I like Summer Kitchen very much. My husband and I have been twice and shared several different sandwiches: the BLT with piquillo peppers, a grilled tarragon chicken sandwich, and a pulled pork sandwich. All were excellent. Summer Kitchen shows a careful attention to detail, with good quality seasonal ingredients put together just right. We sat at the counter and enjoyed watching them putting everything together. We also had a tasty chocolate chip cookie and were intrigued by the look of their pizza and fried chicken. Will definitely be back. read more

Love this place. It was my second time coming here. I love that it has an open kitchen and I sat at the counter area today watching them make the pizza I ordered. They also serve Blue bottle coffee. Will definitely be going back! read more

My friend and I got the crispy chicken sandwich and the braised beef cheek. Both were really tasty and I think for the amount the price was just right! Plates are shareable and the place is nice for lunch or early dinner. If you're in the mood for dessert there's an ice cream place next door :) read more

Service was good, atmosphere is cozy and warm. Food was quickly served and very tasty. I had the Hobbs pizza.

We enjoyed the pizza very much! It was made with the freshest ingredients and you can definitely taste the difference. Having never tried butternut squash or taleggio cheese on pizza before; I appreciated the opportunity to do so. Also the homemade fennel sausage was very tasty. We had the privilege to meet Chef Paul; he is very gracious, easy to talk to and passionate about what he does! read more

the baked goods are SPOT ON. pizza meh. go elsewhere. sandwiches are great. Salads are delicious and very healthy. .. berkeley weirdos/self proclaimed foodies/ex-hippy/snobs read more

Love the atmosphere and have never been disappointed with the food. Tasty, good portion sizes, healthy, and served with a smile. Wow, that curry salad...darn good. read more

Cute shop, with very delicious sandwiches and salads and baked goods! They also have delicious fried chicken tenders - sooo good! So glad to have this shop on College Avenue! read more

This place is super cute and everyone is very friendly and helpful. I ordered the truffle mushroom pizza and their house made soda which was great. The pizza wasn't as great as I thought it would be and I'm truffle obsessed. They used different mushrooms; the long ones with a weird texture which I didn't like. You couldn't taste so much truffle either. Other than that, it was really nice and I'm sure there is better food than what I ordered. read more

Just finished our meal at Summer Kitchen--oh. My. God. This place is incredible. The crispy chicken sandwich was a true work of art. Every flavor played off the other, perfectly. The spice cake cupcake we had took it to a whole new level. I feel nothing but content, warm, and happy eating this food. We will be returning here frequently for more incredible sandwiches and cupcakes. read more

My favorite casual eatery! Their salads are so fresh and delicious, and they always have a great selection of ready to go foods as well from quinoa salads, to egg salad sandwiches and fresh baked goodies. Conveniently located on College avenue, it is always my first stop when I'm in the area! read more

Delicious burgers and very good pizza. This place is very cute, though hard to find a seat and hard to get into with the ever present long lines at ici next door read more

I was here for lunch with my husband and it was great. The restaurant has been opened for awhile now in my neighborhood but i have yet to to try them until now. The decor is great, really have a summer kitchen feel. Looks very clean and comfortable with an open kitchen. I had a crispy chicken sandwich which is pretty good. The breaded fried chicken itself is ok as I generally like "battered" fried more. But you can tell it's pretty fresh and semi juicy. The slaw, pickles and bread was great. My husband had a pizza and they are really good, made to order right in front of you in their brick oven. The crust is perfect and all the ingredients are fresh.. read more

I love this place. They use local and seasonal ingredients. Wonderful salads and fried chicken. The baked goods look fantastic also. A great place to grab take-out. read more

Crispy Chicken Sandwich all the way! I love the caraway-mustard slaw in the sandwich and chicken is juicy and tender. The chocolate cheesecake cupcakes are also quite good. Prices are slightly high for a sandwich, but the quality is worth it. read more

Great little spot in the Elmwood to grab a dinner made with care. Slightly pricey, they used to make a great pulled pork sandwich- though still online on the menu, last 2 visits I was denied. Tried new sandwiches/entrees each time and everything has been very good. read more

Best Margherita pizza I've had outside of Italy. No joke. I don't live near here but I will definitely be returning! Thank you for making this pizza the right way! read more

Cute as pie. A fifth star would come only with more interior seating (two 2-tops, one farm table), though they are petitioning their zoning permit to expand and accommodate. The bacon/avocado/piquillo sandwich is amazing, as is the frisée/persimmon/pomegranate salad. Nice selection of Blue Chair jam and Blue Bottle coffee packaged to go, which I can never pass by. read more

