Best sandwich I've had in a long time. I had the steak and arugula. Best brownie, also - I only had a little, since it's mostly butter, it will take me several days to finish. Service was not super fast, but everything was fresh, so can't complain. We sat outside, which was nice, but there isn't much shade, so bring a hat and sunblock if you pick that option. Would definitely go back. read more

Can't believe I am just now finding this place! Probably one of the best tuna salads I've had. Super fresh, and the ratios of ingredients are perfect; doesn't overdo it with mayonnaise. The bread. Each of the three sandwiches had different breads, but all were incredible. This place understands a great sandwich, and every single ingredient was fresh, high quality, and absolutely delicious; bacon and turkey were thick, tuna was fresh, bread was hearty, peppers were freshly roasted. We didn't order any basked goods, but we realized that was a mistake once we stepped into the restaurant. The variety and size of each baked good really stood out. Friendly, prompt service, cute atmosphere. I absolutely will be back, more than once. read more

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Pepperoni pizza with fennel sausage was delicious and perfectly baked to perfection. The chicken strips and fries were also good. We come at least once a month for spaghetti with meatballs, pizza and French fries. It's is a local fave with friendly staff. Thanks SK! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

My mother an I attended this venue for lunch, she purchased a tuna melt. There are always friends chatting over a salad on a warm day here. Everything in the window looked amazing. Quick and friendly service . read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Smores cupcakes - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've been here twice now - the first time we got chicken tenders and fries. This time we got pizza instead. It was decent both times but nothing incredible - especially for being located so close to so many other amazing spots in Berkeley. Maybe the bakery stuff is better than the food! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - combination pizza - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food still good, but prices are astronomical and service is mediocre at best. Went in for a turkey sandwich and it was $19 after tax. Seems like highway robbery. Service is iffy. There was only one person taking orders and running orders so expect a long wait. read more

Summer Kitchen is a very cute restaurant that focuses on farm to table. The ingredients are fresh and high quality and they offer a variety of dishes spanning across their lunch and dinner menu. My coworkers and I came for lunch and we made it right before the lunch crowd. Although there was no line when we ordered our meals, it took over 20 minutes for our sandwiches and salads to be delivered to our table. I would love to come on a weekend lunch, although I am now wondering if take-out is the move. The restaurant is small and limited, offering a few tables indoors and outdoors. I got the steak sandwich and thought it was delicious. They bake their bread in-house and you can tell -- the ciabatta was soft and fluffy. Their specialty also seems to be their pastries which I ordered two to-go. The marshmallow brownie was disappointing, the torched flavor of the marshmallow was too overwhelming in my opinion. The chocolate cake was fantastic though, the filling in-between the layers of cake was light and airy as opposed to it being too rich. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Steak Sandwich - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came here for lunch with my partner to try a new restaurant down on Elmwood! I have been eyeing Summer Kitchen for a while, and was excited to try it. The place is pretty small with limited indoor seating (as all other restaurants on Elmwood) but there are also some tables outdoor. It is very bright inside, with a nice display of their pastries too. You order at the front, and they bring you the food when it is ready. I got the Brentwood Salad with Roasted Chicken, and my partner got the Pulled Pork sandwich. Overall, the food was okay. It was good and very fresh, but nothing too phenomenal. The meal was so pricey, however, and was not entirely worth the cost. Regardless, I'm glad I was able to check this place off my bucket list! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Brentwood Salad - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Well first my brother ordered a chicken tender dish with a side of fries and instead of tasting like chicken it tasted like fish! The texture of fried fish was the exact same texture of that so called chicken tenders! Plus the BBQ pizza had a small hair in the pizza! You guys are probably gonna be like"ohh it's probably yours!" Well it wasn't! It was in between the toppings and the crust! That is the worst! Not approved by me 1200000%! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good but pricier food. I got the Chinese Chicken Salad. Great portion. Super fresh. Perfect dressing ratio. It's normally hard for me to justify buying salads instead of making them but I was really craving salad. Ultimately, I was happy with my decision. I want to come back to try their sandwiches and pizza. Everything looks good. A lot of vegetarian options on the menu too. Food was ready fast. Super cute "farm to table" vibe interior. Nothing extremely special about service. I'll definitely be back after cooking at home and saving up money to come back. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Chinese Chicken SaladChinese - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Dear reader, there is no tragedy half as poignant in Berkeley food-dom as Summer Kitchen's takeout steamed fried chicken. Their fried chicken tenders are better than Gregoire or Bakesale Betty. And then they steam them in your to-go box and turn the breading to paste. The box will be dripping like the rainforest exhibit and you will behold sadness parmigiana. Even the dog gives it side-eye and he is a Lab (they eat cat feces). What compounds this fall from greatness is that there is nothing you can do about it. Like all tragedies, it is inevitable. I've emailed, I've talked to people there, I've ordered it with the box open, I've asked on pickup. I've tried to smuggle my cringy cooking advice into casual conversation, like "I guess they found out who Banksy is... we should pop that vent ... well, it's a big crowd down at The Elmwood, you can't steam fried chicken," but they think, "gen X boomer man talking about chicken irl" I've eaten here for 15 years or so. They are the best chicken tenders in town. Do not try to keep them from steaming and ruining their tenders. It is not possible. read more

