A neighborhood treasure. The fried chicken, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate-sea salt-caramel tart are superstars in a packed solar system. Along with the decadent treats, Summer Kitchen also offers a variety of healthy and delicious salads, tasty thin crust pizza, a nice roast chicken dish. I've tried nearly everything and never been disappointed. Come taste the love. read more

I'm from the East Coast. I must say that this place is a fantastic place for lunch. I sampled the Applewood Bacon sandwich, the Diestel Turkey sandwich, the Hearst Ranch Hambuger and the Sausage Pizza. All extremely well made and tasty. You can't go Wrong here. read more

This is one of my favorite lunch spots. Everything they touch turns into food heaven!

The menu just keeps getting better & better! The pizzas are to die for. I used to get the carmelized onion, fig & pizza. Recently I had the green garlic, asparagus, burata one - delish! Now, for the chicken sand. everyone raves about the Backseat Betty's chicken sand. I find it a little bland & have to douse it with Tabsco to flavor it up. The crispy chick sand here is hands down the best one I've ever tasted. They toast the freshest roll ever so slightly, but the real secret I think comes from the mustard seed slaw & home made pickles. You must try this! read more

My go-to place in Berkeley for pizza, and also a favorite dinner destination. Their pizza is some of the best in the entire Bay Area -- beats out some of the top places in SF, in my opinion -- and also has killer desserts. Be sure to try their spelt pasta dinner special and, if it's still on the menu when you go, the arctic char. Also, you've GOT to try their brownies! WOW!! Worth it to go to Summer Kitchen JUST FOR THE BROWNIES! Seriously. read more

Everything I've ever ordered from here is exceptional. The salads, baked goods, pizza--all fantastic and so fresh. Today trying the mushroom soup for the first time, and it is so flavorful. And the staff is very kind and friendly as well. The best quarantine discovery! Highly recommend. read more

As far as I'm concerned, this is the place to get the absolute best thin crust pizza in the entire Bay Area. Seriously, don't miss it. Also, the bacon sandwich is absolutely fantastic--I could eat it several times a week. The homemade sparkling lemonade (or is it limeaid?) is delicious. Their other dishes (salads, pastries, etc.) are consistently excellent as well. The food comes quickly, the environment is casual yet classy, and the staff are helpful and friendly. It's a winner all around, and is one of my absolute favorite places to eat in the Oakland/Berkeley area! read more

I love summer kitchen. The burger is amazing! The pizza is just fantastic, but I usually get the burger. Be sure to try chicken tenders if you stop by! Also, the saffron cauliflower is out of this world! The only downfall to summer kitchen is that they sell so much food that would go excellently with fries; but they don't sell fries! I love it here! read more

I love Summer Kitchen. I'm partial to their crispy chicken sandwich, which is a bit smaller and more refined than the bakesell betty sandwich, but equally delicious. I also like their kale salad w/ crispy chicken, and really any of their other sandwiches. Overall, it's a bit overpriced, but more than worth it. read more

I currently am addicted to doing takeout dinner here. We've sampled about half their menu and haven't had a single bad or even mediocre item--everything has been delicious. Reasonable price for great food--hubby and i have been splitting a big entree and a salad; recently we split the turkey sandwich and the wheat spelt pasta for a marvelous light dinner. Highly recommend this place. read more

If this place was closer to the Berkeley campus, I would be coming here every day for their pastries. The cupcakes they have, while not cheap at around $3-4, are delicious, moist, and not overly sweet. This place also features freshly made food (you can actually sit at a counter and watch them make it) which is delicious, but perhaps not the best of its competitors... read more

This place was recommended to me by my host a few blocks away so I happily walked over on a mid week evening before going to see a movie at the theatre down the street... I ordered the BLTA on acme bread with peppers and it was delicious...then to my surprise, the staff walked around and gave me & the remaining customers free decadent chocolate cupcakes because they were about to close...lucky me =) The space is small and there are only a few seats but they do a lot of take out business. I sat at the "bar" where you can watch the cook prepare your food, there is not a overly friendly vibe here but rather an efficient and precise staff. The four stars are for the food not the environment. read more

Really love this place! Very friendly staff. We often order the margherita pizza and a salad. The arugula salad is probably our favorite. We also usually order a glass of wine and they give generous pours :-) Sometimes it can be busy but if you come on the early end during the week you can definitely find a table. read more

Best chicken sandwich. Ever. Thank you for making this sandwich. Salads are amazing too. I highly recommend this place.

