Chef-owner Eric Tucker’s vegan restaurant has an established reputation, starting in San Francisco in 1994 before moving across the Bay. This casual but slightly upscale location is constantly busy—packed with dates, friends, and birthdays, with solo diners perched at the long curving bar (where you can also get a cocktail with housemade infusions)—so try to snag a reservation ahead of time.
The interior is rustic-meets-industrial, with lots of wood and steel, and there’s also a covered patio with ivy-covered walls and heat lamps. The globetrotting dishes feature complex layers of flavors that range from Indian to Italian to Mexican to Japanese, all made with seasonal vegetables at their peak (and lots of mushrooms).
The salads are particularly tempting, like one with carrot and purslane with grilled dates and cashew feta, pickled green strawberries, shaved spring onion, toasted garlic-sumac vinaigrette, lemon tahini, mint, and dill. Hearty mains can feature a tamal, polenta cake, tempeh, and their well-known burger.
Dessert includes a cheesecake with a cashew base and compote. (It’s worth noting that almost all dishes are gluten-free as well.)
After more than 20 years in San Francisco, this vegan paradise relocated to Oakland, where it’s continuing to put out some of the most unique, delicious plant-based cuisine in the country. This rustic-chic space is laid-back and unfussy, with lots of dark wood, a patio for alfresco dining and a crowd of young families and professionals attended by welcoming servers.
While dedicated vegans are sure to swoon, even hardcore carnivores might reconsider the lifestyle after a dose of Chef/owner Eric Tucker’s culinary creativity, showcased best on a five-course “Taste of Millennium” menu. Roasted pumpkin tamales with pumpkin seed pastor and cashew nut crema are knockouts, as are the crunchy king trumpet fritters with chili-persimmon jam.