Was in the neighborhood strolling around and was looking for a quick bite before a movie. Had totally forgotten about this cafe style restaurant and decided to pop-in. Was primarily drawn ro the pastries but again I came on to get food and not sweets. Everything here looks good so and they have everything from brick own pizzas, sandwiches, salads to full on meals. There is both counter seating and tables available so you can gander at the foods as it's being prepared. Especially like watching the brick oven pizza as it's being created and pulled from the brick oven. Decide to get the crispy chicken sandwich which was so good and a dessert to go, a huge oreo style cookie sandwich which was sorta pricey at $11 but it was huge and weighed about 5 pounds - lol ! I wanted to order some more food as I saw several dishes being served to others. Will definitely be back and will add this spot to my favorites list. read more

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I've been going to Summer Kitchen for years now, probably since my family and I have moved to Berkeley. That's 16 years. I've enjoyed this place over the years. Especially used to enjoy their roast chicken dinner, their sandwiches and salads. Having said all of that, we found the service at Summer Kitchen recently, subpar and inconsistent. Yesterday, I went in to pick up my online order of two pizzas and it took about 3 minutes for the person troubleshooting the register to acknowledge me. Mind you, no one else was in line. The only people in the restaurant was a party of 3 almost done with their meal. I found myself wondering if I'm being ignored because I'm a person of color. Or maybe they thought was a food delivery person, idk but it was rude annoying. I must say, the products that they're putting out are lacking quality. It's not cheap to feed a family of four at SK especially with two teenage athletes. So when my pepperoni pizza is salty and mushroom pizza is dry, I question why support this place. It's not the first time recently that our food has been poor but since we try to support local businesses and work in the neighborhood, it doesn't feel like money well spent. read more

