Primo Patio -- Caribbean

Primo Patio serves great Latin American and Caribbean food. This shop can easily be missed with its tiny sign, but if you do stumble upon this restaurant you'll be pleased. There is an assortment of hearty dishes that will fill you with warmth. The service is friendly and the people are cheery, and the place is colorful and bright, filled with excitement. Located nearby AT&T Park, many Giant fans should consider stopping by this place as it is roughly two blocks away from the stadium. In general, this area is a great place to stroll and enjoy the scenery. The prices are affordable, around $9-$15 a meal depending on meat and type of dish (sandwich or entree). I have yet to try other items on their menu, but I can easily say that I love the jerk chicken sandwich, seasoned fries and sauce, flavorful and tasty. So, if you're ever around the neighborhood and have a craving for flavorful spices, you should consider getting yourself some Caribbean.

214 Townsend St
San Francisco, CA 94107
Yelp Review

Pasta Bene

The new Pasta Bene on Telegraph Avenue between Dwight Way and Parker Street is nothing compared to the Pasta Bene in San Francisco's Financial District. Perhaps it was the dish I ordered, but I wasn't entirely impressed by the food. I ordered a fettuccine pasta with seasonal vegetables, artichoke, and chicken breast. The quality of the food was decent but nothing spectacular. I admit it's probably healthier than Gypsy's whose pasta are creamy but delicious. Being only half a block away from Milanese Cafe, I actually prefer Milanese more. However, the workers are friendly and thoughtful and the place is quaint and spacious. I will return and give Pasta Bene another try since they do have an assortment of dishes other than pastas.

2565 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
Yelp Review

Indian Flavors Express

I am truly amazed by this little shop. At first glance, the name made the place seem like it was Indian fast food, but after hearing a friend speak highly of it, I had to see for myself. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. The quality of the food was extremely good, at least what I ordered. According to a friend who ordered the chicken saag, it tasted a bit odd but he did enjoy the garlic naan. The chicken tikka masala wrap was filling and juicy, making me quite content with my order.



Another surprise was the layout of the place. I never knew the area was so spacious because it was never apparent to me while passing by. I imagined a much smaller place, but there's plenty of room for several customers and the place is well-maintained and clean. Like many other Indian restaurants, chai milk tea is complimentary, and dishware are self-serve. In comparison to Naan and Curry and House of Curries, I think Indian Flavors Express is by far better, but when discerning between Royal Indian Cuisine it is comparable. The appeal though is that Indian Flavors Express has an eclectic menu, including some Indian Street Food items, with extremely affordable prices ($5-$10) and portions.

2548 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
Yelp Review

The Creme Brulee Man

I've been searching for the creme brulee man for the longest time. The last trip I made I was extremely close, but only ten minutes from which the creme brulee man sold out. I finally was able to get it during the Creme Brulee Man's trip to the East Bay. Although it's probably because there is less of a crowd in Berkeley since not many people know of him. However, I'm glad that I finally got to try his creations.


The Creme Brulee Man has been serving the San Francisco Mission District for several years now, and has been gaining high recognition from the Food Network and media. He roams around the streets of San Francisco, publishing his location via twitter, waiting for customers to come and buy daily creations. He normally situates himself near parks, so people can easily sit down and enjoy their purchases. In San Francisco, his popularity has never failed, for he always seems to sell out of creme brulee even before the two hours sale ends.

What I love most about his creation is the uniqueness of flavors. Creme Brulee in general does not require much ingredients or work, but his ability to infuse flavors is his primary masterpiece. He has been known for mixing things up occassionally with regulars such as Bailey's Irish Creme, Lavender, Vanilla, Smores, and Lemon Blueberry. Although the creme brulees are $4 a cup, experiencing the food cart makes it worth at least a one time trip.

Mission District, San Francisco
Yelp Review

Cinnamon Sticks at Sacks

It's funny how you take places close to you for granted. I've been living in the same apartment for the past two years, and before during my freshman and sophomore year, I lived only half a block away closer to campus at Unit 2. And although I am a big fan of cafes, I've never considered going to Sacks, located at Derby and College Ave. Sacks turns out to be miraculously good and convenient. It's a good place to study with a filling enough meal to get you through a couple hours of work, similar to Free Speech Movement on the Berkeley campus.