Best roasted chicken ever. It's moist, with crispy skin. Absolutely done right. With mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. Great comfort food for the soul. I've been here a bunch of times. We normally order the half chicken or the mushroom pizza. It's definitely worth the 40 minute drive to get here. The staff is friendly. The ambience feels like a barn and you've walked into someone's home kitchen. Pastries are great. read more

Okay, the food here is really great. But the prices are absurd. They charge $7 for a side of mashed potatoes. That should be a crime. Spagetti and meatballs is $18. Okay for an occassional splurge. But for a family of four, spending $70 or more for takeout dinner is just too steep. Update - Price have gone up again. Small side of mash potatoes now $8. They must laugh at their customers who order this! What a con. Order of Spaghetti is $20. We stick to the margarita pizza which is yummy and the only affordable thing on the menu these days at $14. read more

The fried chicken sandwich is awesome. Rivals The famous Bakesale Betty's sandwich (maybe even better). Kale Caesar is also a good choice. It's a little pricey for quick lunch food but nothing too crazy for the area. Speaking of the area - love the elmwood vibe and this place fits right in. read more

Lovely spot for a bite of lunch and then to take something home for dinner. Reminds me of the Cape, spare interior is just perfect for what their concept is, great take out food. The Cubano sandwich was as good as I have had and I make it my biz to try them whenever I see them on the menu. The Lemonade Mojito(non-alchoholic) was refreshing with a bit of mint, not too sweet. I took home the cauliflower salad with the olives which I am still thinking about today. I will be back to try more. Very fresh, why cook? I can't think these things up and the staff is really nice, a underrated characteristic these days. read more

Pulled pork sandwich was great, the daily method salad was fantastic... Will definitely be back!

WOW! I am quite a cupcake... fiend... and these are some of the best I have ever tasted.

It's a cute little spot off College Avenue, conveniently located across the street from where I work. Service with a smile is harder to come by here, which is the only reason I gave them four stars. Otherwise, the food is 'oh so delicious'! I have had the chicken sandwich and the BLT. I also love that they have Coke in bottles. Just tastes better. I'll be a frequent visitor. read more

Chefs Charlene Reis and Paul Arenstam have a knack for combining the seasonal local organic ingredients into fantastic well rounded dishes that are up to the expectations of Berkeley food snobs but with the warmth and welcoming atmosphere of communal cooking and gathering. We have two smaller kids and are coming here for years because the simple but ever-changing menu has always a surprise and tasty treat for both parents and kids. The gourmet pizza, made to order in the warming open fire brick oven, has a delectable tomato sauce that breathes fresh Italian herbs and extra virgin olive oil into the thin crackling crust. This month's "Organic Brown Beech Mushroom, Leek, Truffle Tartufata, Burrata Pizza" was an exceptional explosion of flavors and textures that complemented and balanced each other well, never sassy, and always bringing a smile to my face. Even seemingly simple dishes like "Organic Spaghetti with Hearst Ranch Meatballs" are wondrous concoctions that melt on your mouth into buttery bites of delight. The delicately grilled arctic char with zesty olive tapenade and changing sides is always a keeper, too. All meats are grown in a humane manner and are free of hormones and antibiotics, and all dishes are free of trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup. We sometimes just take some of the delightful picnic provisions like the curried chicken salad or the Orzo pasta salad with roasted peppers, feta cheese, and pickled onions up into Panoramic Hill to watch the sun set over the bay. It's always good to ask the pleasant and patient staff at the counter for a recommendation, especially with the changing local wines. Or sit directly at the kitchen counter and chat with Paul and his cooks about food, cooking, how to select kale, or how to get the freshly made Caesar salad dressing so smooth and scrumptious. Good places become great if owners work exceptionally hard to transform an inner vision into heartfelt reality, and Charlene's and Paul's modern interpretation of the classic idea of summer kitchen is no exception. read more

this is my new favorite place for lunch! I love the fried chicken sandwich and the mojito spritzer. the pizza is great too ( sausage one is the best! ) read more

OK for all of you who camplain about paying for what you get this place is using top quality, mostly organic ingriedients and is priced just right. Thank you summer kitchen for not serving us crap food with low prices.......been out of college for a long time. Great pizza, chicken dinner take out is killer, like eating thanksgiving dinner for $14.50.half chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, vegetables. All the dinner entres are great. Only negative thing I can say is the carrot cake is not up to my standards. you could also stay open at night longer past 8:00 for all of us who want to have a great take out place. BEST restaurant on the block!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

