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Oakland, CA

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MLK Café

4.1 (109 reviews)
Closed • 8:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago

Order MLK Café Takeout or Delivery

MLK Café Photos

Business Info

MLK CAFÉ ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Classy
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - MLK Café

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Reviews With Photos

two plates of food on a table
Akiko I.

Great East African spot with generous portions. No need to order the teff as included in the main though not mentioned on the menu. We tried to ask but there was a language barrier, but that's part of the experience, I guess.

Montage of images from MLK Cafe
Ed U.

I was on the long, laborious, and often lugubrious bus ride on the 18 line to who knows where in Oakland when I noticed this place out of the corner of my eye. Of course it only makes sense that it's located on Martin Luther King Junior Way. It was presumptuous of me to think that this would be a restaurant of southern comfort favorites like fried chicken, collard greens, and pecan pie because I've read those were his most requested foods. But no, chef/owner Asmerom Ghebremicael's instead offers a mix of traditional Eritrean cuisine and all-American like pizza and burgers. It's in an area filled with public art murals reflecting pride in the black heritage of the neighborhood. Once I entered the restaurant, I was initially a bit confounded by what looks like a spacious sports bar and then promptly saw they have a regular schedule of live entertainment from classic soul to slam poetry. I was immediately drawn to the $14 MLK Veggie Combo, which combined a compelling trio, Alicha (potatoes, carrots and peppers in a curry sauce), Bersin (red lentils in a mix of tomato and seasoned Berbere sauces), and Spinach blended with garlic and onions (photo: http://bit.ly/2LXbfZE). All of that resting on a curled slab of injera with a plate of even more injera (photo: http://bit.ly/2LSEoVM). Had I known a green salad was part of the combo, I wouldn't have ordered the $6 Green Salad, which turned out to be a huge, fresh plate of lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and olives tossed with Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and vinegar (photo: http://bit.ly/2LXxNJZ). Whoa, that was a lotta tasty food, enough for leftovers for dinner. Burgers and pizza aside, Oakland is a treasure trove of East African delights between this spot, Shewat, and Dareye among other top-notch eateries in the immediate vicinity. FOOD - 4 stars...top-notch Eritrean food with plenty of injera AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...quite spacious especially during the day SERVICE - 4 stars...quietly thoughtful with the hostess drop-dead gorgeous TOTAL - 4 stars...MLK had a dream, MLK Cafe feeds it RELATED - Looking for African delicacies? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2JBDHib

Family style
Darius W.

Gotta show love for my Eritrean and Ethiopian folks. Family style, the dish had large portions, more than enough for my Black boys alumni reunion. The food was spicy, flavorful, and light! And I had all my essential food groups: proteins, carbs, veggies, and alcohol, lol. The best part of the experience was the service. The owner was the nicest guy, so hospitable, so genuine. He checked on us throughout the few hours we were dining. If you haven't had this type of cuisine, then expand your palate here. Get ready to get those hands dirty with some injera!

Scrambled eggs with hash browns and toast
Karen W.

We came here for brunch Saturday afternoon and the restaurant was bustling with groups of people and a bit noisy at 12 Noon as the ceiling is low. There's a bar, a couple of tvs and a comfy atmosphere when the crowds left. They have a huge menu, with sandwiches, pasta, Ethiopian dishes, pizza, burgers, breakfast at reasonable prices. We ordered the Shehan foul which was flavorful with a kick to it, scrambled eggs which came with crispy hash browns and wheat toast all for $6! I also ordered an Ethiopian coffee which was aromatic! This is a comfy cozy place for brunch and looks like a diner during the day, sports bar, nightclub at night.

Breakfast menu
Andrew C.