The food is great and the people working here are so sweet! I can't think of a better place to go on a casual date, as it's right next to ici's and a block away from a great movie theatre and surrounded by fun and artsy shops. The only issue I have is that they run out of fried chicken way too early. Once I even ordered it ahead of time and asked them to hold onto it for me (called at 11:30 am) and then drove through hell to get there (really annoyingly busy street) and got there at 1:00 p.m. and was told that they had run out right after they hung up with me. That's ridiculous! But they were nice enough to throw in some freebies when I ordered something else. read more

Love the pizza here. Wood fire, thin and delicious. The egg salad Sammies are good too if you luck out and get one before they are gone. The cold orzo salad is my favorite one in the neighborhood. Better than Market Hall even! read more

This place has the second best fried chicken sandwich around. Although this style of fried chicken is different than the type I grew up with, but it is very tasty. I grabbed a piece of a fried breast, but I was a little disappointed. (it the skin wasn't 100% rendered.) But the tenders and sandwich more than made up for it. Likes: Bacon Sandwich Dailey Method Salad Chicken tenders Orzo salad Corn Salad Dislikes: Tangerine/Fennel/Olive Salad. (The endive wasn't cut, it was difficult to eat. Good idea, poor execution). Not many tables or places to eat. Look forward to trying the pizza and other mains. Definitely a great place to stop for take out. Also it is a good place to pick up some quick treats, like blue chair jam. read more

We love Summer Kitchen and eat there at least once a month. The arugula salads are great, no matter how they change it for the season. The chicken sandwich (and fried chicken when you can get it) is also great. The pizzas from the wood burning style oven are superb. Above and beyond our normal eating habits here, we also used them to cater our very small wedding. I say "cater," but I really mean provide food, as we picked it up and did the food picnic style hours later in Sonoma. We trusted them and they delivered the goods. read more

Why this place doesn't have wall-to-wall five star reviews is beyond me. The food is spectacular. I have a bad habit of eating too fast, but on the two occasions I've eaten here, I've slowed way down, savoring each bite. The service is basic but it is a take-out place. Really, go try Summer Kitchen. read more

Summer Kitchen is great! I've been there at least 50 times and the food is consistently very good to excellent. The sandwiches are some of my favorites anywhere and the salad's are great too. The turkey cranberry sandwich is perfection. Food: 4 - 5 Ambiance: 4 Service: 4 read more

Best food in the Elmwood. I come here for lunches and dinners all the time and just about anything you order on the menu is healthy, tasteful, and delicious. Everything ranging from the pizza to the chicken to the fish to the salads even to the lime drinks are all stellar. The dining experience is passable but part of that is to blame the NIMBY neighbors who fight for quotas on restaurant licenses in the Elmwood that prevent Summer Kitchen from being able to operate as a full fledged restaurant and not as eatery. Instead, this winds up protecting mediocre restaurants that have been there for a long time. read more

Lil gem salad with chicken strips was refreshing & filling & healthy! The mojito refresher drink was worth going back for multiple times during the week! read more

Came here strictly upon recommendation for their lemon aid. It did not disappoint. I also picked up the lemon meringue tart and cream cheese cupcake. Both delicious. I will be back! read more

I stopped by Summer Kitchen last week and had a very pleasurable experience with a fig, prosciutto, gorgonzola pizza and some corn salad. As someone who religiously checks cheeseboard's menu for the days when fresh corn is a topping, I can rest a little easier knowing that these thin crust yummy pizzas and fresh corn salads are just around the corner from me. The service was a little on the slow side but you can literally see your pizza being created, baked, placed into box then handed to you piping hot....so it's worth it. All the food has a very fresh and homemade feel and so does the decor. I'm really diggin this place and I can't wait to go back. read more

