Restaurants in El Cerrito

“Excellent take-out. Love their unagi, spicy crab salad, every roll that I’ve tried. And they are so nice!!”

“The impossible burger was delicious! I really appreciated all the avocado! The garlic fries were a little too soft for my liking; next time I'll ask for extra crispy.
Thank you! Will come back for more!”

“Honestly the best tasting marinara and meatballs I’ve tasted outside of Italy.
Super selection of great European wines and very reasonably priced. On top of that, the owners of this cute little operation are the nicest people. What’s not to like ?”

“Super chill place that’s cozy and serves amazing nibbles and wine without being pretentious or exclusive. Can’t speak to mingling possibilities (whether you’ll go home with someone new) but it is a hangout stand-out, with stellar service. My new fav place north of Gourmet Ghetto”

“With prices going up, this is still a local staple at 6 something a sandwich. He packs my Bacon Bahn Mi with a good amount of meat! No cutting corners here :)

When I used to work in the area, I'd get their lunch plates they have wrapped up in the open fridge. Viet BBQ Chicken, Fried Egg Roll, and rice noodles are my go-to.

They also serve noodle soup, which a friend of mine way back said tasted like her mom's, very good; Chicken Pho.

Parking: If lot is filled there's always plenty of street parking”

“Wide variety of Peruvian treats especially fried plantains and pisco chilcanos”

“Exelente lugar me encantó”

“Best In Bay area.”

“Absolutely amazing. ❤️
This place was first recommended by a Korean friend, and it’s now easily the restaurant we’ve visited the most in the entire Bay Area. When we lived in Berkeley, we came at least every other weekend—and even now, we still happily drive for it. We’ve been here 20+ times.

I’ve brought many friends here, and every single one wants to come back. It always comes up whenever we talk about fried chicken.

The food:
• Fried chicken — heavenly
• Tofu soup — rich, comforting, and deeply delicious
• Kimchi pancake & seafood pancake — both excellent
• Banchan (Korean appetizers) — so good we often pack them to go

The food is comforting, addictive, and consistently outstanding. We clean our plates, scrape every last bite, and take leftovers whenever possible.

The service:
Warm and attentive, even when the place is packed and everyone is clearly working hard. It genuinely feels like eating at an auntie’s place—welcoming, caring, and full of heart.

We will absolutely be back again and again and again.

(Attached: photos over the years, the quality never changes)”

“Best pizza ,I love how the crust is thin and crispy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”

“boat noodle soup rice ball salad larb fish is my favorite 1|2 lemongrass chicken papaya salad sticky rice”

“Delicious food , best Momo in the Bay Area”

“Good whiskey sours. Biggest and best cocktail cherries I’ve ever had 🍒 Nice bartenders, hardcore karaoke aficionados”

“We love Mugunghwa, their food is delicious & authentic. It’s a privilege to have such well established, family owned Korean restaurant around, something that is not always given. All the main dishes, I believe, come with 6 set of side dishes and please don’t sleep on them - the portions are very generous (& you can ask for refills) and are flavorful. I think they make all their kimchi in house as well.

And as a Korean, I grew loving sotbap which is basically a rice cooked in a pot where you can take out the cooked rice to a side bowl and let the rice stuck to the pot simmer in broth which makes a nutty nooroongji. So I got pretty excited when I heard they have sotbap.

Our current favorites are: Sellongtang, galbijjim and bone harjangguk. But honestly all of their stuff is great in my opinion so try whatever sounds interesting to you!!”

“Great service and great food. Fast and friendly. I loved it!!”

