5 Newcomers and Tried & True Restaurants to Feast At Now

Virginia Miller
7 min readSep 17, 2021

From three notable newcomers to two tried-and-true greats (one just turning a year old in pandemic), these are five top places to eat, feast and support now — plus three bonus eats for delivery or takeout. I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from every restaurant reviewed here:

Routier strawberries in mascarpone — Photo Credit: Virginia Miller

NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
Alameda Destination: Alley & Vine

Opened in December 2020, Alley & Vine suffered from opening in the throes of pandemic in one of its worst months — so to most of us, it’s still new. A restaurant like this is a gain in any season and certainly for downtown Alameda. Owned by Francisco Bazo, Casey Hunt and Jason Ryczek, who all met working together at SF’s Waterbar, on paper, it’s a ubiquitous farm-to-table California restaurant. But as soon as you walk down the alley hiding the restaurant to a brick and, yes, vine-lined courtyard and outdoor tables, you feel transported to a laid back, romantic and unexpected haven off Alameda’s bustling Park Street. Chef Ryczek was exec chef at SF’s legendary Farallon, so you know he has a deft hand with seafood. But he does with plenty of foods, including harvesting his own caviar with “Caviar Queen” Deborah Keane of California Caviar Company, which he serves at the restaurant. The list of local purveyors he works with, from Bohemian Creamery to Four Star Seafood, are all Bay Area top-notch, confirmed by the quality of each…

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Virginia Miller

Founding The Perfect Spot in 2007, Virginia is World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ Chairperson, judging & writing/editor at 60+ publications on dining & drink globally