Taqueria
Its half Mexican food, half Pakistani/Indian ... really good Pakistani/Indian selection and great prices! — xain

Flavors of India on Lakeshore in Oakland
I would step over my mother and two of yours to get one of their veggie wraps. — thischarmingham

Best Korean Restaurant
Sahn Maru
Love the ladies in the old-fashioned aprons! — miseenplace@mindspring.com

Best Locally Sourced Menu
Zatar
They have their own garden. — jbsworth

Best Mexican or Central-American Restaurant
El Rincon in Richmond
No one probably knows about it. It is great. — iggygoo

Best New Restaurant
SR24
Best food in Oakland. I'm almost too scared to sing its praises for fear I'll never be able to get a table in there again. — hledeen

Best Pizza
Cheese Board
Most of the time. — Chandrika

Cioccolata Di Vino
Best thin-crust pizza. — Rebecca1801

Zachary's Pizza
Hands down the BEST in the WORLD!! — beefcakestevo

Lo Coco's
I am so very over Zachary's! — leesajay

Oliveto's
We did an exhaustive study. — iggygoo

Pizza Antica
I not a real pizza lover but I am now since eating at Antica! — Trish M

Pizza Pazza
Their gluten-free crust is great and always about $5 less than Xtreme's gluten-free offerings. — bradlb

Best Salads
Cafe 817's prosciutto salad
I'm cheating...this is just one salad but what a salad. It is the perfect lunch — a big mound of fresh mixed greens draped with the best Italian prosciutto and topped with thin slices of parmesan cheese. With Acme levain toasts on the side. The dressing is the perfect blend of olive oil and slightly tart vinegar ... this with one of 817's great lattes is the perfect midday meal. — pamela magnuson-peddle

Cafe Fanny
Simple goat cheese and greens salad. — arianajl

Cafe Gratitude
Wins hands down. — hiyou

Intermezzo
Or whatever the new name is. — thisisthelife

Best Sandwiches
Bakesale Betty
Ahhh the egg salad w/ arugula ... — Blythe

Brown Couch Café
— abrahams.s

Cam Huong
Best Banh Mi at great price. — stark

Chop Bar
THE best burger I've ever had. Their other selections are amazing as well. — devildog66

Europa Deli in Orinda
Oh my god, the Reuben sandwich. — Stephen Buel

Saul's Deli
The Pastrami!!! — Frieda Hoffman

The Break Room
Vegan sandwiches! — hiyou

Best Seafood
Dead Fish
Crockett. — krackstirnt

Gather
From Monterey Fish Market! — dckdck

Jade Palace
Garlic Crab. Cracked tempura battered in the shell, deep fried, then tossed in a hot wok with garlic and jalepeno's. OMG! DELISH! So glad everyone doesn't know about this place...Oops they do NOW!! — tork

Marica
Chris Cheung is a culinary genius! — christad289

Best Southern/Soul Food
Brown Sugar Kitchen
Oakland should be proud to have this destination restaurant. Tanya Holland is sharing the love in her little spot in West Oakland. There are crowds every weekend for a reason! — Psurkis

Home of Chicken and Waffles
Added benefit of being open until 3. — Oakonnor

Souley Vegan
I'm sure people automatically take it out of the non-vegan categories but it really stands up to carnivorous soul food restaurants! — mr.adambeck

Best Steaks
Luka's Tap Room Rib Eye.
Just order one and then you tell me. ;-) — DangerGirl2000

Best Taco truck
El Novillo
The only taco truck I've been to in Fruitvale whose guacamole is worth the extra cash. — skaroly

Right outside Ironworks
Right before the Ashby on ramp. — jaytothesea

Sinaloa
E14 and 22nd Ave. Orange Truck. — Oakonnor

The Taco Guys
Delicious organic tacos locally sourced, inventive combinations too. — beast

Zamorano's Parking Lot at High Street
In this summer this taco truck grills meat and green onions in the open; the food is amazing! — BethLM

Best Take-Out Food
La Méditerranée
You can eat there too but getting their food take-out is a great dinner party at home. — kathyk

Best Teahouse
Teance
This place is extraordinary. It's the best tea house in the entire Bay Area. Don't miss it. — zorro

Best Thai/Lao/Burmese restaurant
Burma Superstar
This place is delicious though really really really these guys need to invest in some soundproofing! That place is the loudest restaurant I've ever been in! Not a good date or conversation spot because of this! — mr.adambeck

Champa Garden
Hands down! Best everything. — NicoJ

Ruen Pair
Hands down the best Thai food in the East Bay. — gschwartz23

Vulcan Thai Cafe
Vulcan Art Studios San Leandro Blvd. — bobbyjean

Best Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant
Cafe Gratitude
What a special place. So unique and full of love and being present when eating. Most of us humans take that for granted! Not here. :) — peacefulryan

Gather
Not veg but very veg-friendly — best place to take a veg if you're not veg. — kfingerman

Manzanita
Go when Tenzen is the cook M-F lunch. — lynwoods

Veggie Foods
She remembers what you ordered the time before. — Chandrika

Best Vietnamese/Cambodian Restaurant
Kangnam Pho
Yeah it's staffed by Koreans but they have a Vietnamese chef who makes good pho. — alxndr

Best Vietnamese/Cambodian Restaurant

Pho Hoa
Pho show!! — lanative

Best Vietnamese/Cambodian Restaurant

Rang Dong
Since at least the Sixties. Still great. — iggygoo

Most Communal Communal Tables
Amanda's
Seats 22 made from reclaimed wood from a barge — you can see the dark stains from the minerals in the water. — Amanda

Camino
This question was designed for Camino, right? — dckdck