---Pre-Covid Review---Came by during Oakland pride since it was just off to the side enough to get some views without all the crowds. You order at the counter and grab a seat. Because of the event it was a bit hard to snag a table but we got one by the time our food came. Service was very friendly and there's quite a few tables for larger groups of 4+ (or to be shared). Atmosphere is very casual and I could see this as a nice place for a quick lunch.My friend and I ordered the following:1) Veggie Breakfast Tacos: My friend's main entree and it's about as disappointing as you'd expect a vegetarian item from a pig-centric restaurant to be. Tortillas were fine, a bit tough. Eggs were somewhere between alright and rubber, potato had decent seasoning and some char. Overall you can throw something together at home and do better. (2.5/5)2) Waffle Iron Hashbrowns w/ Melted Cheddar and Chives: A shared side for me and my friend. She really enjoyed it (though she also enjoyed those tacos), but personally I wasn't a fan. I expected the waffle iron to increase the crispy surface area but none of the hashbrown really reached that maximum crunch. It was all sort of soft and had a gluey potato texture versus a light fluffy one. There wasn't enough cheddar and the potato mix itself really needed seasoning. The chives added color but not enough flavor. Good concept, poorly executed (2.5/5)3) The BLT w/ an egg: Recommended by the server and she was absolutely right. This was delicious. The bacon was solid. Smokey and delicious (though I prefer a crisper bacon). The tomato added a meaty texture while the arugula and vinaigrette added some freshness. I do wish they used a heftier sourdough that could contain all these ingredients a bit better especially since the egg basically meant this whole thing became a soppy mess once the yolk broke but it was a great and well balanced sandwich I would happily get again (4/5)Overall, Gastropig has potential. I really enjoyed my main entree and I feel like the other items were just a misstep. I'd be willing to give this place another shot if I was in the area though.
Noemi M.
Not honoring there hours posted drove 40 min here and there were closed at 1:30pm, the guy said we are closed, so don't waste your time driving here for now
Mikey M.
This place has good potential unfortunately we got there on the late side of the lunch shift and the counter person was kind of a dud. put our food was delicious especially their decadent hash brown waffle. my wife had the burger that was juicy flavorful and delicious and I had a pulled pork sandwich which was good but more kind of a run-of-the-mill nothing super special pork sandwich. Have to come back for breakfast cuz that's really where their menu seems to shine.
Art N.
Great breakfast sandos. Sides were just ok. Better to go on the later part of brunch hours for seating.
D.wight L.
Under the shade of uptown's tall buildings, lies this popular yet super hipster breakfast/brunch spot. Counter service, utensils/napkin caddies at each table, food comes on aluminum cookie trays, doesn't get more hipster than that. Tried a Breakfast Sausage/Egg Sandwich ($11/3*) On paper this sounded great. House made sausage patty, egg, smoked gouda on a toasted brioche bun. The sausage (3.5*) was okay, maybe a quarter pound patty. Bigger on the thyme flavor versus the traditional sage, and I ain't really mad at that. But the bread was too big and muted most of the sausage flavor. When I removed part of the top bun, I was able to taste the sausage more. The bun (2*) was too overwhelming. It did have a classic brioche texture, super soft and airy. It was nicely toasted as well, so props. But it was big enough to house a 1/2 lb burger with all the works. So the 1 egg and small sausage patty got kinda lost. The bread is also quite sweet which I didn't really care for. The egg (4*) They didn't ask me how to cook it, but it came out over easy/over medium by default. Totally fine with that. But I'm sure they could scramble it for ya, if that's more of your thing. The cheese (0*) I love smoked gouda and was a main reason for choosing this particular sandwich. I didn't detect any, even after lifting up the layers of the sandwich to confirm. Either they forgot or put so little that it wasn't detectable. Either way it made my cheese loving heart sad. The sandwich also comes with a small salad of mixed mesclun mix with a light yet tangy vinaigrette. Kinda weird for breakfast, but I tend to like something vegetative these days when eating rich foods. This most definitely was the case. So even though this sandwich didn't hit for me, there are still many things on the menu that I wouldn't mind trying. I'm in the area a lot, so I'm sure there will be another shot.
