When I told people I was moving from San Francisco to Oakland, I was mostly met with two sentiments:
“You know, my car got broken into in Oakland once. They took everything. Everything. That included my Nalgene bottle and mason jars full of Kopi Luwak coffee beans. Good luck with AC Transit, you ill-fated waif!”
Or…
“Psh, you’re moving to Oakland? You might as well move to Portland. It’s gentrified as shit and just as expensive as SF. Good luck with AC Transit, you ill-fated waif!”
No one actually called me an ill-fated waif, and no one mentioned AC Transit (it’s fairly efficient, BTW), but you get the picture. People either thought I was going to die on the Oakland streets or not be able to tell the difference between the city and my old ’hood—Noe Valley. I am not dead, and though, yes, Temescal has seen gentrification, it has yet to be engulfed by it. There’s a smaller-town community vibe here, meaning you’ll run into everyone you know who lives in Oakland somewhere in Temescal. Here are a couple of spots my where friends and I like to run into each other:
Kingfish Pub & Cafe
This bar opened in 1922 and literally rolled across the street at one point to escape gentrification. These days, the only rolling is of its patrons going home. It’s a great bar for watching a Warriors game or celebrating a birthday in summer months in their sweet outdoor bar. They’re sometimes advertised as a cafe, but they only have popcorn, so that’s a pretty loose interpretation.
Beauty’s Bagel Shop
If you’ve lived in the Bay Area for a significant amount of time, you’ve heard people talk about the inadequacy of its bagels. Beauty’s defies that with its wood-fired approach. Bagel aficionados are always talking about the water, and they boil their bagels in water with honey to give them a perfectly sweet aftertaste. This place is packed on the weekends, so I’d recommend going on weekdays around noon if you can. Feeling hungover and need a chocolate-chip-cookie fix (they have sea salt and are sensually gooey) or a bagel fix? If it’s not a weekend, you can get Beauty’s delivered via Caviar. Like I said, the weekends here are nuts, and you’ll wait a long time, but you can check out the bagel zodiac chart while you wait. I’m a lox, and my boyfriend is a pickle. Come up with an original joke, and I’ll give you 100 orders of chicken scrapple.
Julie’s
This is your evidence of bougie in Temescal. They do a great ricotta toast; their cold brew is exclusively nitro; and the number they give for your table is a tarot card. It’s delicious. It’s all so delicious (get the biscuit!). They have a lovely outdoor area, and they don’t even have any of those egregiously annoying signs that says the tables are reserved for non-laptop use. You could come here on a business lunch or a morning-after brunch. Hell, combine the two, and make it a morning to remember.
The Avenue
The Christmas lights and strong drinks might resurrect feelings of college, but this bar is for seasoned drinkers. There is no cocktail menu, and there is a lot of skull paraphernalia. It’s a true “night ender,” meaning I’ve never set out to come here, but you know I’ve had quite a night when I end up here. Even though it’s a true dive, the Avenue still hangs onto its Temescal charm. A bartender once stopped in the middle of a busy Friday shift to introduce himself to my boyfriend and me and ask how our night was. Unfortunately, I don’t remember that bartender’s name, but I do know that this is a dive with a heart of gold, and that’s really all I can ask for at the end of a Friday night.
Homeroom
You’ve probably heard of it as “that one mac-and-cheese place.” I can assure you it’s much more than that. It’s always packed, but for good reason—they make one hell of a mac and cheese. You can add bacon, spinach or other mix-ins, such as homemade tuna salad, if you’re a daredevil. You will receive mac and cheese that’s so delicious, you’ll literally vomit at the sight of Easy Mac. They also do a sweet cocktail called the Professor, which is part Kölsch and part limeade. They’re closed on Mondays, which always gets me, so I’m mentioning it here so it doesn’t get you. Want to get your mac-and-cheese fix in quick? You can order online or over the phone and pick it up at Homeroom to Go, which is just a few blocks down from Homeroom.
Cholita Linda
Bringing together Mexican, Cuban and Peruvian cuisine, Cholita Linda delivers when it comes to Latin American food. I’ve tried all the fish tacos, and they’re all fantastic. Wash it down with a seasonal agua fresca, and you’re good to go. This is yet another spot in Temescal with a killer outdoor area, further proving that East Bay weather rules and SF weather drolls. Sorry, Karl.
Uptown Market & Liquor
I know this isn’t the hot spot you wanted to hear about, but after living next door to it for almost two years, I feel it’s imperative that you know that this place has a walk-in beer fridge, nice champagne to impress your mom and all the toiletries you could need. They are truly a one-stop shop and once gave me a martini glass for no reason other than the cashier being in a celebratory mood. They also high-fived me for buying condoms once, so teen movies are truly our reality.
The feeling in Temescal is a mix of the neighborhood you grew up in and the neighborhood your hardworking father worried you would end up in. You can get avocado toast after your yoga class, or you can get shit-faced after the Warriors game at a 90-year-old bar. The best part about Temescal is that you still have the ability to choose. For now.