“LOVE this bakery!!! Gayle and Pamela are so kind and accommodating. We asked them to make our wedding cake in their signature chocolate raspberry flavor (and to keep the natural pink frosting!). Everyone absolutely loved the cake, it couldn’t have been more perfect. They were very responsive and made sure everything was perfect for us. Their flavors are always so fresh and never fake-tasting. If I could afford it, I would go here everyday :)”

“Retro classy neighborhood bar with fun regulars and great music!!!😎👍👍”

“we had the fish and chips they were way more than we expected got the 3 fish next time will just get 2 because they were huge and great leftovers had delishous side salads as well as the slaw and garlic chips oh we will be back anxious to try other dishes too! we gout ours to go but they have excellent patio seating which I prefer”

“Such a super cute eclectic, locally owned coffee shop mixed with a boutique full of local treasures. Loved the food + drink options and the super chill vibes. We cozied up in the comfy seating area with our drinks before heading to the Bay for a hike, and I couldn’t resist browsing the locally made jewelry and clothes. Even played a game and pulled a few tarot cards before heading out.

I had the iced Ube Rose Latte (floral with rose petals on top 🌹) while my hubby enjoyed a delicious Coconut Mocha. We also shared a warm, flavorful empanada — so good! Service was friendly, and the little outdoor patio out back is adorable. Love supporting a local mom + pop shop, especially when the owners are there sharing their passion with the community”

“I agree with the last review~ the food here is so good! My husband got take out and ordered orange chicken, an eggplant dish in really delicious garlicky sauce, and a fried noodle dish with combo veggies and meat+shrimp. Will definitely go here again! Thanks, Happy Garden!”

“TAME [Original] Taramis”

“This is genuinely one of my favorite restaurants in the East Bay! There are a ton of great vegetarian/vegan options, and the flavor and spice is perfection! Simple/cozy set up in the restaurant, and options for delivery/pick up. Very friendly staff too! 10/10!”

“Great food and we will definitely visit again”

“I've been a regular customer for 20 years. I've been going to Katana-ya with my parents since I was little, and even now, after getting married, I bring my wife back. Tokyo Feng is still as delicious as ever. Their sushi has been infused with innovative elements, and the flavor and texture have improved. The portions are generous, and the prices are affordable! Tokyo Feng, we hope you continue to do better and continue to do well for another 20 years!”

“Great food, fresh, organic, tasty. Reasonable prices. Friendly, helpful staff.”

“sucos naturals, sobremesas maravilhosas...”

“An impressive array of vegan options (4/5 Green Stars) I would highly recommend trying out this Himalayan restaurant in El Cerrito. There are plenty of options for vegans and vegetarians and the quality every item we ordered was very high. I’ve had versions of each dish before but was impressed with Zomsa’s versions and rate Zomsa as one of the best Himalayan restaurants around. The Aloo Tikki (crispy potato cake with mint and tamarind sauces – vegan, $6) was a great start. The Vegetarian Jhol Momos (dumplings filled with kale, butternut squash, mushrooms, and spices, served in a sauce made from cashews and peanuts – vegan, $14) were really good. Often vegetarian dumplings have forgettable fillings, but I found these momos to be very thoughtfully made and satisfying. The Vegetable Thakali Thali was a great combination of several items that each added to the meal (veg curry, lentil soup, pickled daikon, sautéed mustard greens, and a papad – vegan, $17). Impressed by how satisfying these vegan dishes were – you wouldn’t even notice that the entire meal was plant-based. I’m giving Zomsa 4 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, for these reasons: • Even though there are several meat dishes, I was impressed by how much of the menu is not just vegetarian but vegan. More than a dozen main courses are vegan, along with several appetizers. Adopting a plant-based diet is the top thing you can do to mitigate climate change and deforestation, besides avoiding animal cruelty and the negative impact of the meat industry on society. • Local beer is available on draft, mitigating packaging and transportation impacts. • The restaurant used to emphasize the use of organic ingredients, but I suspect that the prices became too high to sustain this in El Cerrito. Appreciate the effort though and hope that they still use some organic ingredients, when possible.”

“Tigon is excellent, above par, a hidden gem on San Pablo. I've probably been here 5-6 times now with my fiance. She gets the same thing every time: Catfish Sweet and Sour Soup and she swears it gets better every single time. On the other hand, I try something new every time because each dish I've had has been better than the last. Catfish Claypot, Pho, and Papaya Salad are all big hitters.”

