Wow. I was so blown away by Lovely's! The food and drinks are really great! I feel like i'm at an…read moreold dive bar with all the small vintage details. The service is also amazing. I had a whole conversation with the server about my nails (little things like this make the experience more personal). My friends and I got cheese fries, regular fries, a veggie burger, a regular cheeseburger, and a hotdog. Safe to say, everything was devoured and we even went back for seconds. I think my favorite option is getting a vanilla soft serve cone for later. You basically pre-order it, then pick it up whenever you're done with your food so you don't have to rush to finish your meal. I had so much fun here and the environment was super friendly. Feels like real community at Lovely's. p.s. there's street parking or lots available in the area for cheap!

The Westerner Burger was pretty solid. It captures the essence of a typical "western/cowboy" burger…read morewith the BBQ sauce and crispy shallots. I appreciate that they did not put too much BBQ sauce because that always drenches the buns and makes the eating process very messy. The fries were also great - fresh potatoes? Corn fritters were underwhelming for its price point, would've been fine not getting it. While the food was pretty solid, the extremely long wait and the packed seats are what makes my rating go down. Lovely's is a very popular spot, even for a weekday dinner. The vibes are immaculate. It offers both indoor and outdoor seats, very spacious. However, because of the amount of people, the wait in line was a bit more than 30 minutes. Then adds another wait to get the food. On top of all the waiting, seating options become limited and you will most likely be stuck with the outdoor tables, which can be unfortunate on a very cold evening. If you're hungry, don't come here. But if you don't mind the wait, this is definitely a great spot with great company.

1st Star - Cozy diner ambience 2nd Star - Reliable service…read moreand consistent flavor on their breakfast classics 3rd Star - Nostalgic spot for Jack London stops 4th Star - Great for catchups and gatherings for friends and family

This has been a go-to breakfast spot for me this past ast year. I like it here…read more I'm close to this location often so it's convenient for those breakfast cravings. Enjoy!

I visited Horn Barbecue and I NEED management and ownership to read this carefully--because what I…read moreexperienced deserves to be recognized on a higher level. First of all, my order was TO-GO. And let me tell you... when I got home and opened that bag, I was honestly blown away. My food was packaged with so much care, precision, and pride--it was neat, organized, and handled like it actually mattered. That alone told me everything about the level of service in that building. Candalen--YOU DID THAT. The attention to detail on my plate did not go unnoticed. You treated my food like it was being served in-house, and that speaks volumes about your work ethic and pride in what you do. Aaron--listen... that peach lemon drop??? BABY. That was my first time trying one and it was EVERYTHING. Smooth, flavorful, perfectly balanced--you made that drink an experience all by itself. I will be back JUST for that. And let's talk about the vibe--the music, the energy, the atmosphere--it all came together in a way that made the entire visit feel GOOD. Not just food... a whole experience. But what really stands out is this: It has been a LONG time since I've experienced service this genuine, this intentional, and this excellent. Not rushed, not careless--EXCEPTIONAL. Management, if you are reading this--please understand--you have some powerful people on your team. Candalen and Aaron are the kind of employees that elevate a brand. They are the reason people come back. They are the reason I will be telling others. This wasn't just a good experience. This was the kind of experience that turns customers into loyal supporters. I will absolutely be back--and I will be bringing people with me. Until next time, WUHAPN NATION

I have been telling my friend about how satisfying and delicious the food at Horn BBQ is, but every…read moretime we came by the restaurant was closed. Finally, we were so excited to see it was open on a Saturday an we came in for lunch. To order you need to scan the QR code and pay plus tip before a single person spoke to us or offered us service. From the menu we saw they were out of beef ribs, smoked chicken, rib tips, no peach cobbler, no banana pudding and no kool aid. I come for their brisket and my friend loves ribs so we went ahead and ordered combo plates to share. Mine was the brisket with a side of collard greens, she had the pork ribs, a hotlink with a side of Mac-n-cheese, & cornbread. For drinks we had lemonade and an Arnold Palmer. I'm not sure what has happened over the last few months but the quality of the food, the service and the expectation to pay and tip up front were very disappointing. The greens, Mac cheese, brisket and ribs were cold. The hotlink wasn't BBQ'ed it was pan fried. Everything tasted like warmed up leftovers and we will not return. For 2 of us to eat it came to $100 and we were not satisfied. The dining room is an attractive space, it was completely empty. The staff was unclear about what we ordered, had to be told to bring our drinks, bartender is also working as server and apologized for his uncertainty. I suggest this restaurant hire and train more staff if they intend to keep their doors open.

I came here to grab some quick breakfast. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and added avocado. Also…read moregot the berry parfait and a bagel. I didn't look at the food until I got home, which was my mistake because I'm usually really good with checking. When I opened my sandwich there was no avocado. I paid $1 extra for avocado and I remembered her repeating my order back to me so I know they just forgot it. Which is understandable but I wasn't happy. The sandwich itself was extremely dry and tasteless. No flavor or butter, just very plain. The parfait on the other hand was quite good. Tasted very fresh and nutritious. I would order that again. But I don't recommend the breakfast sandwiches. Prices were reasonable. Location was nice. Very disappointed I thought I found a new spot close to my house

2.5 stars if i could…read more coffee is bad. like burnt. i've had a latte, a chai latte, and a cappuccino from this place, always burnt & somehow also overly milky. also once got a very stale croissant. the hot link sandwich is pretty good!

