From SF Gate-
Murray Family Farm near Bakersfield grows cherum, a cherry-plum hybrid.
The u-pick section of peach trees at Murray Family Farm Photo by Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE.
There are long lines for El Charrito’s 5 different kind of breakfast burritos for $5 each on 122 W Market in Salinas.
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/el-charrito-salinas-california-breakfast-burrito-20417579.php
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I stop by the Salinas location on my way to the Central Coast, and I can vouch for their burritos and tortillas. The chile verde is my personal favorite. If I have a copilot during the drive, I order the burritos when I’m about 30 minutes away online so I can simply walk to the take out window (inside, the first thing you are face when you step in) and pick up my burritos and horchata. The line is always long even when I’ve arrived at times that I wouldn’t consider peak lunch or dinner times. They have a few picnic benches around the side, but this place is really meant as a take out spot.
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Jessica in Mission Local -
Chinese-Venezuelan fusion at Cantoo, 572 O’FarrellSt in the Tenderloin SF.
Excerpt:
The menu items at Cantoo reflect Wu Feng’s cosmopolitan background. She prepares a rotisserie chicken like a peking duck, and spices fried rice with smokiness. Her empanadas are made with corn flour and butter instead of oil, which gives them a cakey texture instead of a rough fry. The Venezuelan limeade is sweet but crisp, served over ice.
SFGate:
Reem’s is coming back to Oakland this fall at 85 Webster in Jack London Sq. The bakery/cafe will be worker owned.
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/arab-bakery-oakland-sf-ferry-building-20761619.php
Berkeley’s Gregoire is expanding to SF Inner Sunset in November at 1300 Ninth Ave.
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/berkeley-gregoire-new-san-francisco-location-20761562.php
San Leandro Restaurant Week. July 13-19, 2025.
8 pages of specials.
The San Francisco Standard ate at all 27 restaurants in Stonestown Mall and ranked them from worst to best.
Berkeley’s Middle East Market on San Pablo Av just a few doors south of University Av is soft opening a cafe nextdoor at 2056 San Pablo Av serving Persian dishes.
Here’s a segment on Middle East Market from Check, Please! Bay Area broadcast 6 years ago. It starts at the 17:32 mark.-
The Middle East market on San Pablo already has a little cafe inside of it and the food is good, so I’m glad to hear that they’re going to get a “real” space.
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Also expanding into the space next door is Gioia pizza on Hopkins. Italian sandwiches, here we come!
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Rockridge Market Food Hall, across the street from Rockridge BART, Bastille Day Celebration July 11-14:
Bastille Day Weekend Menu
Available Friday through Monday
Check out the French classics our chefs and bakers are whipping up for you this weekend. Stop in store or order online for pickup from Friday, July 11–Monday, July 14 to enjoy our Bastille Day-inspired Weekend Menu.
Choose from:
- Pissaladière (pictured)
- Beef Bourguignon with Mashed Potatoes
- Tuna Niçoise Bowl
- White Fish Cakes with Espelette Aioli
- La Petite Crème Caramel
- And more!
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Oaklandside Nosh:
Oakland Jollof Festival, July 12 at 1255. 7th St.
The Jollof Festival, started in 2017, celebrates the rich culinary heritage of West African cuisine through this iconic dish. Its main event, The Jollof Wars, will bring together various chefs to represent countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and others as they cook their country’s take on jollof rice.
Jollof Festival
1255 7th St., Oakland; jolloffestival.com
Saturday, July 12, 3–8 p.m.
Kadvany in the SF Chron:
Couple Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED’s daily public affairs show “Forum,” and author and creative director Sarah Rich are opening Local Economy at 6028 College Ave. in the Rockridge neighborhood this fall.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/local-economy-oakland-20763281.php
FYI for anyone interested in Monterey news: Check, Please! Bay Area continues its 20th season with a delicious three-part spotlight on the Monterey Bay Area’s dynamic dining scene before returning to the Bay Area. The James Beard and Emmy Award-winning series returns TONIGHT, July 10th*, with standout restaurants serving everything from smoky brisket and Thai street food to São Paulo-style stews and over-the-top hot dogs.
(Sorry for the late post, I just read this in my KQED newsletter!*)
Each week, three Bay Area locals join host Leslie Sbrocco to recommend their favorite spots, swap stories, and dive into spirited food debates. This season serves up everything from vegetarian tasting menus in Pacific Grove to house-butchered meats in Seaside and seafood towers paired with ocean views, surf-town charm, and serious flavor in Monterey. Plus, Cecilia Tries It heads to Castroville for a tasting tour along the Monterey County Artichoke Trail.
Don’t miss the premiere of new episodes, Thursdays at 7:30 PM on KQED 9, starting on July 10.