Erica O.
Cool hipster brunch place that's kind of hidden in Oakland- I'm sad I didn't discovery it sooner! The corned beef hash is incredible and a huge portion. Huevos rancheros and breakfast tacos also great and good portion sizes. We moved away from Oakland so I'm also bummed that I didn't get a chance to try some of their other stuff - I'm gluten free and they offer their sandwiches for example on GF bread. The stuff we've had is gluten free and dairy free which is great cause my husband is allergic. Other folks say the waffle iron hash brown is good! It looks awesome! Wish they had an espresso drink selection; the black coffee is just OK. Realize it's brunch but I think they could be open more hours - I'll eat brunch any time of day! Would recommend going on a weekday since it is packed on weekends. I've had a couple issues trying to come here right when it opened...only to find that the staff was waiting outside for someone to come open the doors....really odd. This has happened to me a couple times where they didn't open on time. Overall great spot!
Molly L.
We ordered the breakfast plate with bacon and the veggie tacos with a side order of I hash browns. The breakfast plate had sourdough toast, potatoes, maple wood smoked bacon, and eggs. The bacon was nicely flavored as was the potatoes. There was also fresh cherry jam on the side, but it was really good. The veggie tacos were also very good, with potatoes, avocado cream, scrambled eggs, and sour cream - all on a fresh corn tortilla. It also came with an arugula side salad that had some vinaigrette on it (also pretty good). The waffle iron hash browns were unlike any hash browns we've had before. It was very oily, cheesy and buttery - but also very crunchy. At $6 an order, I'm not sure I would get it again because it's pretty steep for an order of hash browns.
Jessica S.
This is my go to brunch place! It's quick as you order at the counter. Everything I've ever ordered is amazing. I've come with one other person and have come with a group of 6, always able to find a spot to sit. I walk here but I always see open street parking. This most recent time I got the Bacon Slut Sandwich. If you're really hungry, I recommend adding the beef patty. But it's perfectly delicious without it. Recommend this place for sure!!
Jason F.
Oh Gastropig you are bacon my day! That saying is literally on a sign that I saw right by the cashier area in this fast casual restaurant located in the heart of Oakland's downtown area, not too far from Lake Merritt. Here at The Gastropig, the specialty is breakfast, but not just any breakfast, breakfast sandwiches. Similar in aspect to the Eggslut sandwiches that have been so popular in Los Angeles for almost a full decade and has started to expand in the area, these are hearty sandwiches in which an over easy egg is always involved and it's always oozing, as it should, over your brioche bun and other ingredients that come in their breakfast sandwich which just proves that everything is made with thought and care. And I can honestly say that I am here for it! I came for breakfast with friends on a Monday morning during a holiday weekend and it was busy but not super slammed so getting a table and our order in a fair amount of time were both easy going. Of course, since I was here for the first time I had to get their Baconslut Sandwich made with smoked bacon, an egg served over-easy, cheddar, smoked aleppo aioli on a brioche roll and I decided to go all in by making it a Baconslut Burger with adding a hamburger patty to it for an additional 5 dollars and then I added a side of Homefries with crispy seasoned potatoes for an additional 5 dollars on top of that. My friends decided to go in a different direction with the Sausage Egg & Cheese Sandwich with a side of Waffle Iron Hashbrown and the Breakfast Plate with 2 eggs, bacon, homefries, and a slice of sourdough toast. Even with the side salad that accompanies all sandwiches, everything we tried was hearty and well-prepared, and as expected, it was an overall heavy meal, but you can't go to a place called The Gastropig without making a pig of oneself and having a heavy brunch! They have traditional brunch items on their menu like Avocado Toast and Corned Beef Hash, and for dinner they even feature a popup artistic fine dining series called Abstract Table, which features rotating prix-fix menus. But I was here to get some serious grub on for brunch and I certainly was not disappointed with what I ordered, so much so, a return visit is seriously warranted and you better believe I'll be singing in my head "Don't go bacon my heart, I couldn't if I tried! Honey, if I get restless. Baby, you're not that kind! Oo-hoo!"