Decent sized space between MacArthur and 40th (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=TgzoMHlIFdKZONoYy8GajQ) with a fancy Vetrazzo, reclaimed glass bar top (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=6BQWu713fEk8Yy2QIjCsHA). The regulars are sports fiends (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=gwo3yFO1dpVRCgJjGr8nDA) and it's a fun place to watch Futbol (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=Ca2ekyTyi069l0_9JBbd7w). The menu here has both Eritrean / Ethiopian (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=cOwHx-qyqnpyVw4jlgWqkg&userid=DsHsuhUvyyW_75zFcJxkKw) and American food (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=2VElgBb5WDL8Kk69XZB39g&userid=DsHsuhUvyyW_75zFcJxkKw) including pizza (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=s3Uncy7VxnVe88V0L9EZ0Q) I've mostly had items from their Eritrean breakfast menu (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=r2JeYLuhsPFGaf7C-6OZIA) Frittata -This is a scramble with tomatoes, bell peppers and onions (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=4_-k8YVnIHgIt9L00Rs-5w) vs. the Italian open-faced omelette and served with two French rolls (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=NuQJ2bYrTAuKclsqBA4NDg). Distinct flavor of the berbere used to spice it up. Pretty tasty. Meselah Foul - this is their Shehan Foul (aka Shahan Ful) with sliced hard boiled egg (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=nRQH-H0YZ6ulRZnqptFzkg) It also comes with two French rolls and is quite a smooth puree compared to other places. Even with the jalapenos, I thought it needed more seasoning. For this, I'd go to Alem's on Claremont or Dajena down the block. Kitcha Fit-fit with Clarified Butter (also available with Silsi https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=ro9XAoFRkWeZRU0_3Ixgdw). Clarified butter . . . mmmmmm. No lack of spice kick here! This is a pretty large portion, so unless you're famished or a starving millennial, get this to share. Embotito is a sandwich (aka Umbotito on other menus) with potato, tomato and onion on one of the French Rolls. Flavored with oil and vinegar so appears to be vegan. Only $5.50 so decent option, if you're not super hungry. Onion rings are thick-cut and battered (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mlk-caf%C3%A9-oakland-3?select=pFWWtUxIXbeR4Dm2D82XOg) and make an excellent base for a pint of Guinness or Firestone 505 ;-) Friendly service.

Kelwa shrimp
Ruby V.

Finally had a chance to try this place. My husband and I ordered food to go. I had the kelwa shrimp and my son had one of their mini cheese pizzas. Their menu consists of Ethiopian/African foods and American food (sandwiches, pizza, etc). I've never had Ethiopian food so I was excited to try some. I really liked the flavor of the kelwa shrimp. It had a nice salty and spice taste to it. It was served over rice. The portion of salad was kind of weird. It looked almost as if someone had eaten a good portion of it (no one had, it just looked scarce, lol). Check out my posted picture to see what I mean. The food is simple. Nothing too fancy. We plan on coming here during the day for brunch sometime to try their breakfast/brunch menu. I like how this area of MLK St. is starting to develop.

Kantisha
Izzie B.

Amazing food. I've never had Ethiopian food before and the server spent time and explained things to me and helped me pick out my food. Amazing place and amazing food. Highly recommend the kantisha

Beef Kelwa with Mushrooms.
Alice L.

What a delightful find! A place that serves pizza, burgers, breakfast, and ETHIOPIAN?! Hellzzz yeahhhh. My husband is picky about his first meal of the day so what a perfect restaurant to serve him breakfast while I have my Kelwa! (He ended up getting pizza anyway since it smelled so good when we walked in.) Ethiopean: This is the main reason I would venture to the East Bay; we just don't have a lot of places in the Peninsula and City that are as good and flavorful. The beef kelwa with mushrooms ($10.95) was very good after I sprinkled some salt onto it. The flavors just opened up. The injera was soft, bouncy, and wonderfully tart, just slightly. Portions were huge and lasted me three meals. Pizza: What a delightfully, yeasty, gooey, thin crust. My husband inhaled the entire 12". Coffee: One of the best soy lattés I've had. The coffee was robust and full flavored without being acidic nor bitter. Service was a little slow but very warm. The lovely lady behind the counter was the only server, cashier, and busser so I'm totally OK with being patient.

Cappucino and puppies. Incredible food!

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12 years ago

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3 years ago

great service food was great made fast & very good freach toste was great its right down the street from me & this was my 1st time

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Ask the Community - MLK Café

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June's Pizza - Special: Pepperoni ($36) was just as amazing as the margarita but elevated with thick slices of meaty pepperoni!

June's Pizza

4.4(404 reviews)
1.3 mi•West Oakland
•$$

4.5* Really love…read morethe thin, chewy crust + thinly shaved cheese and most importantly the burrata!! I am not into super cheesy pizza, but wow the burrata is so fresh and light. Definitely will come back to try other flavor in the future. -0.5*: not a lot of burrata, so not convenient if sharing slices with a group of people. I wonder if there is option for extra add-on burrata.

