Food Recommendations Around the Bay
Notre Dame students sent in their desired food and restaurant recommendations to the Crown and Shield, hoping to find the best local locations. From donuts to tea houses, this list covers the Bay Area—from student foodie Therese Chu ‘24 (@reesechews on Instagram), here are the picks!
Many Notre Dame students have been searching for donut shop recommendations, and there are plenty of great options in the Bay Area. Starting in the East Bay, make sure to check out Donut Savant, which sells various shapes and sizes of donuts—most notably, they have square donuts and cron’ts, which are croissant donuts. Because of their small and varying sizes, you can try a large array of donuts, which is great for family dinners and house parties. Some popular items include the vanilla cron’t, the “bernie,” salted maple cron’t, and creme brulee.
A local and UC Berkeley student favorite, Kingpin Donuts in Berkeley hold the best of all your favorites—residents even call Kingpin the “holy grail” of donut shops. Popular items include the Boston Creme Eclair and the Apple Fritter. They offer consistent, reliable treats for visitors or de-stressing snacks after a long week of classes. Kingpin is highly affordable, too—a dozen donut holes is only $7.25!
World's Fair Donuts won the “Best Bay Area Doughnut” with runner-up Stan’s Donut, a local favorite. At World's Fair, customers recommend the standout old-fashioned, giant version donuts and strawberry stick. At Stans, you can watch the workers knead the dough right in front of you. Some customer favorites include the famous glazer, buttermilk, and seasonal flavors.
Other students have also been looking for cute places to eat and hang out with friends. San Pedro Square and Nirvana Soul are some great options that ND students probably already know of. San Pedro is a perfect place to grab lunch on the weekends with friends, and it works as a casual, large meeting place with a little bit of everything for everyone. Similar to San Pedro, check out your local farmers market! Grab some friends, shop around, and enjoy! Although the Rose Garden is not an eatery or cafe, it’s a great location for picnics and photos with friends.
If you're looking for an aesthetically pleasing and photo-taking place, K Cafe Patisserie and Tea House is an excellent spot near South San Jose, but be aware that the line on certain days can extend out the door. Flowers cover the walls and ceilings, hanging towards you, with a matching color palette across the store of pink and white, making it perfect for a cute picture. Another tea place is Ume Tea, with locations all around the Bay Area Ume Tea is an adorable, trendy boba place with cute lights, pink photo ops, and an adorable bunny logo. Though one downside is, unfortunately, their seating in most locations is closed.
Close to San Pedro, you can check out the restaurant Zona Rosa, which also has a location in Los Gatos. It has beautiful architecture and interior design with relatively good lighting. Rosa also holds great happy hour deals and award-winning tacos; everything is made from scratch with love. Another restaurant is Ettan, a Californian-Indian restaurant located in Palo Alto. Their architecture is breathtaking, with fantastic food and interior design. Ettan was even a 2021 winner of the BLT Design Built Awards for international Interior Design, created by Thomas Schoos, a nationally recognized interior designer. If you want a beautiful, flowery meal you can stop by Son & Garden, based around the Bay Area. Flowers line the walls with accenting colors, large windows, and a bright, happy atmosphere.
Sustainable options for your body and the environment are also common requests among ND students. Located next to the Hearst Museum of Anthropology on UC Berkeley's campus, Cafe Ohlone is one place to visit. Their vision is of a “love song to Ohlone culture,” focusing on food and sustainability, culture, and symbolism. It serves as a safe place for the Ohlone people, functioning as the only cultural space that exists for the living Ohlone people. You can make donations to their vision online. The cafe’s interior has native plants and sustainably individually forged redwood. Their menu is seasonally based on the ingredients available at given times. Lion Dance Cafe in Oakland is another option that offers specialized Chinese-Singaporean and Italian-influenced vegan food. The restaurant makes most of its vegan pantry products in-house, with a borderless menu displaying unique flavors and food. There are so many other great sustainable options to highlight around the Bay Area, these are just two out of thousands. The Bay is filled with amazing eats, fun flavors, diversity, and unique experiences; these are just a few - these dishes are just waiting to be tried. And that’s a wrap! These are only a handful of thousands of good eats in the Bay Area. No matter what you’re looking for, there’s always a place for you. If you want any specific recommendations, reach out to me at @reesechews on Instagram. Cheers!
