Summer Kitchen is one of my favorite spots in the Elmwood neighborhood. The food is fresh and very flavorful. I LOVE their watermelon salad, and order it time and time again. It is salty, sweet, and fresh, with feta, caramelized nuts, red onion, watermelon, arugula, and fennel. My other favorite dish is their crispy chicken sandwich. The chefs here know what they're doing!! I'd recommend checking their hours before visiting. They close early on Mondays and are closed Tuesdays. read more

*3.5 Stars* So um... my diet has been off the chain lately. Okay, okay... let's just replace "lately" with "damn near my whole life". Let's face it; I love to eat! Unfortunately, this includes the "bad for you" foods too. But, Summer Kitchen and Bake Shop has shown me that healthier foods can still be quite delicious! I saw a picture of kale Caesar salad with crispy chicken on my Yelp feed one day, and it surprisingly looked really delicious. When I saw that Summer Kitchen was just a quick drive down the street, I hopped my ass in the car and headed straight there. The shop itself is quite tiny with only a few tables for seating, but I really liked the setup of their open kitchen. You can sit at the counter and watch the chefs prepare food through the glass barrier. What makes Summer Kitchen stand out is their use of fresh and locally grown ingredients. All of their meats are hormone free and do not contain any antibiotics, and their ingredients are also free of high fructose corn syrup and trans fats. They even use 100% compostable to-go containers! I'm all about the environmental friendly move! They offer an array of deliciously baked goodies and are known for their brick oven pizzas. I ended up ordering their Jacinto kale Caesar salad with crispy chicken add on and one of their homemade chocolate brownies. I love kale to death, but I've never been a fan of eating raw kale in a salad. I feel that it often has a pungent taste when it's raw which results in it overpowering whatever dish that it's in. But, damn did this salad wow me! The kale was very apparent, but the accompaniment of the acme croutons and crispy chicken complimented it so incredibly well! The flavors went really well together. But that crispy chicken thoooough? THAT ish was BOMB! The chicken pieces were juicy and the crispy chicken skin was delicious. The dressing was good but had a thick mayonnaise consistency that I could have done without. Ironically, I felt that they salad still could have used a bit more dressing. The brownie was incredible! It was thick and ooey gooey. That baby had absolutely NO chance of seeing another day! The food was definitely fresh and filling. So why 3.5 stars?! Well, it's that price tag of course. $15 for that salad and $4 for that brownie set me back $20 just for lunch. Ouch! I guess this is the life we live when we want to visit the healthier side of things. Service was great and the staff seemed like they were happy to be there. Although it's pricey, I do plan on returning to try one of their famous pizzas and that yummy looking chicken sandwich. read more

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My husband and I were in the area grabbing Philz and craving salads. We found Summer Kitchen on Yelp. We called in our orders - my husband and I both ordered the Summer House salad. His was with crispy chicken, mine was with roasted chicken. I forgot to mention that I wanted the dressing on the side when I ordered, but luckily that's their default setting. The Summer House salad comes with golden beets, baby greens, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, cucumber and balsamic vinaigrette. Everything was exceptionally clean inside. I'd definitely go back to try more dishes. read more

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This restaurant is so amazing. All of their food is so fresh. The atmosphere is great and the employees are very polite and helpful. I had margarita pizza and it was super tasty! read more

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

We had a delicious lunch here today. We ordered the chicken sandwich and got the spicy sauce on the side. The sandwich was delicious with and without it! We also shared a market salad. The baked goods all looked divine but we didn't get a chance to try any. We will definitely be back! read more

We loved the food! The crispy chicken sandwich was soft and breaded wonderfully. Not too salty and not bland at all. Try the mushroom pizza, so delicious and got a sense that I was actually eating healthy pizza. The food is all organic and food and farm to table. Arugula salad was very tasty and pretty generous in size. Highly recommend to people looking for healthy and delicious food. Tip: pre order online at the website. read more

Great pastries & friendly staff. Hoping you offer coffee to go with the pastries someday!

