Food: 4/5 I ordered the Mac & Cheese Hot Dog, and it was…read moreeverything I hoped for, loaded and satisfying. The portions are no joke! It was basically two meals in one. I enjoyed the first half there and happily finished the rest as a snack later that night. I also really appreciate that they offer chicken hot dogs in addition to the usual beef and pork options. They even have vegan choices, so there's something for everyone. The only thing that could have made the hot dog even better is adding another cheese and a little bit more seasoning. The red velvet cake was one of the best I have tried. Service: 5/5 The hospitality and the vibe here is what truly stands out and impressed me. The owner has a down-to-earth personality and made the whole experience genuinely welcoming from the moment I walked in. You can tell they care about their customers and take pride in creating a neighborhood spot where people feel at home. That kind of service keeps people coming back. Ambiance: 5/5 The vibe is casual, welcoming, and full of Oakland pride. It's the kind of place where you can grab some comfort food, enjoy good conversation, and feel like part of the community. And of course, shoutout to Mac Dre. Have to show love to a Bay Area legend while enjoying a great meal. Highly recommend this spot!

The owner is super nice and on our first visit I ordered the macaroni hot dog. It was really good…read more The owner even gave us a free side of fries. I went again today and ordered the fish sandwich. I was really disappointed. I don't think they should have a fish sandwich on the menu if it's going to taste horrible. I can't even tell what type of fish it is. It tasted like burnt old oil. The worst fish sandwich I ever had. The bun is super simple and taste like an ordinary bun you buy off the shelf. There is a sauce on the sandwich that is tasteless. You can't just put any ordinary fish sandwich on your menu if it's going to be lifelessness. Put the same effort and flavors in the fish sandwich as you do your hot dogs or take it off the menu.

Went to their corner store and had great service, super fast turn around, and a stellar Wimpy…read moreBurger and Baby Fries. Took it to go but just as easily could have enjoyed the outdoor parklet seating. Definitely coming back!

Scolaris is incredible. If you've never had the blueberry burger you're in for a real treat. It's a…read moreflavor bomb to the taste buds. Highly recommend if you are looking for something different that's pleasantly delicious. I also got the truffle fries which were excellent as well but, they did not come out freshly fried.

I was in the area and decided to stop into Top Dog. I got their Bockwurst sausage again!…read more The service was friendly and efficient. After a few minutes, the sausage was hot and ready. You have a good selection of condiments from sweet & spocy mustard, deli mustard, yellow mustard, ketchup, diced onions, relish, and warmed sauerkraut! Yum.

I was reading in the local news, that the iconic hot dog place of like 100 years, Kaspers Hot Dogs,…read morehas closed. Now, I read that this iconic Oakland Top Dog location is closing soon, due to a dispute with the new landlord. I figured I better get over her quick before it closes for good. https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/berkeley-top-dog-closing-oakland-location-21102867.php My Oakland guide, who grew up as a child in this Lakeshore Area, tells me of the old days here right at this location where the Top Dog is. It used to be a restaurant called Edy's and they had the best lime freezes. His mother used to take him here in the 1960's! I can't believe that was over 60 years ago! This Top Dog has been here for a long time, around 21 years. The little alley way that has an entrance to the Top Dog, now goes to Trader Joes, but he tells me that used to be a Lucky grocery store before. The parking structure wasn't there either. My guide is a long time Top Dog fan, from the original Berkeley locations. He even made friends with the girl cook at the north Berkeley location and ended up getting free hot dogs! He says the prices sure have gone up since the 70's ... a Kielbasa was just 70 cents! That's $4.50 now! This location runs like most locations, you just tell the cook what you want and the sausages are already cooked or cooking on the flat top grill. The buns get heated there too and then you have condiments to add. I've been a fan of Top Dog, more the Berkeley location, but it's sad to see this location close. Soon, it will just be the original Berkeley location open at the south campus.