Finally got to try June's after hearing friends raving about it for months! Let's get to it…read more What I loved: The decor - it's understated yet intentional. It looks like everything is DIY, but it's well put together and while waiting for your pizza you can see all types of fun quirks like their upstairs office/extra pizza steel storage, paper clip ticket pass, and red glass kitchen window. The vibe - it's a pizza joint and customers were consistently streaming in on a Tuesday evening, but it was so calm. The folks in the back making pizza were relaxed and chit chatting; the cashiers were patient. Everyone was chill. What I wondered: The pizza - I was excited to try a new style of pizza, but I think New Haven style might not be my fav. The pizza was executed beautifully with a crisp crust and a nice dusting of cheese with globs of fresh mozzarella, and it was huge! Yet somehow it just didn't hit for me. It's really no fault of June's, I think I just prefer a slightly softer, doughier crust. So that's something new I learned about myself. All told, June's is a lovely spot and it's easy to see how it has become such a community staple. It's definitely worth stopping by!

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June's Pizza - Wood oven

Wood oven

June's Pizza - Margherita ($32) was fantastic! Love the fresh basil and shredded cheese. Crust is fluffy like Neapolitan but slices as large as NY!

Margherita ($32) was fantastic! Love the fresh basil and shredded cheese. Crust is fluffy like Neapolitan but slices as large as NY!

June's Pizza - Margherita pizza

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Margherita pizza

Spinning Dough - Menu (1/2)

Spinning Dough

4.6(504 reviews)
0.7 mi•West Oakland
•$$

I have been wanting to try this place for a while, but it took the news of them closing to get me…read morethere. At least I got to go a couple times before they closed and was able to try all the unique flavors that I wanted to try. The first time I went was with my family. We got a whole Ube pizza. The taste was good, and love the uniqueness of it. Even the dough is purple! There weren't that many people there when we went, so the service was quick. My second visit was closing weekend with a group of friends. I got to try two more flavors recommended by the server during my first visit - blackberry and longanisa. Both were very good in different ways. I think I preferred the blackberry slightly over longanisa. They had a lot of take out orders that day, and we got the last white dough (there were still Ube). Good thing we got what we got. Even though they were super busy, the service was still quick and pizza came out fast. I heard they opened up again in San Francisco but for take out only. So glad they reopened because after having the amazing pizzas right before they closed on Oakland, my friends and I were sad that we didn't go sooner. Can't wait to try again in the future.

So sad that Spinning Dough will be closing their Oakland restaurant on April 20. Had to stop by one…read moremore time for a round of pizzas. Jeff, the owner and pizza maker, is so nice, warmly welcoming us upon arrival and inquired if we'd prefer indoor or outdoor seating. Beautiful day so opted for outdoor on their expansive back patio. Miso mushroom - new to me, savory and bright flavor. Yuzu and lemon acidity cuts into the savory of the mushroom and miso. Might be one of my new favorites. Soppresata - an OG item on the menu and one of my favorites. Simple classic pizza with soppresata topped with scallions and honey. Savory, sweet. The honey is perfect on this pizza. Longanisa - Filipino inspired with longanisa, baked egg, and tomato. Savory and sweet. Heaviest of the three pizzas. Comes with a side of sweet vinegar to drizzle on top. All three of these pizzas easily are favorites for me. They're super large and best to share with 2-3 people. All thin crust. 6 of us had these three pizzas and were able to finish it but were super stuffed. Wishing the best to Jeff and Spinning Dough's next adventure.

Photos
Spinning Dough - Menu (2/2)

Menu (2/2)

Spinning Dough - Soppressata pizza

Soppressata pizza

Spinning Dough

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Pizzeria Violetta

Pizzeria Violetta

4.2(39 reviews)
1.6 mi•West Oakland

My daughter and I get an 18-inch pie from this place every other weekend because she loves their…read moresweet little pig pie and pizza in general. I don't know why the pies cost so much, but they are only a few blocks from our place, so I want to support the few restaurants that set up shop in West Oakland. However, I'm starting to sour on this place. I don't mind overpaying for pizza; that's just edible, but on a few occasions, I've been appalled by what these folks try to get away with. A couple of months ago, they gave us a pie that was so burnt I had to call to complain, and they replaced it with a less burnt pie. Perhaps they don't know that extremely burnt food is full of carcinogens. This week, we ordered our usual 18-inch pie. This pie was a Frankenstein pie; half of it tasted like it had been sitting under the lamp all day. A telltale sign is how stiff the cheese is; the old dough feels as if I'm chewing on rubber, and the slices are stiff and salty overall, though some slices taste a bit fresher and crunchier. I was disappointed. If you're going to overcharge for mediocre pizza, the least you could do is give people what they are paying for. If I wanted old, stale pizza, I would've asked for the slices that sit under the lamp all day. Moving forward, if we order from this place, I will walk over, place the order, and wait for it, so we don't get cheated again. This place is a reminder of why certain restaurants often fail. The food is overpriced, and they are inconsistent with their service, if not disrespectful, in how they sometimes treat and feed their customers. We're not pigs; we just like eating the sweet little pig.