Super-reliable for sandwiches, pizza, and baked goods! Their turkey sandwich and egg salad sandwich are premade but both AWESOME, and it's nice to have an instant grab and go option in the neighborhood. Pizzas are good too and reasonably price. I usually get a mint lemonade when there too. Love that service is quick and friendly. read more

Small place with a simple and short menu. Pizza and salad were delicious, and the deserts looked amazing . Very friendly staff. Delicious food made with fresh ingredients plus great desserts/baked goods. Definitely on the pricey side despite self-service. Steak sandwiches and fried chicken are delicious. read more

Do not, I repeat do not order the spaghetti. Stick to the pizza. I'm unfortunately one of those soft people whose gut can't handle any dairy. Being lactose intolerant I hate for people to order around my dietary needs. So, anytime my family craves pizza, I will try to order something that I could eat. The spaghetti was over cooked and they gave me like 3 table spoon of tomato sauce in a box full of noodles. Don't get me started on the meat balls....those meatballs are drier than my social life. They taste frozen and microwaved. Everything needed salt... the sauce... the meatballs. It was so bland. So bland. It's still edible so I ate my food because I don't like wasting food. But don't waste your money or calories. I love food so much so this was really disappointing. read more

I love summer kitchen! A great place to go eat on the weekends. I love their Kale Fuji salad and also their chicken sandwich is good. They have great portions, and quickly fills you up. I've also gotten their pizzas before and it's very yummy! They recently just started to pump out tons of baked goods and I was very impressed! Their peanut butter toffee chocolate chip cookie is delicious! I would love to try more of their baked goods. read more

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

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The salad was good the chicken strips were amazing very please with them. The carrot cake was burnt around the edges and you could taste that throughout each bite. Over all the cake was moist and the icing was good not too sweet for it to have been cream cheese frosting. I'll be going back for the chicken strips and the chocolate cupcake with buttercream icing. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Kale Ceaser salad with chicken tenders - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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we have been here few times. The dishes are quite good, the feeling pleasant and inviting, the people friendly. We had sandwitches, pizza, ... Everything is quite good, so if you are in the area is quite a good plce where to have a nice meal. read more

The pizza was great, especially the mushroom pizza with truffles. There are a couple tables out front if you'd like to sit outside. Their baked goods all looked amazing! read more

I love the salads here! Knocking down a star because it's a bit pricey but beyond that, I love stopping by for a quick eat. Service is always nice and there's always enough seating. read more

Absolutely loved this place my coworkers and I regularly come here for lunch. I live in the area and on days I didn't feel like cooking I would not hesitate to stop by summer's kitchen. I rave to family and friends how delicious the food is. However there is one negative experience and the reason for this review. This past Tuesday we placed an order and we we all got salads only one had the dressing the others missing. My coworker called to say they had forgotten and the lady on the phone said that could not simply not be true. RUDE! Maybe offer for us to come back or simply apologize instead of dismissing a customer. After the fact they may have realized they did make a mistake perhaps found the dressing on the counter and called us back several times. No thank you. We work in a medical office near by and sadly as a group we won't come back. It's unfortunate because we truly enjoyed the food but the customer service is what made us decide not to return. read more

This place is a MUST if you are in Berkeley! My partner and I went to the Oakland Zoo and needed a late lunch before our drive home. Summer Kitchen and bake shop was the place! We split a delicious kale salad that was being featured for the day, a margarita pizza and a chocolate cake. Let me tell you - there's a reason there isn't a pic of the cake, as it was devoured! It was the most light, creamy, not too sweet cake I have ever consumed. I WILL be back again for another slice! I would not only recommend this cafe, but I'm confident that most if not everything on the menu is worth ordering. Our food, despite them being a bit busy, came out in a reasonable amount of time and was piping hot or cold, depending on the item. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Margarita Pizza & Kale Salad - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place was pretty tasty! We ordered the bacon sandwich, fried chicken sandwich and a salad. The bacon sandwich was by far my favorite! The bread was so good on it and I love the peppers and avo! The fried chicken sandwich was good but I've had more flavorful ones before. The salad we ate was ok and enjoyed the balsamic dressing. Would love to come back and try the pizza! read more