One of my favorite places in the East Bay and here's why: - Consistent hits. The pizza, Neapolitan-style, is beautifully thin and chewy. The sausage with fennel pollen is the best. The fried chicken is both delicate and rich, super flavorful. The roast chicken: yep. Even the salads are ridiculously good. I didn't think I was a raw kale person until I had the kale Caesar with chicken. The Dailey Method is a complete, healthy but also tasty meal in itself. Then, of course, the baked goods. Good golly. I don't even have time to describe how and why I love the salted caramel chocolate tarts, the Valrhona cupcakes, and more. - Fast carryout. I have young kids and sometimes, many times, I just don't want to risk going out to eat with them. Summer Kitchen always pulls through with meals that are made with high-quality ingredients. If I don't have time to make my own organic spaghetti and meatballs from scratch (the sauce and meatballs, I mean...definitely no time to make spaghetti from scratch!), I'll always order from here. - Neighborhood. I just really like the smallness and manageability of Elmwood. You can do a little shopping, go to Mrs. Dalloway's bookstore, have a good meal at or get carryout from Summer Kitchen, and maybe even pop by Ici next door for ice cream. - Availability. Love that it's open all day until 8 pm. read more

The owners were super easy to work with when we were planning our wedding cupcakes. We had the tasting and were 110% sold. They were very accommodating and ran with our vision of how we wanted the decor of the stand and cupcakes to be. The setup was beautiful! And, we had 5 flavors of cupcakes which were delicious and memorable. Guests raved about them even long after the wedding. They were such a hit that we've inspired our guests to do cupcakes at their future weddings. And, Summerbake didn't charge crazy fees that other cake places did for setup, delivery, rental, etc. We highly recommend! read more

I only had one thing there, and it was the chicken/ white bean/ escarole soup. But with that said, it was very satisfying on a cold day. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful. It was a very large portion as well, which I would expect for slightly pricey $6. Looking forward to trying other things on the menu. read more

This place is like the little Oakland "Marina". Almost entirely stay at home moms picking up healthy lunches post their Barre workouts. No joke, this description fit like 90% of the patrons. I tried to ignore that part of the experience, because I too, working from home because I was under the weather, was also looking forward to a healthy lunch. They delivered. They forgot to call my name for my sandwich and were very apologetic and gave me a free cupcake. FREE CUPCAKE FOR THE PREGNANT LADY. Definitely will be going back. read more

My first time here I had a salad of beets, brussels sprouts and butternut squash in a bed of arugula with extra grilled chicken - everything was really fresh and delicious. Service was good. read more

The Brick oven margerrita pizza taste like heaven. The size is generous, for the price. I recommend this for any pizza lover.

This place is mm mmm delish! I love their crispy chicken sandwiches and tuna sandwiches made with their house-made foccasia. The foccasia is incredibly soft, fragrant with herbs, and lightly buttered to give it the perfect consistency, smell, and lightness. Their pizzas a little pricey, but baked fresh from their wood burning oven. Desserts always look tempting, but I usually opt for Ici instead. read more

Good coffee and great service. I had a piece of my husbands cookie and that was yummy too. Items seem a tad pricey but I haven't tried the range of the menu yet. The only thing is that the setup of tables and chairs make seating a bit awkward. I appreciate the idea of getting strangers to sit together, but the table dimensions are not very conducive to the space available. read more

Yummy!! The bacon, avocado, pepper & arugula AND egg salad sandwiches were delicious! And the cupcakes are creamy, fluffy and moist.

I had the bacon, avacado, pajillo pepper sandwhich, yum hella good thick bacon! Coconut cupcake (homemade) delicious, and of course we couldn't leave without tasting the fried chicken, oooookayyyyyy! and too expensive, but if your not black black it's the bomb! And I had the mojito soda!!! THE BEST SODA EVER!!!! i wanted to have some of everything! Everything made with love! you can taste it!!! read more

Pleased to see this place busy Saturday night since I usually eat here mid week when it is mellow. The food is just as good. Always a great value for the caliber of food they serve. Kudos to the owner who was making pizza that busy night while at the same time keeping conversation with a loud annoying customer . read more

Fresh, eclectic, and delicious. The menu is fairly small (maybe 20-30 items) and everything I've had has been incredible. I recommend the salads and sandwiches section. The pizza looks incredible but I've yet to try it. The pork sandwich is hands down my favorite so far. This is the type of food that is full of flavor but doesn't make you feel sick after. They make most of the food right in front of you which is an interesting experience. The fried chicken is even fresh and deep fried individually upon request. The price is reasonable, the location is great and it's a casual eatery. When you're in the mood to go out but don't want to spend hours and tons of money, this is a perfect happy medium that is not your run of the mill chain such as panera (although I enjoy panera too). It's a quicker meal but is well worth the money and time. read more