The best restaurants in Oakland to try right now

Opened in early 2023, Parche is a welcome new addition to the Uptown neighborhood. The atmosphere is lively, abuzz with people from all walks of life. You'll find those stopping by the bar after work, friends gathered to celebrate birthdays—and plenty of date-goers. The contemporary Colombian restaurant is the first personal venture for Paul Iglesias, who had previously managed Canela Bistro & Wine Bar in San Francisco. Going out on his own, Iglesias wanted to showcase his heritage by featuring the various flavors and cooking techniques of Colombia.

The family-style menu starts with a selection of ceviches before offering smaller shared plates that include various empanadas, arepas, yucca fritters, and vegetables. If you have room, several larger dishes round out the meal. Parche's cocktail menu is as lively as the atmosphere, with the house specialty being a Spanish style of gin & tonic. Colombian touches aren't only found in the food, but in every decor detail: handmade balays, a form of a wicker basket, hang above the tables and boldly colorful historical Colombian prints line the walls. Overall, Parche represents the best of what Oakland embodies—a place to honor the family heritage and build community.

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Opened in early 2022 along Piedmont Avenue, Pomet offers an elevated menu that takes farm-to-table to the next level within a relaxed and welcoming neighborhood restaurant. Owner Aomboon “Boonie” Deasy is well-known in the Bay Area as the head of K&J Orchards, which produces some of the most exquisite fruit in the region. The orchard has supplied customers at farmers' markets and some of San Francisco's best restaurants for years. Pomet is a celebration of the bounty of K&J orchards, along with local ingredients sourced from farms throughout the area. Dishes, often treated with Asian cooking techniques, rotate seasonally with starters such as San Pedro yellowfin with smoked mushroom tamari-koji and citrus or a selection of Tomales Bay oysters. A few constants remain on the menu, including the "ugly mushroom-filled pasta" that's mixed with creamy miso butter. Fruit-forward desserts are also a must-try.

ACRE is a new Mediterranean restaurant open in the former spaces of Oliveto, a legendary restaurant that operated at the corner of College Ave near the Rockridge BART station for nearly 35 years. Given the local love for Oliveto, ACRE had big shoes to fill—and so far, the community is responding warmly. The two-level space has been completely refreshed and has already become a popular neighborhood spot. Downstairs, you'll find an "all-day, European-style" cafe serving pizzas cooked in the stone oven as well as other "unfussy dishes" and classic-inspired cocktails. Upstairs, the main dining room menu is more elevated with dishes including steak tartare and whole-grilled branzino. But—you didn't hear it from us—an open secret is that you can still order pizzas upstairs, despite not being on the menu.

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Horn Barbeque is the star newcomer in town. Though the restaurant is barely a year old, pitmaster Matt Horn actually served up his Central Texas-inspired brisket and beef ribs to a cult following for years via pop-ups that brought massive lines. His new and permanent location in West Oakland lives up the fanfare—if you're in the mood for authentic, Texas-style barbecue, head here for the stand-out menu item (brisket) plus hot links, smoked turkey breast, cheesy potato casserole, and more barbeque favorites.

Chef-owner Mic Talmor opened Pomella at an inopportune time: spring 2020. Despite the pandemic, the restaurant won over Bay Area diners who came in droves for her “familial, Middle Eastern'' flavors. Pomella's California-Israeli dishes are inspired by Talmor's roots in northern Israel combined with California produce, offering items like falafel, pita, and majadera (a spiced and lentil dish). Whatever you do, don't skip the hummus—it’s some of the creamiest you'll ever taste, made by a special machine Talmor funded through Kickstarter.

You'll notice that in Oakland, popular restaurants often first start out as food trucks or pop-ups. That was the case for Tacos Oscar, which served up his mouthwatering tacos across the Bay. In 2018, founders Oscar Michel and Jake Weiss opened its permanent location in the Temescal neighborhood. The venue is completely outdoors, made up of brightly painted shipping containers decorated with string lights, cacti, and custom wood tables. The menu consists of tacos and tostadas that change every week. Expect juicy, meaty options like pork chile verde as well as a slew of vegan choices. 

Nothing short of legendary, the employee-owned Zachary’s Chicago Pizza has been an East Bay staple since 1983. For over three decades, the original Rockridge location in Oakland has turned out killer Chicago-style deep dish, thin-crust, and half-baked pizzas.

Tucked along a strip mall in Temescal, the outside of FOB kitchen is unassuming while on the inside, the restaurant bursts with color and flavor. After operating as a pop-up, owners Janice and Brandi Dulce started serving their delicious Filipino food out of this brick-and-mortar location, which features bold wallpaper, colorful decor, an open kitchen, and an overall warm party vibe. Stand-outs include lumpia and fork-tender pork adobo, as well as vibrant side dishes that range from salads to noodles.

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Located in Uptown, Kingston 11 has been a staple in the Oakland dining scene for years. The restaurant serves classic Jamaican fare (think jerk chicken and curried goat) in an inviting space. Kingston 11 is known to be environmentally friendly and community-focused.

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Oakland's only Michelin-starred restaurant offers eight innovative courses for $175. It’s a hefty price tag, sure, but one we can get behind—and considering how consistently packed this place is, we’re not alone. In the kitchen, Chef James Syhabout shows off his finesse with well-sourced, local ingredients in a sophisticated nightly tasting menu.

Chef Octavio Diaz is at the helm of this bright Mexican food and mescal destination where you’ll find classic Oaxacan dishes like tlayudas (often dubbed Oaxacan pizza) and his signature 20-ingredient mole negro (made from Diaz’ family recipe). Get tipsy on tasty flights of tequila and mezcal, served with sal de gusano (worm salt), of course.

In West Oakland, head to Soba Ichi for some of the most authentic Japanese soba you’ll find in the country. Each day, this hotspot makes just 100 orders of soba and serves every batch until they sell out. You can order them hot or cold, and it’s worth ordering a few appetizers while you’re at it like the Nasu Agebitashi (a deep-fried eggplant soaked in dashi broth). You'll also find beer, cocktails, and sake.

alaMar is a seafood-centric, modern restaurant in Uptown Oakland. Dominican-American chef Nelson German serves seafood boils featuring everything from PEI mussels to Alaskan snow crab, alongside Dominican rice bowls, Cajun oyster shooters, crawfish tacos, and lemon pepper waffle fries. Raw oysters, crushable cocktails, and outdoor seating have made it a neighborhood favorite.

Temescal’s Teni East Kitchen is a one-of-a-kind Asian fusion spot that pulls heavily on Myanmar and Burmese influences with touches of Southeast Asia, India, and Ethiopia. The sparse, wood-lined space turns out roti with curry, kale tea leaf salad, and coconut shrimp curry. House signatures, like a crisp pea shoot salad (laden with peanuts, shallots, chickpeas, garlic and lime) steal the show.