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

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Our friend Ron brought us lunch from here today. It's w/in walking distance of his house and he and Alan have had sandwiches from here before. They offer a limited number of sandwiches and evidently they rotate. Alan said whatever they make is good, so we pretty much left it to Ron to decide, although Alan did express a preference for egg salad. Ron arrived w/ three sandwiches, the egg salad for Alan, a fried chicken sandwich and a sliced Diestel turkey sandwich on a small Acme poppy seeded roll. The latter was the one I took, because it was the smallest. Ron ate half the chicken sandwich and took the other half home, making me glad I chose the turkey. It was very good, w/ a bit of cranberry-onion marmalade, a bunch of greens and a slice of provolone cheese. It didn't have a trace of the saltiness that so much deli sliced turkey has. It was just flat out delicious. Alan was also pleased w/ his egg salad, which was served on sliced Acme sourdough. We added chips, drinks and cherries. It was a nice lunch in good company. read more

Like most places off of College Avenue, Summer Kitchen & Bake Shop is a small, locals place for good food. Having pizza on the mind and failing to get fried chicken our last visit (they sold out by the afternoon on a Sunday), it was time to give it another shot. Tables are close quarters and there aren't many so make sure to snag one quickly if planning to eat in (it's order and seat yourself). There's also a small section of bar seating toward the back half of the restaurant too. We ordered the Hobb's Pepperoni Pizza ($15) and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Caraway Mustard Slaw ($12.50). Nice chewy crust on the pizza, super thin. They have a handful of other pizzas like mushroom and truffle toppings, pesto and arugula, so check those out if they sound good to you. Gotta love the sandwich's Acme torpedo. It's my favorite bread by Acme with its soft crumb and slightly sweet taste. Fried chicken was in stock, but only breast meat. We wanted dark meat and were apprehensive to ordering the breast because it's often cooked on the dry side. However, we were there, the chicken was there, so we ordered a few pieces just to taste ($14/lb). So glad we did. The chicken is picnic style, the kind I grew up eating, crunchy coating that lasts days and remains crunchy cold or at room temperature. If you love fried chicken like we do, definitely get some. read more

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If only the service quality matched the food quality. Twice my friend and I have been disrespected by staff here. Once we had been waiting for our lunch order for more than 25 minutes. We recognized it was busy and were very cautious before asking (nicely) about our order. (We just wanted to be sure it had not fallen through the cracks.) The woman was incredibly rude, snapping at us! We felt horrible. The next time, it was noon and there were five studying students (with no food or drink) hogging up three of the tiny cafe's prime tables as my friend and I jammed ourselves into a tiny corner to eat our lunch. We could barely move our elbows. Upon leaving I asked to speak to the manager about it and she flippantly remarked there was nothing they could do about it. I bet if 5 homeless people came in and did the same they would certainly "do something about it." read more

It's okay, but could be better with a few tweaks. We dropped by for a quick dinner over the weekend. Street parking is free on Sunday, but there's also a parking lot in the back. The place is small, but cute. They have cold water, which was awesome on such a hot day. Did not seem that air conditioned. We ordered an arugula salad. Unfortunately, they were out of watermelon, so we substituted beets instead. All of the ingredients were fresh. The shaved fennel is a nice touch. Feta was a tad salty. The candied pepitas were interesting...cinnamon flavors. A bit strange. The biggest gripe was the champagne vinaigrette. Way too tart! I make my own dressings and like it tart, but this was completely unbalanced, almost as if no one tasted it. The thin crust pizza was pretty good. Nice chewy crust, abundant toppings, however, a bit too salty. Pepperoni will do that to a pizza. We added mushrooms & leeks for another $4. I'm thinking this pizza would have been better with just mushrooms. Agree with others it seems a bit pricey for amount of food offered. All of the food came out quickly, unlike what others experienced. Staff was courteous. Would probably try other places before coming back. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - arugula & fennel salad with beets not watermelon - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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When I want a good hit of veggies, my partner and I come here for the salads. I love the kale Caesar with crispy chicken! All the salads are fantastic though, interesting combos and fresh produce. The pizza is delicious as well! read more

Stopped in with my friends today after being lourd in by the delicious looking cakes in the front case. I do not regret coming in because we have a lovely time. Got the combo pizza and it was FIRE! The sausage was so tasty and I loved the touch of leek. The steak sandwich also hit the spot and had all of my favorite flavors. The staff was great and the interior is both so homey and bright so would definitely come again. read more