I had a cupcake and sandwich (not necessarily in that order) at Summer Kitchen and Bake Shop a few months after it opened on College Ave. I wasn't terribly impressed during my first visit. However, I recently returned and was happy with my lunch (Crispy Chicken with Shaved Fennel, Pickles and Lemon Aioli and Blue Bottle Coffee). The chicken was light while the aioli gave the sandwich a nice kick. I'm now a fan. read more

Everything I've tried here has been wonderful. I used to just come here when my wash at the laundromat nearby is washing/drying, so that I feel like I get a treat while doing laundry. Now I go out of my way, deal with parking, wait in line, and go there any day of the week to partake of the various delacacies held within. I impress my friends when I bring Summer Kitchen treats to work/picnics/parties, etc. And I can pretend it's still summer. Win. read more

Had a small sampling of their well-prepared food and was impressed. And the whole experience was very pleasant. Looks like they have some lighter, plant-based options, too. I'll be back! read more

I love this place, come here anytime I can. The chicken sandwiches and the homemade pickles are to die for. The place is a little expensive but if you can afford it, I highly recommend you check it out! read more

This review is for the pizza that they have here which is pretty awesome. The dough is chewy and tasty. The pizzas are cooked in a brick style oven, the vegetables are fresh and the ingredients on the different pizzas all work really well together. Wish I knew about this place earlier because the pizza was so good, however I wish the price of the pizza wasnt almost 20 bucks too. read more

Stumbled upon this place after doing laundry around the corner. Wanted to grab something delicious but of a reasonable price for dinner to go, and multitask while eating. Ended up being REALLY torn between the Crispy Chicken Sandwich and the Hearst Ranch Burger, but couldn't turn away the thought of caramelized onions and bleu cheese. Paid around $10 for the burger + chips, and even after ten minutes in the car on the way back the burger was pretty damn good. (Note: Sandwiches will appear small. Like the size of a Subway 6' sub. But it's delicious and filling enough to satisfy.) Cooked exactly to order (medium well, next time will probably opt for medium or medium rare), perfect ratio of toppings to meat, and delicious combination of the house mayo and bleu cheese-practically melted in my mouth. Never really tasted the bitterness of the arugula, but definitely saw it and helped give the sandwich texture and organization so it wouldn't fall apart in my hands. Would've been killer on focaccia. Overall, sweet and juicy, tangy from the cheese, and deep flavors. Nice! One downfall: Wish the sandwiches would come with sides to make a complete meal. I wouldn't have minded shelling out two more dollars for a small side "salad" or fries. I'd suggest doing something like the International House does: put a small scoop of one of the salads behind the counter in the box as a mini-side! Give people the option of what scoop of salad they'd like for maybe $2 extra? Overall: Tickle your taste buds and have something pretty bourgie for a decent price. Next time, will definitely try the Crispy Chicken Sandwich and will definitely eat in. read more

I tried this place for the first time last night and I will be back. We brought home a half baked margherita pizza and finished it off in the 425 oven for five minutes. Well actually my son finished it off. I had a winter vegetable lasagna that was very tasty. We also had a yummy brownie. The cost was around $22, a great deal. I plan to patronize as regularly as possible to keep it in the neighborhood. read more

This place is delicious and quaint. The chicken sandwich was bomb, and whatever you do, don't edit it. The pickles add the perfect touch. I wish it was more affordable- it woulda earned the 5th star. Can't wait to get rich and try all the food. read more

Super cute place and great fresh food! Had spaghetti and meatballs, pepperoni pizza, and salad. All of it was yummy! I'm not a big salad person so it was my least favorite, but everything had so much flavor! The pizza is thin, so it didn't feel heavy at all eating it (like it normally would at generic pizza places). This place is also perfect when you're in the mood for a giant bowl of spaghetti; they didn't skimp on the meatballs either which made me happy. Definitely my go-to place for feel-good food. Fast service too, but not much seating. read more