“Hidden gem in El Cerrito, food was tasty and served promptly. We had beef appetizer, miso soup, nigiri tuna an yellow tail, suno mono and regular salad. The suno mono was good, but not as great as the other dishes. Our waitress was very attentive and smiled a lot, that’s probably just how people from Nepal are. We will be returning to checkout happy hour when they have their special deals.”

“AAAAHHHHH-MAZING FOOD♡ MY HUSBAND AND MY FAVORITE NIGHT OUT DINNER PLACE♡♡”

“Amazing pastries. Been coming here for decades. Quiche, chicken pocket pies and blueberry Danish are some of my favorites. But my #1 favorite is cheese sticks. Twisted sticks of puff pastry layered with cheese, cayenne and mustard I believe. Discontinued a few years ago but reintroduced recently. Initial samples were without cayenne or mustard but most recent sample had some mustard I'm sure and was much like the originals I remember. Keep it up and I'll be back for more. I remember fondly cornmeal scones with cheese and bacon too. I like the quiche and the ranch scramble for brunch.”

“Everything about this place is perfect, the food, the service, and the actual spot. The food is amazing and made me much more into fish and the people who work here are so nice and are extremely helpful and efficient.”

“Decent food good price. Friendly.”

“I stopped by Tasty Sichuan in El Cerrito today and tried the Wild Chili & Cilantro Beef — wow, it was so good! The beef was tender, the celery and cilantro were super fresh, and the flavor was amazing. Really fragrant and really satisfying.

I usually only finish one bowl of rice, but today the dish was so delicious that I ended up eating two bowls! Totally worth it — I was happily stuffed.

Highly recommend this dish to anyone who loves good food. Easy 5 stars!”

“the hot beverages & sandwiches 😋”

“This place is so worth it. My family has been going for 10+ years, almost since the beginning of the restaurant when it was in a different location. Aki-San will tell you when you’re eating something wrong, but it’s not mean-spirited. You should definitely ask him about his life and his journey to becoming a sushi chef. The sushi is the best you will ever have, even better than sushi I had when I visited Japan. It may be very expensive, but if you have the means it is extremely worth the price. Don’t ask for specific things, get what he recommends (but don’t be scared if you have diet restrictions to ask for something that works). Is is an amazing experience so if you go really enjoy it.”

“Good coffee and great service ☕️”

“Went here today after spending some time at the beach! Good service, good food! I got the vegetable ramen since it's the only one that doesn't have pork broth (I'm vegetarian. Although, I didn't ask what broth they use instead but I'd like to assume veggies? If anyone knows, let me know?). I also got the vegetable tempura since I've wanted to try tempura for the longest time!
The ramen was definitely my favorite of the two! The broth was rich and the veggies and noodles were very fresh. I also LOVE how soft the tofu was, so good! The green onions had a really nice bite too. I didn't get my ramen spicy because I'm not a huge spice person. The tempura was also good! I probably wouldn't get it again, not because it didn't taste good or anything, the veggies were very tasty and fresh, I just don't think it's really my thing. They were also really sweet and brought over some watermelon (which was also super good!).
Good amount of food for the price as well.”

“The best food in los moles nice people there”

“As a bay area native, I've always appreciated having a Nation's around. Great burgers, fries, breakfast, and pies. Also open late which I personally greatly appreciate.”

“My favorite place to get Chinese food. I’ve tried a lot of spots in Richmond and this place is by far my favorite. The food is freshly made and you can taste the quality of their ingredients. My go to is beef and broccoli with fried rice. I’m from the East Coast and Chinese food out there tastes way different than over here (and better in my opinion). Frannie’s is the closest I’ve gotten to back home <3 So good. My partner loves their Mongolian beef. The staff is friendly and it’s not a long wait. I HIGHLY recommend you try them out!”

“Old-fashioned Chinese restaurant with a homey feel. it's probably been around a long time judging from the decor. The food is decent and the service is good. Affordable prices. It appears lots of customers are regulars, so that's saying something.”

“I've been trying all the taco trucks in the area but keep returning to Emiliano's. Probably been there 50 times. Really good shrimp tacos. The shrimp is larger and more flavorful than typical. Also really like the al pastor. Carne asada and chicken is good too. My new favorite thing is the wet burrito.
By the way, I've never found them not open when they were supposed to be.”