Summer Kitchen + Bakeshop is a great spot for a quick and easy, healthy feeling meal! Dropped by with hubs for a quick lunch after running errands in the Rockridgr area. Checking the menu, the salads all looked delicious, and the option to add the crispy chicken was a perfect balance of gluttony to healthy. I ended up ordering the summer house salad with crispy chicken, and hubs ordered the crispy chicken sandwich. The crispy chicken is so flippin' good and worked perfectly with the lightly dressed salad (topped with beautiful yellow beets)! Despite it being "just a salad," I was perfectly full. The chicken sandwhich, which a stole a bite of, was also delicious- the mustard slaw complimented the crispy chicken perfectly (it was a bit heavy on bread, but not a deal breaker). Today was a hot day, so sitting inside was mildly uncomfortable... but totally worth it! read more

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

My kid loves their egg salad sandwich. We split it whenever we get it because it is huge and the bread is amazing (light, chewy, lovely) with delicious chives sprinkled everywhere. If you like egg salad - you will adore this sandwich! They run out of these during lunch so go on the early side of lunch before they sell out. I don't think they have these in the evening but I could be wrong! read more

They have the best ever Kale Cesar salad with crispy chicken!!! I live in the Palo Alto area and I try to make it up to Berkeley to get this item. The dressing is amazing and the chicken is cooked well and not at all dry. They mix the salad so well that every bit comes will chicken a crotons, which means it's not drown in just greens like most salads. I've tried so many kale salads in the Palo Alto area and they can never compare. I'm hoping someday soon they will have a peninsula location. I usually pair my salad with their delicious oven baked pizzas. I look forward to coming back and trying their egg sandwich! Fingers crossed it doesn't sell out. read more

Check your to go orders vigilantly. They routinely forget to put items in but have never forgotten to charge us for them. I love this place but the lack of reliability is continually disappointing. read more

the staff just can't be bothered! Brought our food ( took ages) to the table. I asked for knife and forks. grudgingly brought one set even though we had two meals. when I asked for another set she told me to go get them myself! ok...won't be coming back here read more

The location is a bit difficult for outsiders, it's in the mix of the super busy flow of College Ave. The sandwiches are about $10, a fair price for where you are and the quality of goods received. I had the tuna, it was delicious. The flavors all worked great together. Olives, Arugula and Fenal. The flavors were clean and understated when applied to the focaccia bread. Overall it was a great sandwich. I had a bite of the BLAT. Again with the flavors. The roasted bell pepper was great with the Bacon and Avocado. This is the perfect place to pick up a picnic on the way to the Greek Theater. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - The tuna sandwich. - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love summer kitchen bakeshop on day one, esp their pizza, esp when Paul or Charlene was at the oven, oh, so good. So we're sandwiches or salad. After it was sold last year, I was sad but happy to learn that the new owners plan to keep it the same as it was. I went back to try it out. I was disappointed. I felt sadness from the cashier to the decor of the place. My favorite pizza was super salty, the crust was not right. I wrote a review after my 3rd visit. But I decided not to post it. I wanted to give it some time. Admittedly I did not go back since. Then pandemic hits, restaurant business got hit really hard. As a frontline worker, I have no time to cook. Once restaurants started to do takeout, I compiled a list of my favorite eateries, started my orders. I decided to give Summer Kitchen another try as I miss their pizza. Already grateful to the people who work there, I was not picky. The pizza was goothough the chicken sandwich was better. Then I ordered from them again and again. I have been very happy since. Depending on who is at the oven, the pizza could vary from ok to very good. The place is lively, the decor is warm and welcoming. The food looked beautiful and appealing again. People come and go while maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask. The staff was very friendly. Chefs were busy. They have 4-8 tables outside to eat on location should you choose to do so. I am glad that the neighborhood gem is shining again. Thank you, everyone, who made it happen and the owners! read more

Really nice small cafe for picnic supplies, sandwiches and pizza, as well as tasty dinners. Super fresh food deliciously prepared. We had chicken nuggets and an orzo salad. Super helpful servers. Cute place. read more

