Finding Oakland’s Best Bites

On October 9th, 2024, Oakland was awarded the title of “The Best Food City in the US” by the popular luxury and lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler.  Anyone who lives in the Bay Area knows Oakland has long deserved to win this title, as no city truly beats the diversity that our city’s food scene offers. The variety in food offerings directly reflects the 27.8% immigrant population of Oakland, providing the city with authentic foods of all cultures. Oakland neighborhoods, such as Chinatown, The Fruitvale, and Little Saigon of Oakland are small pockets of the city which solidify Condé Nast Traveler’s statement that “there’s no wrong neighborhood from which to start exploring Oakland’s staggeringly diverse food scene.” 

The city boasts more than twenty Michelin Guide-recognized restaurants including local favorites like Café Romanat, Horn Barbecue, Taquería El Paisa, and Commis. Senior Sabia Lewis is a regular customer at Horn Barbecue and speaks to the value of the restaurant on the Michelin Guide, saying “Horn Barbecue’s pulled pork sandwich has the right ratio of ingredients.” Lewis also strongly recommends the collard greens, rectifying its Michelin Guide recommendation. 

Visit Oakland’s website describes the city’s “world-class restaurants, eateries, pop-ups, food trucks, breweries, and bars” as “…love letters to the homes left behind, the homes built here, and the re-imagined cuisines that grew from both. [Oakland’s] food is a celebration of the different cultures that give The Town its flavor.”  

Ninth grade history and tenth grade English teacher, Bruna Ardila recommends Parche, a modern take on Colombian cuisine. She describes it as one of her favorite restaurants and “a good place to celebrate milestones, like birthdays, and try Colombian food with new flavors.” She orders the Arepa de Huevo and the Posta Negra because “the seasonings are so rich, and the chef finds great ways to add umami and acidity to traditional Colombian dishes.”   

Adding to the food scene, Oakland’s farmers markets are a great place to grab a quick bite from a local vendor, baker, or chef’s booth, or to purchase fresh produce and meat from local farmers to cook at home. From the Grand Lake Farmers’ Market on Saturdays to the Jack London Square Farmers’ Market on Sundays, you are bound to find a great meal, healthy snack, refreshing drink, and probably see some of your fellow Jayhawks.  You may even run into “Kale on Wheels” club members helping the community by collecting leftover produce from farmers’ markets to donate to food banks.      

Local radio station, KQED states that Oakand’s culinary brand’s “secret sauce seems to be some combination of culturally specific flavors and community spirit.”  Seniors Charlotte Shamia and Dillon Hong attest to this after trying bites from a variety of nearby restaurants.  

From “The Cook and her Farmer” Hong recommends the Big Sur Melt, Hong shares “That despite the simplicity of the dish, each of the three ingredients (cheese, shrimp, and green onions) compliment each other so well, that it makes up for the lack of other flavors.” 

From Cupcakin’ Bake Shop he shares that despite there’s an incredibly interesting menu of cupcakes including peach cobbler, key lime pie, dirty south (sweet potato), and chocolate peanut butter, the crème brûlée cupcake is the star. He remarked “As a crème brûlée enthusiast, I found that this combo of a crème brûlée in a cupcake, is arguable one of the best things I’ve had. I loved how the richness of the creme brulee was matched with the moist white butter cake.” 

These restaurants are a perfect lunchtime excursion and every student of the School should try to go! Shamia gushes over “La Guerreras Kitchen”, “It was delicious, I would recommend pollo asado and barbacoa tacos. The environment is really good because [La Guerreras Kitchen] is in an area with a lot of cute restaurants and has open concept seating good for socializing.” 

Visit Oakland closes with the statement “Whether you’re looking for a quick bite, a casual spot to gather with friends, a romantic dinner, or an ice-cold beer, Oakland has just what you’re craving,” and Hong, Shamia, and Ardila’s recommendations have have certainly solidified “Condé Nast Traveler’s original statement that Oakland is in fact, the best food city.