What attracted me to this place was hearing my friend said the apple cider has real cinnamon sticks in it. My reaction was pretty much, "What??? Okay I'm coming right now." I didn't regret such a decision. In fact, I went back a few days later to try their sandwiches, which I have to say were extremely delicious and made with fine ingredients. I tried the Deep Purple, which is an eggplant sandwich with red peppers, cheese, and more. Knowing that this place serves good food and cafe beverages, I'll probably be coming here more often. The only issue is seating. This place is really popular, with free internet and good food, it's no wonder why so many students come here with their laptops or to meet up with other students. The pricing ranges from $1.50-$10 depending on your order, with most sandwiches being $7.00, and in my opinion, it's fairly priced for what you get.

2701 Derby St.
Berkeley, CA 94705
Yelp Review

Cafe 24 -- Food for the Scientists

Cafe 24, located in Genentech Hall at UCSF Mission Bay, serves hundreds of starving UCSF staff workers and students. Cafe 24 is one of the more convenient places to eat on campus. Although it can be pricey at times, they serve decently good sandwiches and normally have appetizing specials such as their jambalaya. One of my favorite sandwiches is the Sonoma Chicken with fruit glazed on chicken breast. The sandwiches are filling and the sides include a hearty potato salad. Featured above is one of the recent special sandwich: chicken breast smothered in marinara and fontina cheese with herbs between sliced ciabatta and served with their home-baked chips.

Cafe 24 is also known for their adrenaline hour from 3-4 PM, where all coffee-related beverages and pastries are half the price. Whenever I have a long day, I usually get a cup of mocha or latte for about $1.65. It's not a bad deal if you're a regular coffee drinker. Also, it's only two floors down from my lab, so it's highly convenient in distance especially when one is running an experiment.

600 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94158
Yelp Review

Sufficient Grounds -- CLOSING

The day I thought I would never be around to witness. Sufficient Grounds is a well-loved sandwich shop serving enormous sandwiches and great sides with awesome deals all year-round. They are also known for their free donuts and pastries. Tomorrow marks the day which Sufficient Grounds will be closed. While making a last visit to the shop, the line was long, reflecting the loyalty of old customers and the number of people who will miss eating their sandwiches. It is sad to see this place go due to financial constraints with the least costs, but it's good to know that the shop is going with unfaltering love from its customers. It will certainly feel different in Sather Lane.

Yelp Review

Fancy Korean - Sahn Maru

Sahn Maru is a huge and traditionally decorated Korean restaurant around the all the other Korean places down Telegraph Ave in Oakland. What I love most about Sahn Maru is their seafood pancake, which is about the size of the pizza and is made authentically. The people there are extremely nice and are always friendly to talk to and some times get help on when you're not entirely sure how to eat some of the dishes. The times I've been there, I've never thought the food was of poor quality. In fact, I think most of the dishes reflect a pretty good idea of Korean cultural foods. The first time I went there with some friends, we ordered the goat stew and after the first few spoonfuls we could not handle the taste (like my friend said probably an acquired taste). Other than that, the bimbibap, bulgogi, soft tofu soups were all extremely delicious. In terms of pricing, this is ideal for a nice gathering and is a bit on the high end compared to other Korean places near Berkeley. However, the quality of the place is much much better and is worth paying the extra money if you want a fresh, well-prepared meal.

4315 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94701
Yelp Review

Woofle Cafe

So a new shop opened up in Bancroft recently and as a lover of waffles I had to try it out. Woofle Cafe is the new shop right next to Mochaccino. The definition of a woofle according to the store is a transcended waffles with toppings and mix-ins. The mixed-in ingredients are interesting because the taste becomes very subtle and not apparent. I would much prefer toppings instead because I like eating relatively flavorful foods. Although I wasn't a big fan of their savory waffles, the dessert waffles are great. I think they're much more worth getting. Besides the woofle, they place sells pups which was woofles wrapped around a certain food item on a stick, i.e. mozarella stick. They all sound interesting especially the fudge pups, which are chocolate woofles on a stick. Other items that are sold include panini sandwiches and combos as well as cafe beverages at reasonable portion and pricing.

I like the fact that the shop is well involved with the student community by helping students post fliers and naming items after buildings on campus with Berkeley pride. In addition, they have contests, where students can create their own woofle and each week the winner's woofle design is named after him or her and becomes an option on the menu. It's a nice and clever way to build a strong foundation with the Berkeley University community. All in all, the service is friendly, the place is quite charming, and the prices are fair, but it is not filling for an entire meal. But if you like waffles and prefer to eat out, then this place is a great option for a snack or dessert.

