Love this unique spot! The Line Even EMT’s Eat Here Bakesale Betty is more of a bakery than a casual restaurant, but this place has some great food so we decided to try them. There is almost always a line out the door of the nameless corner spot, and sometimes around the block. The line moves fast though. Look for Betty in her blue wig, she is a Chez Panisse alum.  This hard to park spot still attracts a ton of folks including us. They kindly hand out cookies when the line gets long. Our latest visit was in the Spring of 2026, and reaffirmed Bakesale Betty’s awesomeness.  A counter outside the door takes order and items are brough out to you. Post Pandemic changes: No tables outside, cashier stand on the sidewalk, contactless payments. Still a long line! Their fried chicken sandwich has been licensed for sale in San Francisco’s Chase Center. It is not the same! Bakesale Betty has their legendary Fried chicken sandwich, Fried chicken salad. They have a daily changing variety of cookies, scones, pies, brownies. Bakesale Betty also serves Lemon ice, coffee and other drinks. Prices have remained steady for many years. Decor, Vibe -Bakesale […]

This post originally from Bakesale Betty Review, Oakland

Horn BBQ Is a legendary barbecue restaurant in Oakland, California. It has 3.5 stars on yelp and had long lines at the old location whenever it’s open. A fire closed them down and made them re-open in April 2024 at 464 8th St. near Chinatown, Oakland at their former burger joint.  You now order using the computer tablet by the entrance, then sit down. Horn BBQ Definitely serves up barbecue that was not as good as the old location. Top-notch barbecue the San Francisco Bay area. Breakwater BBQ in El Granada is really good. 4505 in San Francisco is also good for ribs. We recently ate at Midsmoke in Charlotte North Carolina and found their barbecue definitely superior. Safety Pluses – Online menu, Delivery services available, online ordering, contact less payments. Minuses – None Food Review: Spare ribs ($14.50) by the half pound were a bit dry and not as good as the past. Barbecue sauce is on the sweet side and a bit watery. 7.5/10 Brisket ($17.50) for half pound was dry on our last visit, also not as good as the past. 6.5/10 Collard greens ($6 small) and pit beans ($6) are served in good quality. The greens […]

This post originally from Horn BBQ, Oakland

Last Update: November 2019 We are big fans of Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup. Slowly but surely, we have eaten at many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best Pho restaurants. Here’s our constantly evolving list of the top 10 in search of the Best Pho San Francisco and beyond. Please leave comments with suggestions for other places we should try. Hit List: More San Jose Pho Places – Do you have favorites we should try?   Ranking in order of Best to Worst Check out our review of real Pho in Hanoi, Vietnam Last visit: 7/2016 Momofuku Noodle House https://www.yelp.com/biz/momofuku-noodle-bar-new-york 171 1st Ave New York City, NY 10003 (212) 777-7773 Yes, this is not in San Francisco, but their Chicken Pho was the best we have had. If you are in NYC and love Pho, makes sure you give them a try. Call first to verify it is on the menu Last Visit Spring 2023 Pho Hanoi San Jose Last visit: 8/2019 Pho Go https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-go-garden-grove 14271 Brookhurst St Garden Grove, CA 92843 714-486-3207 Pho restaurant in the middle of Little Vietnam. Within a mile there are a ton of restaurants with the name Pho in it. We found this better […]

This post originally from Best Pho in San Francisco

Pyeong Chang is a Korean restaurant located in the Temescal district of Oakland, where a cluster Korean restaurants are situated. Burma Superstar is a couple doors down, while Bakesale Betty and Pizzaiolo are a block or two away. We were looking for some higher-quality Korean food than is present in San Francisco. They also have a location in Berkeley on University. Our last visit was in Spring 2023 at their Berkeley location. Nearby is well respected Korean restaurants Hancook and Moo Bong Ri Korean (No Galbi, Bi Bim Bab) Decor, Vibe – Pyeong Chang is one medium sized room with pretty basic decor. Pictures of food line the wall. The bench-like rough cut tables are made from natural wood. A lot of Koreans were dining, surely a very good sign. Pyeong Menu Pyeong Chang’s Menu is not very long and looks very authentic. They have a variety of soft tofu soups, barbecue items, and noodles. Signature Dishes – Soft Tofu Soup, Kalbi, Bibimbab. Pyeong  Chang Tofu Food Picks: Banchan (small dishes of food) consisted of six good-sized items some of which we had not seen in other local Korean restaurants including yam and less fermented items. Korean traditional style pureed […]

This post originally from Pyeong Chang Tofu House, Oakland

Iyasare is a Japanese Restaurant in the posh Berkeley 4th Street corridor. We were passing by and decided to finally give it a try. Without reservations, we dined at the bar. Pacing was way off, but the food was fabulous. Definitely want to try more next time!  We came back for lunch in Spring 2019 and found the food just as good. Michelin The Plate Rated for 2019. Be sure to check out the Amazon 4 star store nearby. They carry only top rated items. Pretty cool and only of 3 in the USA. Food Picks: Sendai Mule ($14) bulleit bourbon, cocchi americano, yuzu, ginger beer is their take on a Moscow Mule. A bit too much ice, but a nice balanced drink. Hidden potency. Japanese Mojito ($12) ikkomon shochu, shiso, yuzu, simple syrup, sparkling water is a nice variation of the classic with lots of yuzu flavor. ORGANIC ICHIBA SALAD ($10) mizuna / baby kale / cherry tomato / radish / apple / tamari-yuzu vinaigrette was fabulous.  A nice balance of sweet and savory. Get it if you are vegetarian. BACON MOCHI ($13.50) crispy nori seaweed / grilled mochi & smoked bacon / housemade teriyaki is a bit chewy […]

This post originally from Iyasare, Berkeley Review

This post originally from Michael Bauer’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants 2018 Review