Zita Abenir
Nice brunch menus...great atmosphere for fam n friends..just limited space
Oh my goodness! Gastropig is a hidden gem in Oakland! I fell in love with their waffle iron hash brown and Baconslut sandwich. My boyfriend lives around the corner from this establishment; we've dined inside and we've ordered take out. We have never been disappointed with the food or service! If you are dining-in, I would suggest arriving close to opening time because the establishment fills up quickly and it could be difficult to snag a seat at the desired time.
Kimberly V.
Excellent!! My friend and I went here on a Saturday morning and this place did not disappoint! With an unsuspecting location (downtown Oakland,) the menu is straightforward, affordable, and delicious. I ordered the Breakfast Tacos with a Vietnamese iced coffee. My friend ordered the BaconSlut Egg Sandwich. Both were super tasty and came out fast (considering how busy the place was, the speed in which I was served was delightfully surprising.) My tacos were made with juicy pulled pork with hot sauce, scrambled eggs, black beans, and topped with cilantro crema. And it was a lot! My friend's sandwich was made with what appeared to be a handful of seasoned applewood smoked bacon that was perfectly crispy. Both of our dishes came with a side arugula salad that refreshingly provided the bite of acid we needed to cut through the fat. And our iced coffees- whew! Strong, with a big ribbon of sweetened condensed milk throughout... so good! The vibe was young and vibrant and the place was popping. Now I know why! Come here for weekend brunch and expect to be surprised. A++++++
Justin Chen
Cozy generally not crowded place. Brunch offerings were solid, but nothing stuck out as particularly novel.
Diana M.
If you want the best breakfast in Oakland, this is it. We ordered egg sandwiches with a side of the waffle hash brown and the salad. The bread for the sandwich was perfectly toasted, the hash brown was big and crunchy. It doesn't look like itd be filling but it was all the perfect serving. Service was great and the restaurant was clean and had lots of seat available.
---Pre-Covid Review---Came by during Oakland pride since it was just off to the side enough to get some views without all the crowds. You order at the counter and grab a seat. Because of the event it was a bit hard to snag a table but we got one by the time our food came. Service was very friendly and there's quite a few tables for larger groups of 4+ (or to be shared). Atmosphere is very casual and I could see this as a nice place for a quick lunch.My friend and I ordered the following:1) Veggie Breakfast Tacos: My friend's main entree and it's about as disappointing as you'd expect a vegetarian item from a pig-centric restaurant to be. Tortillas were fine, a bit tough. Eggs were somewhere between alright and rubber, potato had decent seasoning and some char. Overall you can throw something together at home and do better. (2.5/5)2) Waffle Iron Hashbrowns w/ Melted Cheddar and Chives: A shared side for me and my friend. She really enjoyed it (though she also enjoyed those tacos), but personally I wasn't a fan. I expected the waffle iron to increase the crispy surface area but none of the hashbrown really reached that maximum crunch. It was all sort of soft and had a gluey potato texture versus a light fluffy one. There wasn't enough cheddar and the potato mix itself really needed seasoning. The chives added color but not enough flavor. Good concept, poorly executed (2.5/5)3) The BLT w/ an egg: Recommended by the server and she was absolutely right. This was delicious. The bacon was solid. Smokey and delicious (though I prefer a crisper bacon). The tomato added a meaty texture while the arugula and vinaigrette added some freshness. I do wish they used a heftier sourdough that could contain all these ingredients a bit better especially since the egg basically meant this whole thing became a soppy mess once the yolk broke but it was a great and well balanced sandwich I would happily get again (4/5)Overall, Gastropig has potential. I really enjoyed my main entree and I feel like the other items were just a misstep. I'd be willing to give this place another shot if I was in the area though.