I spent a summer in North Carolina a few decades ago and fell in love with Southern cooking. Home…read moreof Chicken and Waffles absolutely nailed everything I remembered loving from that experience. I absolutely loved the food here and gluttonously devoured my chicken and waffle plate. The grits were amazing and the greens! Out server was amazing. We were totally at home there. I loved the art pieces on the wall and the small little paintings on the wall representing the family members orders (that's how the menu items are named). The cocktails were absolutely delicious. I will absolutely be returning! This place is a gem! Thank you for adding such a wonderful atmosphere and hospitality. 5 out of 5

Food here is tasty but it's not somewhere I go often or my first choice, but a choice nonetheless!…read more Delicious and hearty you'll definitely be satisfied. Enjoy!

Stopped by Grand Lake Kitchen for brunch this sunny weekend and it really hit the spot. The food…read morewas delicious and it felt like the perfect kind of meal for a relaxed weekend morning. I ordered the turkey club and it was honestly huge. You can see in the photo how big it is compared to my hand. It was stacked and super satisfying, the kind of sandwich that definitely fills you up. We also shared a deviled egg and some fried zucchini to start, which were great little bites before the main dish. The zucchini was crispy and light, and the deviled egg was simple but really good. I paired everything with a mocha latte that was perfectly balanced and honestly superb. Overall it was a ten out of ten brunch moment. Between the sunny weather, good coffee, and really satisfying food, it was exactly what we were looking for. Definitely one of those spots I would come back to for brunch again.

This was me and my husband's first time at the restaurant and the food here was excellent…read moreeverything was very good and flavorful. I gave it to stars because the service was really bad. Our waitress took very long to even acknowledge us, didn't person herself to be very friendly, and lacked any attentiveness to us as customers. We had to ask other people for things like refills on our drinks, condiments, etc. She didn't ever really try to check to see how things were going after the food was served and we had to ask someone else to pay. Unfortunately considering this experience my husband doesn't want to go back and I hate that for us because the food was really good.

Love ambiance, clean and cool decor and lighting. Very extensive photo menu of many dishes,…read moreranging from cheesy to authentic Chinese dishes and beautiful assortment of colorful NA drinks and desserts. As well as boba and HK milk tea etc. My go-to dish is black pepper beef ribs!!! So good. Service is also very good . We've come here for a large group couples night out since they take reservations. Most of the time I come here for lunch on a weekday.

Have a late night craving for boba tea drinks? Shooting Star Cafe is the place to be. After…read moreattending the SF Lunar New Year parade, we ferried back to Oakland, and my teen daughter had a craving for boba tea. I didn't think there would be any boba tea shop open after 9pm, but checking Yelp produced the suggestion for Shooting Star Cafe. We hurried over, and we were glad we found the real deal. Shooting Star Cafe is in Oakland Chinatown and it is a Hong Kong style Cafe. Besides Hong Kong style foods like baked spaghetti with steak, they have a good selection of boba tea and fruit drinks. The dining area had maybe 10 or more tables, and the tables were very much occupied by families and group of friends. There was a TV overhead, so hanging out is encouraged. We tried the classic milk tea with boba, and a citrus fruit refresher. We enjoyed our drinks. The fruit refresher was made with real fruits and tasted fresh. You can customized the sugar level, and we probably should have asked for more than 30%, as 30% was not sweet enough. We like to try the food menu next time.

I've been getting takeout here for years, and they have the best black pepper sauce in the Bay Area…read more-- thick, rich, and super flavorful. We ordered the pork chop with lots of onions. It was a big, thick cut of meat, nicely seared and well-seasoned. Really satisfying. 8/10. I also got the black pepper steak with rice. For a café spot, the steak was surprisingly tender. Great value at about $22 -- it comes with soup and a drink, which is a solid deal. 9/10. The milk tea was okay but lacked a strong tea flavor for my taste. 6.5/10. That said, service was good. The waitress was kind enough to swap mine for a cold milk tea (which usually costs extra) and didn't charge me. The ambiance isn't the best -- it's a true hole-in-the-wall in Oakland Chinatown. Parking can be tough, so expect that. Overall, it's a great spot for authentic Hong Kong-style café food at very reasonable prices. It's been around for years and is definitely a staple. Just don't expect fancy vibes -- come for the food.

I got a Togo order from here, but let me just say, this is a nostalgic place to me. The stewed pork…read morechop over rice and stewed tomato chicken wings over spaghetti is fantastic. I know it's not necessarily the best, it I still really like the homey feel of this place. Although the picture is from my takeout, I do really like eating in at saint ana. The curry beef stew is also good, something about the potatoes in this curry sauce also slaps. The restaurant gives off a vintage, old school casual diner. No frills, but the simplicity of the dishes really do hit. I love supporting Chinatown businesses and this is one of my top favorites.