Now don't get me in the middle of the East Bay hot dog rivalry between Casper's and Kasper's. I'm…read morenot that much of a frankfurter connoisseur, even though I have compared Coney dogs in Detroit between two classic purveyors, Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island. I wasn't looking for a Coney dog when I decided to stop by at Kasper's with a 'K'. I'm surprised I had never been here because it's in Oakland's familiar Dimond district. Kasper's is housed in a cool, mid-century vintage standalone building and has a parking lot like most fast food eateries back sometime in the last century. There were two people behind the counter, both obvious veterans who split responsibilities between dressing the dogs and handling the register. The menu was pretty straightforward: nine different dogs and a chili bowl plus soft drinks and fizzes. I was hoping they might have a Chicago dog but no such luck. Instead I went for the $7.39 Quarter Pound Dog with Chili ($1.29), Cheese ($0.99), and Diced Onion (free). So kinda like a Coney but not quite. Still quite tasty and filling as it was an all-beef dog with a massive amount of chili (photo: https://yelp.to/nG4KKo0L6Y). I dared to get a $1.69 bag of chips and a $3.05 Diet Coke, but in hindsight, I should've gone for an Orange Fizz to evoke my Orange Julius-filled childhood. I used to love those. FOOD - 4 stars..,pretty classic beef dog with chili & cheese AMBIANCE - 4 stars...liked the mid-century vibe because it felt real...expect to see a lot of regulars SERVICE - 4 stars...they sure know how to serve the dogs fast TOTAL - 4 stars...Kasper's with a 'K' if you want a tasty big dog cheap and fast RELATED - Exploring Oakland? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2ObVcpQ

I had to wait for 5 minutes and was given a free bag of chips. Great service and they have…read moreregulars. It was the first time I went into this one.

I am having them come out to have hot dog cart for my birthday party. They have lots of different…read moretypes of hot dogs and even vegetarian hot dogs. I am sure I will use them every year. Thanks.

Only place to eat under $20 on the San Leandro Marina. Brand new in business, 6 months getting all…read morethe government red tape, but finally in business! All to code at federal, state, county and city requirements. Chili cheese (1/4 beef dog), $5, sauerkraut dog, pico de gallo dog, cheese dog, deluxe dog ($4) and more, with large buns. Sodas and water. Great guy, great dogs.

This spot is fire especially for on the go i usually get a hot link with all the fresh chopped…read morecucumbers and tomatoes with some chips perfect handheld on the go meal much appreciated

Their Hot links are unbeatable. I've been going here so many years whenever I hit the Home Depot…read more My man at the stand is easy going and puts your dog together with care. He also puts little cucumbers! Always a gratifying spontaneous meal when your on the go to and from Home Depot!

The Speisekammer in Alameda is a delightful German restaurant that never fails to impress. I…read morerecently visited after a long break since the pandemic, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that their culinary expertise and friendly staff have remained unchanged. The food is still as delicious as ever, and the staff is more than happy to guide you through their extensive menu to find the perfect dish that suits your taste buds. One of the standout features of The Speisekammer is its large screen TVs, making it an ideal spot to watch the World Cup soccer matches. The cocktails are equally impressive, expertly crafted and bursting with flavor. During the fall, The Speisekammer truly comes alive with Oktoberfest celebrations. They throw an extravagant German party that is unlike any other in the East Bay. The outdoor patio is a great place to enjoy the beautiful weather and socialize with friends. I highly recommend The Speisekammer for anyone looking for a fun and delicious German dining experience. I plan to return soon to catch some soccer matches with friends and soak in the lively atmosphere.

First of all: 5 Health & Safety Violations…read more Secondly, the Veal Wiener Schnitzel dinner. Look, you just do NOT take a cold piece of old, smell bad, PRE-COOKED veal, veal shoulder probably roasted in an oven, then sliced, left out for days, and bread it in Panko bread crumbs fry it in old grease and pull it off as Wiener Schnitzel. REAL schnitzel is raw veal or chicken, breaded and fried in real breadcrumbs, not Panko. Thirdly, On the plate was 3-4 cups of a Huge serving of greasy potatoes ....Potatoes with onions and bacon were dripping in oil or crisco or lard or whatever the hell it was. So large a serving of potatoes it filled the plate, making the tiny old meat smell 4" x 4" piece of veal look like a generous serving. No bread was served. Had to pay $2.50 for a pathetic piece of bread that was supposed to be garlic bread. Wrong. It came with a plastic cup of a cold hunk of grease with parsley and supposedly garlic butter ....smelled really bad ....OLD something...certainly NOT butter...something, but definitely NOT butter. The pickled salad of beets, pickles, and carrots was ok and not too poorly done. You can get pickled beets, carrots, pickles out of a jar. Sauerkraut was out of a can...mushy. Never, never, never go here. Asians bought it, hired non speaking immigrants, and ruined the place. Kitchen was filthy as well as floors, bathrooms. They need to be shut down.