Not honoring there hours posted drove 40 min here and there were closed at 1:30pm, the guy said we are closed, so don't waste your time driving here for now
This place has good potential unfortunately we got there on the late side of the lunch shift and the counter person was kind of a dud. put our food was delicious especially their decadent hash brown waffle. my wife had the burger that was juicy flavorful and delicious and I had a pulled pork sandwich which was good but more kind of a run-of-the-mill nothing super special pork sandwich. Have to come back for breakfast cuz that's really where their menu seems to shine.
Great breakfast sandos. Sides were just ok. Better to go on the later part of brunch hours for seating.
Under the shade of uptown's tall buildings, lies this popular yet super hipster breakfast/brunch spot. Counter service, utensils/napkin caddies at each table, food comes on aluminum cookie trays, doesn't get more hipster than that. Tried a Breakfast Sausage/Egg Sandwich ($11/3*) On paper this sounded great. House made sausage patty, egg, smoked gouda on a toasted brioche bun. The sausage (3.5*) was okay, maybe a quarter pound patty. Bigger on the thyme flavor versus the traditional sage, and I ain't really mad at that. But the bread was too big and muted most of the sausage flavor. When I removed part of the top bun, I was able to taste the sausage more. The bun (2*) was too overwhelming. It did have a classic brioche texture, super soft and airy. It was nicely toasted as well, so props. But it was big enough to house a 1/2 lb burger with all the works. So the 1 egg and small sausage patty got kinda lost. The bread is also quite sweet which I didn't really care for. The egg (4*) They didn't ask me how to cook it, but it came out over easy/over medium by default. Totally fine with that. But I'm sure they could scramble it for ya, if that's more of your thing. The cheese (0*) I love smoked gouda and was a main reason for choosing this particular sandwich. I didn't detect any, even after lifting up the layers of the sandwich to confirm. Either they forgot or put so little that it wasn't detectable. Either way it made my cheese loving heart sad. The sandwich also comes with a small salad of mixed mesclun mix with a light yet tangy vinaigrette. Kinda weird for breakfast, but I tend to like something vegetative these days when eating rich foods. This most definitely was the case. So even though this sandwich didn't hit for me, there are still many things on the menu that I wouldn't mind trying. I'm in the area a lot, so I'm sure there will be another shot.
Cool hipster brunch place that's kind of hidden in Oakland- I'm sad I didn't discovery it sooner! The corned beef hash is incredible and a huge portion. Huevos rancheros and breakfast tacos also great and good portion sizes. We moved away from Oakland so I'm also bummed that I didn't get a chance to try some of their other stuff - I'm gluten free and they offer their sandwiches for example on GF bread. The stuff we've had is gluten free and dairy free which is great cause my husband is allergic. Other folks say the waffle iron hash brown is good! It looks awesome! Wish they had an espresso drink selection; the black coffee is just OK. Realize it's brunch but I think they could be open more hours - I'll eat brunch any time of day! Would recommend going on a weekday since it is packed on weekends. I've had a couple issues trying to come here right when it opened...only to find that the staff was waiting outside for someone to come open the doors....really odd. This has happened to me a couple times where they didn't open on time. Overall great spot!
We ordered the breakfast plate with bacon and the veggie tacos with a side order of I hash browns. The breakfast plate had sourdough toast, potatoes, maple wood smoked bacon, and eggs. The bacon was nicely flavored as was the potatoes. There was also fresh cherry jam on the side, but it was really good. The veggie tacos were also very good, with potatoes, avocado cream, scrambled eggs, and sour cream - all on a fresh corn tortilla. It also came with an arugula side salad that had some vinaigrette on it (also pretty good). The waffle iron hash browns were unlike any hash browns we've had before. It was very oily, cheesy and buttery - but also very crunchy. At $6 an order, I'm not sure I would get it again because it's pretty steep for an order of hash browns.
This is my go to brunch place! It's quick as you order at the counter. Everything I've ever ordered is amazing. I've come with one other person and have come with a group of 6, always able to find a spot to sit. I walk here but I always see open street parking. This most recent time I got the Bacon Slut Sandwich. If you're really hungry, I recommend adding the beef patty. But it's perfectly delicious without it. Recommend this place for sure!!