Summer Kitchen is a delicious gem of an eatery in Berkeley! Farm-to-Table fresh everything; specially prepared sandwiches -I had the Reuben-delicious & crispy, spicy chicken dipped in panko, with special sauce to bring a smile to your face! Do try the salads & fresh salmon to tantilize. House-crafted baking reveals pastries that will have you in ecstasy! Service is fabulous & the friendliest people ever! Ambiance in this cozy, warm, friendly & delicious eatery named after Martha's Vineyard kitchens! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Just a sampling of the daily prepared delicious deserts that tantilize the senses! - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Friend of mine is a local and loves this place. I went for the crispy chicken and he had a Rueben. Honestly, for the food and how packed it was I lean towards a 4 star but when a local says it's the best spot on a packed block I recognize I'm probably missing something. The pastries and baked goods looked excellent. The staff was friendly. Good amount of seating but very little room between tables. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Spicy chicken - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Always hits the spot when I'm craving a sweet treat around Rockridge/Elmwood! My go-to is always a slice of cake because it's GIANT and lasts me a good week or more in the fridge. The frosting is super decadent is the cake is moist. The baked goods always rotate and the staff has incredible recommendations for what to grab. The inside is a bit small, but I usually take my treats to go. Definitely recommend checking out if you're in the area! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - S'mores brownie - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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One of the best restaurants in Elmwood (4/5 green stars) It's so easy to walk right by Summer Kitchen without even noticing it. It's a narrow shopfront with just a few tables outside and it's easy to miss as you ponder ice cream and other offerings from neighbors. Well, take it from me - forget ice cream and get a baked item from Summer Kitchen instead! Or try a pizza, or an egg salad sandwich - possibly the best egg salad sandwich you'll ever have. But if you are limited for time, try one of the fresh fruit pastries (galette) - they seem expensive at $12 but they are big enough for two and totally worth it! I'm giving Summer Kitchen 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. The positives are obvious - most of the ingredients are organic and locally sourced. Everything is made from scratch and there is transparent sourcing of the meat and fish (Mary's free-range chicken, etc.). There are a reasonable amount of vegetarian options and you can definitely find some vegan dishes too (salads, sandwich, pasta). Summer Kitchen could make the biggest environmental impact by scrapping beef from the menu - replacing it with plant-based alternatives, ideally. Beef has a carbon footprint of around 10 times that of chicken and over 100 times that of pea protein, on average. If everyone one the planet ate 1 lb. of beef per week (the US average), total greenhouse gas emissions would increase by one third! I'll write a post illustrating all of this soon on the Green Stars Project. So I really appreciate that Summer Kitchen makes more effort than the vast majority of restaurants on improving sustainability so that's my suggestion for the biggest opportunity for improvement - cut the beef. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I ordered chicken tender, but it tasted like fish which is im not a big fan of fried fish. When I let the server know they said we dont have no fish here they said. They better change the oil or something. Didnt give us any refund or anything read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Chicken Tenders and Fries - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

I used to Frequent this place a lot as it's very close to my job. The food is good. The 3 stars are strictly for the prices, expect to spend $25 for a salad. Any add ons are $5. So add avocado and you got a $30 salad. Now I come here to treat myself. $$$$$$$$$$$ read more

Expensive, but it's slow. SLOW. Like a 20 minute wait for a sandwich to go. Will the food be hot? Not sure but the indoor waiting area sure is read more

Stumbled upon the cutest little farm-to-table restaurant! We tried the veggie sandwich and kale Caesar, both of which were spectacular. The fries were huge and fresh. The prices are definitely worth the quality of food. Next time I will be trying the desserts, they looked fantastic! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Kale Caesar, Veg Sandwich, fries - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

My husband and I recently visited this bakery/cafe and unfortunately had a pretty disappointing experience. My husband ordered the spicy chicken sandwich, which was mediocre at best. I ordered the pepperoni pizza, and after waiting about 25-30 minutes, I finally went back up to the cashier only to be told that although they charged me for it, the kitchen never actually received the order and it was never made. What made the situation worse was how casually it was handled. The manager came over, apologized, and gave a refund, but there was no real effort to make things right or show any concern about the inconvenience. It felt very brushed off and unprofessional. On top of that, the tables throughout the cafe were dirty and didn't seem to be maintained. Overall, it was a very strange experience and unfortunately not somewhere we'd return to. read more

I love this place! The atmosphere was wonderful. The food was delicious, and the customer service was amazing. We will definitely be back!

It's a local cute cafe with delicious sandwiches and bakeries. Wood oven pizzas are thin crust and great. Limited inside and outside seating. Clean and decent room inside to sit or rearrange tables to your party. Limited outdoor seating. Service is order-to-sit and your food will be delivered. Very few veggie option like eggplant sandwich. Few (good) local beer can options only. Great for seniors, kids, couples. Not so great for large groups or gathering unless pre arranged. There is parking lot being the block as well as free and paid street parking. Will be back for carrot cakes and more sandwiches. read more

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Nice place to sit, grab a salad and a dessert. Good service and a fresh good meal. Would recommend.

