Bancroft Hotel

Restaurants nearby

• Great ChinaBib Chic enough for the style-savvy, cheap enough for students and authentic enough for local Chinese families, Great China is one of the few Berkeley restaurants everyone can (and does) agree on. Spicehounds should look elsewhere, as the food is somewhat mild, but the ingredients are higher quality than the average Chinese spot. Kick things off with an aromatic bowl of hot and sour soup or an order of vegetarian egg rolls. Then sample generously portioned favorites like the sweet-and-spicy kung pao chicken; beautifully lacquered tea-smoked duck; or the beloved “double skin”—a platter of mung bean978m
• IppukuBib Can’t swing a ticket to Tokyo? Dinner at Ippuku is the next best thing. With its low Japanese-style tables, extensive woodwork and enormous selection of sake and shochu, it feels like an authentic izakaya transplanted into a corner of downtown Berkeley. The low-profile entrance adds to the feeling that you’ve lucked upon a special dining secret—assuming you don’t stroll right past it, that is. Yakitori is the big draw here, with smoky, salty chicken thighs, necks, hearts and gizzards arriving fresh off the binchotan. Other excellent small plates include korokke, or golden-brown Dungeness crab 1.1km
• ComalBib For bold and zesty Mexican food crafted with pristine ingredients, locals pack this industrial-chic hot spot, where an excellent cocktail program and an extensive tequila and mezcal selection keep things buzzing. The large flat tortilla griddles for which Comal is named are on full display in the open kitchen, while a covered and heated back patio draws locals for year-round outdoor dining. Fryer-fresh warm tortilla chips paired with perfect guacamole are irresistible; summon an order as you peruse other options like the refreshing white shrimp ceviche and earthy hen-of-the-woods mushroom ques1.2km
• Commis★★ Michelin This serene elder from Chef/owner James Syhabout is packed every night. Tucked into colorful Piedmont Avenue, the space is long and neat, while soft music and a vibrant staff set the mood. It's cool and relaxed but never casual.Chef Syhabout pairs local ingredients with precise technique; he also pulls from his Thai and Chinese heritage to deliver an elegant menu full of familiar flavors that taste as wonderful as they look. Dinner might unveil slices of raw Japanese sea bream dressed with aged soy sauce, fermented plum, and mustard. That signature slow-poached egg yolk sitting in a bed of oni4.9km
• Wood TavernBib It's a classic neighborhood standby, where friends, families and chic couples congregate for drinks at the copper-topped bar. Flanked by organic groceries, indie bookstores and antique shops, its environs speak of peace, weaving a bohemian spell that captivates both regulars and rookies alike.Seasonal Californian cooking with an Italian bent dominates this tavern's menu, and a "butcher block" of well-prepared charcuterie — pork rillettes seasoned with Aleppo pepper, sumac, and lime — is a prudent way to start your meal. Bucatini with a beef and pork ragu bolognese or pan-roasted half chicken w2.1km
• FOB KitchenBib Janice Dulce is behind this popular Filipino restaurant that began as a pop-up. Tucked into the Temescal neighborhood, the space may be diminutive but it is ingeniously designed—with whimsical wallpaper and a relaxed, island vibe. Cozy up to the bar while you wait—a situation made infinitely more bearable with a stirring cocktail in hand. The menu is loaded with keepers, but keep your options open for tantalizing specials, like sweet and sour sinigang with pork, eggplant and daikon; or Janice’s Ribs, slow-roasted with coffee, coconut beer and banana ketchup. Suman, a steamed rice cake in a ban3.6km
• Snail BarBib Although it would be easy to dismiss this perpetually buzzy spot as just another cooler-than-thou hipster haunt for natural wine, here you'll find some of Oakland's most exciting and well-crafted cooking. Chef Andres Giraldo Florez has worked in some of the world’s loftiest kitchens, and although the vibe here is unfussy, his fine dining chops are evident in every precise, flavorful dish. The concise menu changes frequently, but the namesake gastropod is always on offer, served in-shell, bathed in redolent garlic confit and cashew miso butter, topped with a coin of tangy kumquat. There might n3.7km
• China VillageBib It takes a village to feed a big group, and this laid-back spot is a favorite with families. A stylish makeover featured a sleek front bar, contemporary chandeliers and dramatic Chinese art, but one look at the scorching-hot menu options—think spicy Sichuan frog and flaky sautéed fish with pickled chili peppers—confirms the authenticity factor.Skip the Hunan, Mandarin and Cantonese offerings in favor of the Sichuan specialties like dry-fried, bone-in chicken laced with ground chilies and numbing peppercorns. And be sure to order the five-spice hot and spicy pork shoulder. A house specialty, th4.0km
• Sun Moon Studio★ Michelin A slightly clandestine air still prevails outside this inconspicuous little spot, but the secret is out: the handful of seats inside are hotly in demand. Chefs Alan Hsu and Sarah Cooper have both worked in some of the country's most celebrated kitchens, but here channel their talents on a more intimate scale. Their shared vision emerges in a mercurial seasonal tasting menu that dutifully celebrates the wealth of Californian ingredients, spanning squab to rockfish and wild mushrooms to citrus. The style is pared down and technically precise, letting products shine while adding a spark of person6.7km
• Tacos OscarBib It's a courtyard of bright-painted shipping containers, complete with café lights strung overhead and heat lamps for chilly nights, but this quirky-cute space doles out impressive tacos. The menu is scrawled in chalk on the door of one of the containers, and while it sounds simple—tacos and tostadas—it changes often. Meat, such as the braised pork shoulder topped with an avo-tomatillo salsa and chicharrónes, is a staple; but clever vegan versions, like the charred broccoli with soy-cashew cheese, give proteins a run for their money. Equally ingenious is the smoky baba ghanoush tostada with cha4.5km

Includes Michelin / Black Pearl / guide picks (reference quality, no prices); data from Overture, Michelin Guide and others.