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

This place is my go-to whenever I need a good lunch or dinner that's healthy and simple. The atmosphere is easy, the food is good, the staff is always sweet, and one of the cooks they have up front on sauté is really easy on the eyes as you wait for everything! read more

They had me at egg salad. That's a test for me -- how good is your egg salad? Their egg salad is fabulous. So I decided to check out their catering & ordered a breakfast for 25 for my office today. It was amazing. The scones were called, by one of my colleagues, "the best scones I've eaten in the United States." This is high praise coming from him. The fruit platter, usually an unremarkable item on a breakfast buffet, was quite remarkable with grapes that were so incredibly sweet and tasty. read more

Awesome kale caesar salad! It's not always easy but they nailed it. And everything else in there looked good too. Will be back.

This place is more than a bake shop. It's a restaurant, with a twist. Their literature says that they want to bring back the whole "summer kitchen" idea, where you cook things seasonally. The menu changes here frequently; however, the pastries are always on hand, and so are the delicious pizzas. Sit at the bar and you can watch one of the cooks actually making your dinner. Seating is sparse, but the point isn't necessarily to stay here and eat; it's just a kitchen, after all. read more

It was really sad and really hard to give this place one star, but my experience with them was truly a one-star experience. MY STORY: okay, so here is the summary of my experience, after which I will also provide several other reasons for the one-star. So my friend and I were wandering down college.....she wanted a cupcake, and I'd also seen really good looking pastries here so we decided to eat here. I wanted real food as well, and I ordered a jicama salad and crab "for here" meaning I was going to eat at the restaurant. This was the start of our problems. They have seating inside summer kitchen, but it doesn't seem like they knew how to deal with people who actually wanted to eat there. It took the girl like 15 minutes to give me my crab because the scale they use wasn't working, so I had to wait around while she figured out how she wanted to charge me. Then I finally got the crab and took it to the table only to discover that it was not pre-cracked, and they had not given me the proper cracking utensils. I took the crab back to the girl at the counter and asked her for the cracking tool thing, she proceeded to look for it for like 5 minutes, and then finally asked one of the chefs where it was. Turns out they don't have crackers to give out to customers for use, so the chef took my crab, cracked it for me, and gave it back to me. This took another 5-10 minutes. After all of this trouble, the crab didn't even taste that fresh. other reasons for the one-star: - they do not have that good of variety in their daily selections - their indoor seating is relatively sparse and not too comfortable (we had to choose between sitting next to a giant fridge or at a wierd bar-stool thing) - they put oil on literally everything!!!! i mean a little oil never hurt anyone, but it's on everything - they girl working at the counter did not seem to know too much about the food, and was not good at giving advice about the food - some of the foods....like brussel sprouts, that should be vegetarian friendly are randomly sprinkled with bacon (this makes me sad because i love brussel sprouts but could not eat them because they were cooked in bacon) - they pastry (a gingerbread cupcake) that my friend got was not that good; it wasn't very flavourful, and the lemon frosting was strange for a gingerbread cupcake (normally they're with creamcheese frosting or buttercream) honestly, my experience at this place was so wierd. By the time I could actually eat my food, my friend had finished her cupcake, which defeated the whole purpose of eating together :( I think this place needs to decide whether or not they are a restaurant, because they didn't seem to know how to deal with people who actually wanted to eat there, but there are tables there, so obviously people are meant to eat-in if they want to I think that this place might be good for ordering to-go, or for ordering picnic baskets or something, because a lot of people were just coming and picking up orders to go......so maybe sometime in the distant future, when the strange memories of this experience have washed off, I'll give ordering out from this place a change ........this will not be in the near future read more

The food is always amazing! I recommend the pulled pork sandwich. Just ate there after a long terrible day. The girls behind the counter were charming, and gave my girlfriend an extra cupcake so she wouldn't have to share with me. Made our day. read more

Definitely one of the best restaurants in Berkeley. Overall, food is healthy, simple and delicious.