FRIDAY FIVE
Restaurant Weeks have been around for a while, and truthfully, the whole concept is kind of tired at this point. Too often, this week is really just a time when restaurants put together overpriced prix fixe meals, and you’re better off eating there at a different time.
But these weeks still happen, and people still go. We also agree that it’s good to support local businesses, especially in January, when things can be slower. So we took a look at the lineup of Oakland’s 10th Annual Restaurant Week — which started January 9 and runs through January 20 — to scour it for actual deals you should take advantage of. Plus, a portion of proceeds goes to the Alameda County Community Food Bank, so you can feel good about that. Here are our top picks.
1. Communitē Table
Located in the Laurel, Restaurant Weekers enjoy a three-course prix fixe dinner at this homey spot for just $30, which is basically unheard of in the Bay Area. This Eat Oakland restaurant is a neighborhood favorite, cooking up American comfort food you can bring home or eat in the dining room. During Restaurant Week, choose from starters including gougères with herbs and cheese, butter lettuce salad, or the staple three-onion tart. Mains are either beef brisket simmered with red wine over creamy mashed potatoes or shrimp risotto. Finish your meal with a Meyer lemon tart or chocolate bourbon pecan cake. This, my friends, is a delicious steal.
4171 MacArthur Boulevard (Laurel District) | communite-table.com
2. Homeroom
If you’re already a fan of Homeroom, the popular Oakland mac and cheese restaurant, you’ll want to jump on this Restaurant Week deal. If you haven’t been yet—assuming you’re new to the area, because anything else is inexcusable—now is the time to go. This year’s Restaurant Week prix fixe meal is for two people and is worth it. For a total of $30, you’ll get two strawberry limeades, two Gilroy garlic macs (the best kind), and one Homeroom Oreo to share. That it includes only one Oreo is a bit disappointing, because it is heavenly, but after the Gilroy garlic mac, you’ll likely only have room to split one anyway.
400 40th Street (Temescal) | homeroom510.com
3. alaMar
A $30 dinner menu, $20 brunch, or $10 lunch? Decisions, decisions. Located in Uptown, alaMar brings together much of the charm of the East Bay: mouthwatering crustacean boils being devoured among industrial decor. If you’re dining in, the two-course prix fixe dinner involves ahi tuna tiradito or slow-roasted pork tostada to start and signature garlic noodles or peel-and-eat shrimp for your main course. Brunch gets you red velvet flapjacks and fried chicken wings or salt fish chilaquiles with one mimosa. The $10 lunch includes either salmon tacos or an andouille dog; both come with a side salad and a soft drink. All three options are worth it, in our opinion.
100 Grand Avenue (Uptown) | alamaroakland.com
4. Farmhouse Kitchen
For those who aren’t taking part in Dry January, this deal is for you. For $30, get your hands on a wine-flight pairing at this Thai restaurant in Jack London Square. We all know cocktails can cost up to $21 in San Francisco. Here, you’ll get a flight of three wines, each paired with an appetizer, for $30. Red or white wine, doesn’t matter—delicious bites will be paired, ranging from a fresh oyster topped with Thai spicy seafood sauce to sesame crusted Ahi tuna to grilled Wagyu flank steak.
336 Water Street (Jack London Square) | farmhousethai.com/oakland
5. Zachary’s Pizza
This deep-dish pizza joint is an Oakland favorite, and its Restaurant Week deal is as good an excuse as any to visit this month. Zachary’s Pizza is offering a prix fixe menu special that includes a pizza and salad. The cheapest option is a small stuffed pizza or a medium thin with an entree salad for $30. Adding meatballs brings the price up to $40. But what we’re really eyeing is the lunch special: $10 gets you a personal thin or deep-dish pizza with a Caesar salad. If you want to make it a boozy lunch, you can get two pints for $10. Okay, yup, we’ll see you there.
3917 Grand Avenue (Rockridge) | zacharys.com