A delicious variety of pizzas available in the Prescott Market at Pizzeria Violetta!…read more You can order in person at the counter and enjoy their dine in or market patio seating. Or you can order on your phone and let them know if you're dining in or picking up. We ordered the Sweet Little Pig pizza which has pepperoni, candied bacon, and basil on top! I really liked the tiny pep they used, they curl up when baked. This pizza was the perfect combo of sweet and savory, I bet it would be even better with some balsamic drizzled on it too. We also ordered a side of their blue cheese and basil ranch. I didn't know ranch could get any better than plain ranch. Basil ranch was bright and also creamy. I've been here a few times before to watch a warriors game. They've got tons of seating and of course they stream all of the games. Great community vibes and you get to enjoy delicious pizza and drinks while you're here.

Photos
Pizzeria Violetta - Order counter

Order counter

Pizzeria Violetta - Underside of cheese and pepper shakers.

Underside of cheese and pepper shakers.

Pizzeria Violetta

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Dimond Slice Pizza - Artichoke/crimini,feta today! Spectacular

Dimond Slice Pizza

4.7(832 reviews)
3.5 mi•Dimond District, Lower Hills, Upper Dimond
•$$
Family-owned & operated
Vegetarian friendly

I ordered a slice of pizza and Diet Coke only to realize I had forgotten my wallet in another bag…read moreat home. Yep. Cancelled the order before it was handed to me but the staff insisted I take my pizza slice and coke for free. I obliged and insisted I pay next time, which I did. The highlight is not a cool Diamond pizza team although it was great to have thinly sliced Yukon potato pizza slice with pesto when I was very hungry without a significant time delay. The pizza itself is AMAZING. Just as I announced the Yukon potato pizza was my favorite I had marinated artichoke with Bulgarian feta. These innovative veggie combinations make meat toppings obsolete. Yes, I mean that. Also - Dimond pizza turns me into a Homer-Simpson-sees-a-donut pizza response customer.

I have had this pizza several times, and I've liked all of the flavors I've had. I like green…read moresauce, which has lots of herbs and adds freshness. I like the cheese with the thin crust. I like the zucchini pizza, potato pizza, and bell pepper pizza. Today, I had the potato pizza (pictured) and got a second slice of the bell pepper pizza (not pictured) today, which I surprisingly liked since I normally don't like bell peppers. The pizza and sauce are similar to cheeseboard pizza.

Photos
Dimond Slice Pizza
Dimond Slice Pizza - Vegetarian pizza with tomatoes. Spinach, red onion, peppers, artichoke and mushrooms.

Vegetarian pizza with tomatoes. Spinach, red onion, peppers, artichoke and mushrooms.

Dimond Slice Pizza - Personal giant slice of pepperoni pizza

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Personal giant slice of pepperoni pizza

Hesher's Pizza - Corner slice, Hesh Law

Hesher's Pizza

4.6(115 reviews)
2.3 mi•Jack London Square
•$$

Was headed home and hungry after a social event on a Friday, but thought it's a good time to give…read moreHeshers a try. Live in Jack London square but haven't tried Heshers since the Crooked City Cider changeover. So glad I gave this a try. While Heshers gives this punk rock, aggro vibe online, inside the staff were warm and super friendly. My bartender helped me find the right drink (a Humboldt blueberry cider at 11% abv) and then I ordered the Meat Fungus pizza (lots of ground meat plus mushrooms). Sat at the bar and enjoyed my cider as well as convo with the other guests and bartender. In about 20 min, my pizza was ready. I took everything to go but was home in minutes. Couldn't wait for the first bite, and was NOT disappointed. Crisp crust pizza... not quite Detroit. Not Sicilian... def not New York style. But absolutely delicious. Came with a few packets of Parmesan and crushed peppers. Added it all and it was too good to leave a single slice for tomorrow. I'll be back, Heshers! Take my money! And thank you!

Decent pizza with a nice crisp crust, and the red sauce is very good----nice tomato flavor with a…read morebit of sweetness. The beer list is abysmal, however; and it appears that they only have ONE wine available----and that's a Pinot Grigio! (No red wine in a pizza joint?) Nice ambience, and friendly, helpful staff. You definitely could do worse. So, with that backhanded compliment, RECOMMENDED.

Photos
Hesher's Pizza - Dining area

Dining area

Hesher's Pizza - Hesh Law Pizza

Hesh Law Pizza

Hesher's Pizza - Hesher's Law quite spicy

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Hesher's Law quite spicy

MLK Café - ethiopian - Updated October 2026

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