Monterey area restaurants reviewed are:
The first show airs Thursday, July 10 and takes diners to Seaside’s The Meatery to enjoy an 18-hour smoked brisket and juicy pastrami Reubens. Then it’s off to Hanloh Thai Food in Santa Cruz for double-fried chicken thighs of gai tod hat yai. Lastly, viewers head to Schooners in Monterey to feast on cioppino and fresh Dungeness crab rolls.
The second episode includes El Bistro by the Sea in Carmel, Julia’s Vegetarian Restaurant in Pacific Grove and Sampa in Santa Cruz, while the third show visits Woody’s at the Airport in Monterey, Lucy’s on Lighthouse in PG and Home in Soquel.
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Tovin Lapan in Oaklandside Nosh writes about Prescott Night Markets this summer in West Oakland at 1620 18th Street:
Indonesian street food, Nigerian jollof, French dips, Argentine empanadas, Hawaiian-inspired plates, French pastries, Colombian fusion fare, Cuban cuisine and Berlin-style döner kebabs … if you want an international food tour without the TSA pat downs, exorbitant airfares and language barriers, the second installment of the Prescott Night Markets is the ticket.
The market, a family-friendly event featuring at least 20 food vendors, live music, games and other entertainment is held adjacent to and with the Prescott Market (1620 18th St., Oakland) and a long toss away from Raimondi Park.
This summer the markets will be held July 24, August 21, September 4, and October 9, and, like last year, all the dates coincide with a Ballers home game.
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Night Market in SF Sunset District cancelled due to late payments from City and complaints from brick-and-mortar business owners.
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Mike Lim Travels for the best burritos neart BART stations:
I want to take you guys on a best burrito tour throughout 4 of the 5 counties that BART goes to in the Bay Area, to show you some of the best burrito spots close to the BART stations. First stop was at Fruitvale Station to Taqueria San Jose, then to San Bruno Station to Taqueria San Bruno, third stop was El Farolito at 24th and Mission BART station, and my last stop was Con Labor a Mexico located inside San Jose Flea Market, next to Berryessa San Jose BART station.
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There will be afternoon tea service at the new Hello Kitty Cafe at Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara.
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/bay-areas-first-hello-kitty-cafe-opens-friday/
https://www.kron4.com/video/hello-kitty-cafe-opening-at-westfield-valley-fair/10883214
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Andrew Pridgen in SFGate writes about the 110-year-old Japanese confection shop, Kogersu-Do, in Fresno Chinatown.
https://www.sfgate.com/centralcalifornia/article/california-sweets-shop-wont-quit-20759323.php
Fresh strawberry mochi, Kinako mochi with red bean, shiro-an with white bean and tsubu-an with red bean at Kogetsu-Do in Fresno, Calif., on June 30, 2025.
Fresh strawberry mochi, Kinako mochi with red bean, shiro-an with white bean and tsubu-an with red bean at Kogetsu-Do in Fresno, Calif., on June 30, 2025.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
Excerpt:
[Third-generation owner Lynn Ikeda]… gets up early before dawn four days a week and makes from scratch the sought-after manju (a flour bun with a sweet bean paste filling) or daifuku (mochi with azuki bean, fruit or even candy fillings). The desserts are wrapped in cellophane, labeled and lined up neatly behind the store’s original counter or stored in a cooler.
Kogetsu-Do in 1915.
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From The California Report on KQED RADIO.
The 108-year-old Oakland Produce Market near Jack London Square.
In Anderson Valley, hippies and old-timers return to their farming roots.
From SF Chron -
Struggling shopping malls are being saved by Asian restaurants.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/serramonte-center-food-20762019.php
Deseran in SF Standard -
Peruvian specialities at Lucuma Kitchen in Downtown Oakland at 1700 Franklin St. Deseran loved the anticuchos, skewered and grilled beef heart.
Excerpt:
A perfect example is the anticuchos ($22), the skewered, grilled beef heart that won my own. Morris says the classic dish is rarely done well in the U.S.; at Lucuma, it’s slightly charred but pink in the middle, with just the right amount of chew. The dish is spooned with huancaina, a traditional sauce made of bread, Oaxaca cheese, milk, and aji amarillo (another staple Peruvian chile), as well as herby chimichurri. Rather than the boiled potato it would normally be served with, Lucuma pairs it with a schmancy, crispy-creamy layered square of pavé potatoes, a French dish.
Keith Menconi in the SF Examiner writes about a new, independent, worker-owned news outlet publishing soon called COYOTE. Soleil Ho is a co-founder. I do not believe that Soleil is still with the Chronicle in either the food or opinion sections but please correct me if I’m wrong. Menconi was at KCBS radio news for years.
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