Oh Gastropig you are bacon my day! That saying is literally on a sign that I saw right by the cashier area in this fast casual restaurant located in the heart of Oakland's downtown area, not too far from Lake Merritt. Here at The Gastropig, the specialty is breakfast, but not just any breakfast, breakfast sandwiches. Similar in aspect to the Eggslut sandwiches that have been so popular in Los Angeles for almost a full decade and has started to expand in the area, these are hearty sandwiches in which an over easy egg is always involved and it's always oozing, as it should, over your brioche bun and other ingredients that come in their breakfast sandwich which just proves that everything is made with thought and care. And I can honestly say that I am here for it! I came for breakfast with friends on a Monday morning during a holiday weekend and it was busy but not super slammed so getting a table and our order in a fair amount of time were both easy going. Of course, since I was here for the first time I had to get their Baconslut Sandwich made with smoked bacon, an egg served over-easy, cheddar, smoked aleppo aioli on a brioche roll and I decided to go all in by making it a Baconslut Burger with adding a hamburger patty to it for an additional 5 dollars and then I added a side of Homefries with crispy seasoned potatoes for an additional 5 dollars on top of that. My friends decided to go in a different direction with the Sausage Egg & Cheese Sandwich with a side of Waffle Iron Hashbrown and the Breakfast Plate with 2 eggs, bacon, homefries, and a slice of sourdough toast. Even with the side salad that accompanies all sandwiches, everything we tried was hearty and well-prepared, and as expected, it was an overall heavy meal, but you can't go to a place called The Gastropig without making a pig of oneself and having a heavy brunch! They have traditional brunch items on their menu like Avocado Toast and Corned Beef Hash, and for dinner they even feature a popup artistic fine dining series called Abstract Table, which features rotating prix-fix menus. But I was here to get some serious grub on for brunch and I certainly was not disappointed with what I ordered, so much so, a return visit is seriously warranted and you better believe I'll be singing in my head "Don't go bacon my heart, I couldn't if I tried! Honey, if I get restless. Baby, you're not that kind! Oo-hoo!"
Nice brunch menus...great atmosphere for fam n friends..just limited space
Restaurantji Recommends
get the hash brown waffles.
Oh my goodness! Gastropig is a hidden gem in Oakland! I fell in love with their waffle iron hash brown and Baconslut sandwich. My boyfriend lives around the corner from this establishment; we've dined inside and we've ordered take out. We have never been disappointed with the food or service! If you are dining-in, I would suggest arriving close to opening time because the establishment fills up quickly and it could be difficult to snag a seat at the desired time.
Excellent!! My friend and I went here on a Saturday morning and this place did not disappoint! With an unsuspecting location (downtown Oakland,) the menu is straightforward, affordable, and delicious. I ordered the Breakfast Tacos with a Vietnamese iced coffee. My friend ordered the BaconSlut Egg Sandwich. Both were super tasty and came out fast (considering how busy the place was, the speed in which I was served was delightfully surprising.) My tacos were made with juicy pulled pork with hot sauce, scrambled eggs, black beans, and topped with cilantro crema. And it was a lot! My friend's sandwich was made with what appeared to be a handful of seasoned applewood smoked bacon that was perfectly crispy. Both of our dishes came with a side arugula salad that refreshingly provided the bite of acid we needed to cut through the fat. And our iced coffees- whew! Strong, with a big ribbon of sweetened condensed milk throughout... so good! The vibe was young and vibrant and the place was popping. Now I know why! Come here for weekend brunch and expect to be surprised. A++++++
Cozy generally not crowded place. Brunch offerings were solid, but nothing stuck out as particularly novel.
If you want the best breakfast in Oakland, this is it. We ordered egg sandwiches with a side of the waffle hash brown and the salad. The bread for the sandwich was perfectly toasted, the hash brown was big and crunchy. It doesn't look like itd be filling but it was all the perfect serving. Service was great and the restaurant was clean and had lots of seat available.