Just opened
Lanesplitter, the East Bay New York pizza chain, has been adding branches, with the LakeMerritt pit stop opening last year. The newest pub opened in Emeryville on Thursday. They aren’t serving beer yet, but pizza is available from 11 am to midnight everyday.
3645 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville
Thursday was a big day for Emeryville, because the new Farmer’s Market also launched. Located next to City Hall, and across from Pixar, over 35 artisans and farms were there selling fresh fruit and veggies, flowers, honey, pastries, wine and cheese. Prepared food includes tamales, empanadas, spring rolls, kettle corn, gyros, bbq, so it also sounds like a good choice for lunch. And I heard they will keep your food fresh until the end of the day, so you can pick it up after work.
Haven Street, Between Park & 40th Street, Emeryville
Thursdays, 12 – 6:30 pm
Opening soon
Rockridge’s Café Zoe is planning to open this Sunday from 7 am to 7 pm. They’ll serve Ecco coffee, tea, iced drinks and Artisan pastries to start, and eventually, they will they expand the menu to include sandwiches and salads.
6000 College Ave, Oakland
Speaking of coffee in Rockridge, I also noticed some activity down the street at the space formerly known as Cafe Lyon. Tablehopper has some details for us: Bica Coffeehouse will serve coffee from local roasters De La Paz, Verve, Ritual, Flying Goat and Barefoot. Owner Jake Brodden also plans to serve tea, pastries and toast with local jam and honey at Bica, which is the Portuguese word for espresso. Proposed hours are 6:30 am – 6 pm, with plans to open in the next few weeks.
5701 College Ave, Oakland
photo: Christina Mitchell
Berkeley’s connection to Charlie Trotter seems to get stronger every year. Chris Blue, a former pastry chef at Charlie Trotter opened Chocolatier Blue onUniversity Avenue in 2008. Veronica Laramie, who also cooked at Charlie Trotter, and her husband Christopher, opened the avant-guard eVe next door in December 2009. Now, Kyle Anderson, another Charlie Trotter alum, is opening Slow, which is located on the other side of Chocolatier Blue. The local, seasonal menu will featureCalifornia cuisine with a European twist: confit salmon, caprese sandwich and braised short ribs. Lunch (around $6) and dinner (around $12) will be served in a sunset yellow and orange dining room, with lots of natural light and tables and chairs were made from wood reclaimed from an 1822 railroad tunnel. There are 30 seats inside and up to 30 seats in the outdoor patio and Slow is scheduled to open next month.
1966 University Ave, Berkeley
510-647-3663
After more than 2 years of delays, construction has finally started at Falanghina. Named after an Italian wine varietal, the casual Italian trattoria will serve antipasti, house made pasta, and traditional Neapolitan pizza made in a huge wood oven. The K2 Restaurant Group, the owners of 5 East Bay restaurants, including Sea Salt next door, plan to keep the brick walls and exposed beams in the 80 year old building. Proposed hours are 11 am – 11 pm, 7 days a week, and they plan to open in the next few months.
2514 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley
Only in Berkeley is it possible for vegan cinnamon rolls to be sold next door to sustainable Memphisstyle BBQ. The old Ben & Jerry’s has been split into 2 spaces: one side will be occupied by Cinnaholic, and the other will be the home of Ironwood BBQ. Brisket, roast, chicken and ribs will be dry-rubbed then slow cooked in custom built Wham Turbo BBQ pit (only 3 exist on the West Coast – LA, Seattle, and SF). Ironwood plans to open in July.
2130 Oxford Street, Berkeley
510-981-8028
Christina Mitchell
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