What I like most about SK+B is that the food is prepared to order by cooks who care using high quality ingredients. Everything is simple and straightforward. Fresh and flavorful. The Chinese Chicken salad is a major sleeper hit. Really good and filling. The seasonal Brentwood salad fresh corn and feta is super tasty and worth anticipating its appearance. The pre-made Diestel turkey sandos are great grab-and-gos for the road or the park. The pizzas are perfect for one hungry human or two who wanna share with a salad. They have canned beer and wine and usually a house made citrus-ade. You can usually find a table inside after ordering at the counter. read more

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I've only been twice (for takeout) and both times something was missing from my order. Once my salad was missing its dressing. Another time it was missing the wonton strips. It's fine, this stuff happens, I must be unlucky but I hope they make it more consistent. To be honest the cashier staff seem quite confused But looking forward to coming back and trying it again. The arugula salad is particularly tasty! read more

Get the spicy chicken sandwich, it is so juicy and delicious! Need to come back for their oven-roasted pizza and their dessert. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Mary's Chicken Sandwich - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is just a review for their Chinese chicken salad as takeout. Large and flavorful.

Chicken sandwich is now 1/4 inch thick and all bread/ honey. :( and sits on a comical amount of pickles (not sad about that, just silly). Sad about the honey and lack of chicken. read more

Dropped by after a movie. Recommended by a local walking in the neighborhood. Ordered a Cobb Salad. It was really good. Next time I am in the neighborhood I will try a different salad. The service was friendly. The restaurant bright and immaculate. read more

Ordered a salad today - Summer House. The lettuce was wilted, but it got worse, the lettuce on the bottom of the bowl was slimy and yuck Cucumber was mushy too. Not worth $17!!! read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Summer House Salad - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Amazing sandwich, chill enough spot. Order took longer than expected, and things felt a little unorganized but food was incredible so definitely will go back and try to pizza. Place definitely has good potential. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Chicken sandwich - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

I hope you dint get offended that I say this but make necessary improvements quick. The food looked good and there were a lot of people there. The atmosphere was inviting too. Unfortunately, I walked in, received a blank almost uninteresting stare by 2 woman, and both carried on with a very unusual demeanor as if I was a bother and not worth even a greeting. I could tell I wasn't the only one to receive this nonchalant treatment because of the normalcy of the behavior. I was standing there for about 2 minutes exchanging glances at the display case and the workers but eventually the workers darted to the back and I just stood there. lol So, I left. Unfortunately, this was my experience. I hope you have a better one. read more

This is one of my go-to places for take out in the Elmwood. I get fried chicken here. Their chicken pieces are amazing. Also - the cake is amazing - they make huge cakes and a slice of that will do you. I have also had the pizza and salads. I do really want to try one of their sandwiches. This place has excellent farm to table food offerings and their baked goods are exceptional. Highly recommend. read more

Summer Kitchen is one of our go-to spots. The food is consistently fresh, flavorful, and thoughtfully prepared, whether we're grabbing salads, sandwiches, pizza, or dessert. The ingredients always taste high quality, and the menu has something for everyone. Friendly service, great atmosphere, and a neighborhood gem we keep coming back to. Highly recommended! read more

Desserts are amazing here and huge portions. The place was bustling the whole time I was there. The egg salad is mainly to go but it looked so good I had to have it. Perfectly made egg salad on the lightest French bread. Omg. I want more. I picked the smallest dessert. The chocolate cupcake with the cream cheese frosting. Omg again!!!! Wolfed down. But glad I got something small. I will be back to try more!!! read more

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Our $15 salad was just a Costco mesclun mix with Costco cucumber and Costco cherry tomatoes with canned garbanzos. Rip off. The worst was... Our meatball was undercooked and raw which gave my daughter food poisoning. We called the restaurant up and let them know and they refunded us our meal promptly which is right on them. I appreciate they gave us that support but unfortunately I cannot recommend this place for the bad experience we had and I hope you don't have such a bad time there. read more

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I was last here about 15 years ago and so happy that it's still a solid brunch and lunch place. The whole vibe is relaxed and homey with a touch of Mayberry in a good way. The Brentwood salad was delicious with the salty feta and sweet blueberries balancing out the flavors. Tables were small and the seating cozy but so coming back for that fried chicken. read more

This place is what you don't expect. A summers kitchen with food that just works. I had the crispy chicken sandwich and kicking myself for not adding a side. It was delicious. The place can get packed and which makes it even better in my opinion. Just large enough. read more