I actually haphazardly stumbled upon this place a few months back after hanging out at a brewery…read morenext door. After scoping out the vibes of the place and the menu, I told myself to make sure to give this a shot. The place is in a redeveloped corner of Alameda right next to the bay. Probably used to be Navy base grounds back in the day. But now there's a couple of blocks worth of hip warehouse-y type of buildings, mostly restaurants, beer spots, some lofts and a little retail commerce. Very happening even though the surrounding area is a ghost town. Dining area not too big, maybe a couple of rooms that can hold about 20-30 heads each. Think there's another room for a private party/overflow. Decor pretty minimalist and stark. Service on the upscale side but in my stay, matched the decor, very minimalist and stark. Efficient enough but a little terse with little emotion. But I know service personality can differ from time to time or person to person. Just my obsy for one out. Daily Crudo ($20/4*) I think this rotates daily. Our choices that day was hamachi or a house smoked sturgeon. The sturgeon really piqued my interest but then it really wouldn't be a 'crudo' anymore would it, since I relate crudos to something 'raw-ish'. So I chose the hamachi. Very pretty plating, I love symmetry and balance. The thin slices of hamachi were indeed fresh, sitting in a stealthy pool of yuzu and olive oil. There are some fresno pepper slices and microgreens that garnish and a delicious nori cracker to break and accompany the crudo. This went really well with my glass of Fume Blanc. Caeser ($17/4.5*) We split this salad as their version sounded super cool. A miso-tinged Caeser dressing, lots of rustic garlic croutons and feathery soft grated parm and a soft-boiled egg. I love properly made Caesers and this was one of the best and unique versions I've ever had. The umami punch and the diverse textures just hit with me. A tad salty for a salad, but the crunchy and refreshing lettuce was able to absorb the salt blast. Huge salad too, like ideal for splitting and ridiculously large if for 1. Beef Short Rib ($43/4*) This was on special that night, and since I wasn't feeling Steak Frites (their only other beef entree option) this kinda fell on my lap. Very heavy and hearty dish. The short rib part was impeccable, super tender, gotta be sous vide. Perfectly seasoned with braising elements completely penetrated into the meat. There was a coarse gravy/sauce that covered which was okay, may have been the braising liquid just pureed. Served atop a huge pile of some risotto that I didn't inquire about. This risotto is what made the dish especially heavy. I ate most of it and it put me in a heavy carb coma. Lol. But there was a nice serving of perfectly cooked broccolini which helped balanced out the rich beef and carb heavy risotto. Chocolate Bar ($13/4.5*) Shared this for dessert as I really couldn't take more than just a few bites after the filling entree. But was this impressive, like high end dessert quality. Whoever does the desserts here definitely has some pedigree. The precision cut bar consisted of 3 layers. A brownie layer; a Bailey's mousse; and a salted caramel layer. I was loving the texture of all the different layers playing on one another. And every flavor was distinct without being overly sweet, which hit the right chords with me. A thick ganache garnished off to the side, which was good but just seemed a bit overkill with the already chocolate dominant bar. I think a cream element would have been a better contrast instead of rich chocolate on rich chocolate. But very minor quip on an otherwise skillful dessert. I finished the last few sips of my glass of Rhone with this dessert, and it left me one happy camper. I would definitely return as their style with flavors hits an accord with me. A little French, a smidge of Japanese and a lot of California. Rounding to a fiver, as this place made me more happy than not.

The food was as visually beautiful as it was a party in my mouth. Emily was a fantastic server…read morewith her welcoming smile and positive demeanor that kept just the right amount of attention on us. We had the buratta, the mixed greens salad, the duck and the pasta. We finished up with the chocolate bar dessert. This was the most incredible culinary experience I've had in a really long time and I was so happy to have it. The fresh pasta with the fresh English peas in the carbonara sauce was so light and flavorful. The duck was crispy and moist. The salad was gorgeous with edible flowers sprinkled in. It was just a treat all the way around. Thanks so much. Heather

Tried the tamales and polish dog, everything was amazing! One thing that stood out to me and I…read morereally appreciated was the cleanliness and such tidy set up. The two men who helped me (one of them being the owner I would assume) were very kind and helpful. I am definitely coming here again when I want a quick bite and when they have more tamale flavor options they were practically sold out when I stopped by around 2 pm!

We got there just as he was closing for the day. He was super friendly and took our order even…read morethough he was packing up. I told him we promised to come back but he insisted on serving us. Two tamales Red Pork and Chile with cheese were both moist and very tasty. The standout for me was the Chile Cheese. And two beef dogs with onion and mustard. So good my new favorite dog spot for sure! Support this man and his wonderful hot dog stand right by the Ferry @ JLS

Fast service Patty melt - fantastic…read more Easy parking Nice staff Clean Organized I love their fries and burgers Outside and inside seating - handicapped spot for me inside and out- that's a huge win ..ADA approved for me - they do a good job here - I will be back

Free and vast parking lot Medium size establishment with…read moreoutdoor seatings Occasional customers but always get their fries It's crispy and seasoned and ABUNDANT! Service is friendly and quick Clean flat surfaces and neat uncluttered seatings and signature reds and whites with unhealthy amount of peanuts everywhere