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Great deli eats. I got the orzo and farro salads. Both seasoned well, with a variety of fresh herbs and ingredients folded in. They have all the comfort foods: brownies, fried chicken & fresh lemonade. Loved the farm table. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Farro & orzo salads - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came to check out Summer Kitchen & Bake Shop more for their baked goods, but there actually isn't too much variety. I remember them having 1-2 cupcake flavors, 1-2 cookie flavors, maybe a banana bread and/or some other type of bread but there wasn't much more than that. However, it seemed like most of the people were there for brunch/lunch, and their dinner menu looked pretty good as well. -Fried Chicken: We got this to go and heated it up in the toaster oven the next day and it was pretty good! Not the best fried chicken I've ever had, but definitely a good version. I would get this again. Loved that they sold pieces by the pound. -Chocolate Chip Cookie (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/summer-kitchen-and-bake-shop-berkeley?select=mjAGeeYEJ0XTX2II0AGs9A#mjAGeeYEJ0XTX2II0AGs9A): Just ok, but too crispy for me since I prefer chewy cookies. I wouldn't get this again. I think the way to go would've been the cupcakes, and will have to give that a try the next time I'm in the area. I will also have to try one of the brunch dishes, since a few of them looked really good! Parking in this area can be tough on the weekends, and you'll have to pay for metered parking unless it's a Sunday. read more

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

I've dropped in a couple of times just to grab some pastries for the fam. And man are they so, so GOOD! They have a strawberry lemon bar (or maybe it's lime...) that is TO DIE FOR!!! Around Christmas time they had Italian Wedding Cookies that I was desperately craving, but also didn't want to make and they were DELICIOUS! I'm going to have to try a pizza next time. If the owner is reading this...do you ever make cannoli? I've been craving some good cannoli... read more

Our favorite for years: crispy and fresh salads, delicious fried chicken, other entrees, sides and pizza is first rate. Also have interesting and fantastic bake good for dessert. Nice people and service. Always good and consistent. Can't go wrong,consistently great food here! read more

Would-be perfect sandwiches if it wasn't for the char. We were here a week ago before seeing a movie at the Elmwood. It's an open airy restaurant with a cold display filled with delicious looking salads. There's a pizza oven in the back which emits a welcoming smell. Nearly half of the restaurant is an open kitchen so seating is limited. Also, it's a self-bussing cafe, so you'll find yourself wiping down your own table when you sit. We ordered two sandwiches (fried chicken and a BLT Interpretation). The service was fairly quick, and the cashier was very pleasant. The sandwiches arrived, and their presentation was aesthetically pleasing, but the toasting on both sandwiches was too dark that the char flavor overwhelmed the taste of the bread and bacon. We were in a hurry to see our movie so we said nothing about the char. I know without it, the sandwiches would have been 100% perfect. We came here based on photos from yelp (as we saw desserts displayed), but as we looked around, none of the sweets were to be found (on the menu as well). I'm not sure if we'll be back, but if we're in the neighborhood, it'd be worth a second chance. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - The BLT-like sandwich. The charring on the bread and bacon wasn't as dryas it looked. - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Summer Kitchen & Bake Shop doesn't show much bakes, just a short concise menu on the wall. offerings: pizza, sammies, nightly dinner specials, salads, soups eats: brick oven pizza(18) -"organic beech mushrooms, leek, truffle tarfufata, burrata". crust mildly chewy. not thin crust, way above average -toppings rich, creamy (white) cheesy taste (ala burrata), mushrooms al dente. crumbs: -service perfecto, cashier recommneded mushroom pizza upon my request, was told exactly when the pizza would be ready. -pizza way above average, toppings same. almost 5 stars. -10ish seating inside. -pizza lst choice, diesel turkey (9.5) sammie 2nd choice. read more

The egg salad sandwich is the best thing ever. We ended up here by accident and then went back again the next day just to get egg salad again. I also had the Caesar with crispy chicken and it was fantastic. Please check this place out! read more

I love their summer house salad and that's what I mainly order, but I have a friend who swears by their egg salad sandwich. One time I shared a slice of cake with a friend and that was also delicious and decadent. read more