“my go-to burrito place. Always friendly service. I like my burritos very spicy, and la estrella is one of the few places that will go as heavy on the habanero as I like. Super fast if you order over the phone, too. I mostly eat vegetarian and they make a very good veggie burrito. The fish is good, too.”

“Lama Bar in El Cerrito is a gem! Exceptional service, great DJ vibes, and a cozy patio – it’s the perfect spot to unwind. Plus, the added bonus of billiards adds to the fun. Big thanks for the wonderful service; it’s definitely the go-to place for hanging out with friends!”

“This is a relaxing place to enjoy stimulating conversation and a great cocktail after work. The atmosphere is inviting and plus the bartenders are friendly and make excellent drinks.”

“My nephew and I enjoyed it we were on a outing..he loves pizza and the Teenage Mutant Turtles so I saw a sign said all you can eat pizza so I stop by so we played games for about 30 minutes they made our food fresh and it was great service..”

“First time to this restaurant. Great customer service and the food was excellent. Chicken fried crispy yet very moist and fries firm just the right amount of seasoning First time impression 👍”

“5 stars! Friendly staff, clean and comfortable, extensive menu, great prices, great value! my super burrito must have had a pound of carnitas, and hubby's mixed fajitas was plentiful as well. Fresh chips and salsa varieties available at the front, along with fresh water, self serve. we asked for containers and got free, fresh chips as well. Let's all support this family business!”

“Staff was friendly and the service of the food was delicious 🤤”

“I love Jamba Juice, specifically the açaí primo bowl. Smoothies and food options are filling and delicious, and aside from the prices which are a little higher, Jamba Juice does no wrong.”

“Reminded me a lot of when I visited Japan From the wonderful servers fast food prep ambience of inside the restaurant and most importantly the meals were very good and so much to pick from 😁”

“First time trying this place. Picked it up for dinner. The food is good. I prefer the chicken vs the ribs. Ribs are a little tough to eat. Love the Mac salad and my husband enjoyed the pot stickers. Would eat there again.”

“I love sandwiches and Ikes always hits the spot! Service was spot on and server provided great guidance as to which sandwich would fit me best. It was not very busy, the room was very clean, calming music playing. And I got my sandwich within five minutes or so. I gotta say the price is a little high for a sandwich/meal, mine came out to 22+(tip).”

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“I really enjoy the tamales and drinks. Haven't had anything bad. Service was a bit chaotic during a really busy night, but manageable, seating was limited. All other times I have been there have been very mellow, plenty of seating, friendly, quick service. I did have to remind them about a drink when I ordered online for pickup, but they fixed it quick, no problems.”

“I wouldn’t say the best. But they were decent . The meat flavor was good but my tortilla was a little cold. They offered teriyaki bowls that are good. The customer service was 10/10 !”

“I've been coming to Uncle Wong's for 3+ years after taking a job in Oakland. Being born and raised in San Francisco, I've had great Chinese food. Uncle Wong's is the best! May the owner is so attentive and sweet. Turn off your phone and get to Uncle Wong's right now! Note:Take Out only for now.”

“Best subs I have had in a while. The people were awesome and fulfilled my order with excellence. Prasiddha did a great job taking care of my food. 10/10 highly recommended.”

“drinks are always good and it’s never a hit or miss. i always get the same thing but it’s always good or better than the last time never a one hit wonder! the sandwich i got which was the turkey avocado sandwich was okay. a lot of avocado and onion but little turkey. i’m sure you ask for your specific topping preferences that wouldn’t be a problem. found out about this place a couple weeks ago and have been a regular ever since. my new favorite boba place ever since the first time i came. highly recommend! (the boba in the picture is the devil zang zang, if you like boba and oreo and don’t know what to try definitely get that. it’s also the middle boba picture on the window.)”

“One of my favorite local spots. Tonight had the seafood ravioli with shrimp…delicious! Our server was Dolly! She made me a good Manhattan and gave me sweet dessert for my birthday. Thanks Dolly for the wonderful service.”