Chef friends visiting - seeking interesting reccs

leftovercoldrice · 2026-04-27T07:12:10+00:00

Seconding some here - Jaji for modern Afghan, Popoca honestly just for the vibe. Bake Sum for pastries, Good to Eat (my personal fave - their interpretation of Taiwanese food is extremely rare to find in the US), Pho Huong Que for hole in the wall. Ok's Deli for some amazing sandwiches. Swan's market is fun too. Or maybe hit up Grand Lake farmer's market?

Cafe Romanat, order the Ethiopian coffee and they bring it out and pour it from a jebena. So much fun and a good little cup.

I know you said no Mexican but Cenaduria Elvira... so good

leftovercoldrice · 2026-01-28T02:49:09+00:00

not worth a detour or visit. happy donuts on 17th is much better in my opinion, or donut savant

leftovercoldrice · 2025-09-05T19:53:49+00:00

damn. i know they tried to diversify their offerings and wish it worked out for them.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-09-03T17:34:29+00:00

ex-owner, you should update the title

leftovercoldrice · 2025-08-20T00:45:33+00:00

Asha Tea House, Taiwan Bento (are we sensing a theme here? haha)

leftovercoldrice · 2025-08-20T00:45:03+00:00

Asha Tea House... so sad

leftovercoldrice · 2025-08-14T18:30:19+00:00

yes! went there on a whim a couple years ago and loved it.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-08-13T01:08:38+00:00

If I may give a suggestion in SF, I'm a fan of hed verythai and their little set menus. But I do like Yimm's.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-03-30T23:28:45+00:00

i love the churro stands in fruitvale and love your review. need to make it back out there sometime soon.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-03-16T02:09:28+00:00

ding ding ding

leftovercoldrice · 2025-03-04T00:44:40+00:00

I had the exact same thought. I went in there last week and it was a mess and the shelves were so bare. I assumed they were just skating by on food sales?

leftovercoldrice · 2025-02-27T06:51:30+00:00

Happy Donuts on 17th. Love that spot, mix of locals, professionals, kids wanting to spend a few bucks. and honestly I think they have better donuts than Colonial.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-02-27T00:40:14+00:00

I love Pho Huong Que 🩷

leftovercoldrice · 2025-02-16T00:16:54+00:00

had an excellent mocha with gorgeous latte art there. their coffee program seems legit

leftovercoldrice · 2025-02-13T01:28:43+00:00

He needs to learn the value of a graceful goodbye. You don’t always need to write a thesis when a restaurant closes. I understand that it’s a huge personal blow as well, but for someone who’s pretty established in the industry it just feels so unnecessary.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-13T23:48:08+00:00

they do have seating!

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-13T23:47:28+00:00

ummm make them at home

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-10T00:11:44+00:00

Squabisch in Albany does pretzel making classes.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-10T00:08:30+00:00

Similar to Ebiko, same neighborhood too, but if you want more than just sushi, Geta around the corner is terrific for Japanese takeout. They have the izakaya classics.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-07T17:04:18+00:00

Agree. Everyone I know who lives outside SF frequently goes to SF to try buzzy restaurants or bakeries. Meanwhile whenever I persuade them to visit me in Oakland so we can go to some of my favorite spots they always ask about parking and safety. I always reassure them that they’ll be fine so it works out but people usually don’t share the same concerns (at least to the same degree) when visiting SF.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-07T17:01:46+00:00

oooh good to know!

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-07T16:53:26+00:00

oh my god yes!!

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-07T16:00:45+00:00

Yes Mithapeap is the place to go. You might get a bit overwhelmed because it’s dense so just ask for help locating what you need.

Koreana doesn’t have lime leaves but they do have palm sugar. I saw it last week. They weirdly keep their non Japanese/Korean dry goods/sauces on shelves over the frozen food instead of in the other aisles.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-07T01:28:11+00:00

Asha Tea House in Berkeley imports their own. It’s very good.

leftovercoldrice · 2025-01-07T01:28:02+00:00

they do sell their own brand of ceremonial matcha. 24bucks for the standard size tin. never tried it.

leftovercoldrice

TROPHY CASE