2554 Bancroft Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
Yelp Review

Yogurt Park

It's been a while since I last updated because most of my pictures are on my laptop, which I am getting fixed. So, unfortunately, I'm pretty limited on pictures I've stored on my netbook. Luckily, I've been able to scavenger a picture from a recent trip to Yogurt Park. Yogurt Park is one of the most common and popular places Berkeley students go to. It has been around for ages serving the Berkeley campus and community, dating back to recent undergrads who are Berkeley alumni. Yogurt Park is very different from most froyo places where the consistency is creamy like ice cream. I am always skeptical of the fact that they are non-fat yogurt, but at least I am guilt free when I eat some of their rich flavors. There are generally 8 featured flavors a day, one of which has no sugar added. I usually like getting the large with one other person because it's packed full. The toppings can be expensive, but I highly recommend getting the brownie because it's a whole brownie that's stuffed into the yogurt. Prices range from $3-$5 depending on your order, and the sevice is always generally prompt. It's just one of those historical Berkeley treasures that almost every Berkeley student has try.

2433A Durant Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
Yelp Review

Cocola Bakery

After failing to get creme brulee from the creme brulee cart, it was fortunate that my friend and I were able to have a scrumptious cake from this fancy bakery. Normally, I wouldn't go to places like this on a regular basis, where a single slice of cake is $5, but I was being adventurous at the time. Plus, it helped to hear that the quality was worth the price from my friend. I loved the cake we had, and can probably vouch for it. Unfortunately, as a college student, my budget can be limited so I don't know if I'll ever try the other cakes here, but I did enjoy the Hazelnut cake. The texture and consistency reminded me of those ferrero rocher chocolate, mm. They even have a crispy layer that reflect the crunchiness of the chocolate candy. The cakes remind me of a couple of places I've been to in SF, and their cakes are just as good for a slightly cheaper price (referring to Ambrosia Bakery and Schuberts Bakery).


Besides the food, the place is quite charming and quaint, which is one thing I liked about the place. It's also quite spacious. If you go shopping with your boyfriend/girlfriend and wouldn't mind spending some cash on small cakes, then this place is not a bad choice. However, on a regular basis, it's probably not ideal.

Westfield San Francisco Center
845 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Yelp Review

Pizzeria Delphina

I admit that Delphina makes good quality food. The bread sticks are nicely thin and crisp, and the pizza are used with fine ingredients. However, the variety is pretty limited with a menu that doesn't give you much choices. If you like pizza with toppings normally found in every pizzeria, then this place is good if you want a nice outting with friends. However, there's nothing that particularly stands out about the place. Located in the Mission district, this is one of the places that many people go to because it's situated near other food shops and dessert places (notably Bi-Rite Creamery, famous for their gourmet ice cream). Most of the people I know who come by this place intend on going to get dessert right after, which makes sense since it's within walking distance (2-3 blocks). The portions can be seen both as filling and little, for the ingredients are fairly rich but the thinly crust pizza and limited slices per pie may not satisfy everyone. Nevertheless, this place is good (I can speak for the pizza being fresh and of good quality), but I like unique restaurants that can offer something I can't make at home or is easily bought elsewhere.


3611 18th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Yelp Review

Bakesale Betty -- Look for Blue Hair

MMM to the fried chicken sandwich, Bakesale Betty's most popular choice among all the other great baked goods. I've been to Bakesale Betty's a couple times now and everytime there's always a long line (pretty much anytime of the day till closing) around two-three store lengths of people waiting to get their freshly baked meal. Although the line seems pretty long, it's always moving forward and waiting time is actually not so bad. Alison Bakarat, a cook who grew up from Australia, moved to California and opened up Bakesale Betty with recipes she's developed since she was a child baking at home. She can be easily distinguished from the other workers with her bright blue hair and some times serving customers in line by taking orders for those waiting outside the store. The menu consists of some regular items that are written in black pen on the window outside the shop of the current daily menu. Always sold is the famous fried chicken sandwich and the amazing strawberry shortcake that's piled with a huge portion of sliced and sweet strawberries. Other notable items are the chicken pot pie, pies, lemon ice and beef sandwich. Although the shop is mainly the kitchen and register, outside seating is accommodated. However, the seating area does not feature your normal round or rectangular tables, instead people eat off laid-out, colorful iron boards, giving the home feel of Betty's traditional home baking. The price range is between $5-$12 a person, and the meal is fairly portioned to fill you up. However, do not plan on stopping by the place on Mondays because it is regularly closed.
5098 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609
Yelp Review