King Pin Donuts Plain donut: Every few weeks, I end up hungry for an after-dinner snack at around 10:30pm. These sudden cravings typically lead to visits to Telegraph Ave, with its late-night fast food options aimed towards Berkeley undergrads. On my last trip, I paid a visit to King Pin Donuts, a longstanding independent donut shop open until 3am. While the donuts are made fresh all day, the plain donut I had must have been sitting out for a while. It had a weighty pound-cake like interior and slightly crispy but also ... (read more) 2.0/5.0
dessert berkeley kingpindonuts plain donut 2.0
Lush Gelato Mango Sorbet and Ricotta Lemon Zest Gelato: Located in the back of The Epicurious Garden in Berkeley, this Lush Gelato location has a rainbow assortment of sorbets and gelatos made with ingredients proudly sourced from local farms. (This all sounds very befitting for a spot in the Gourmet Ghetto, I know.) I sampled the Vietnamese cinnamon (which tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch) before deciding on their mango sorbet and ricotta lemon zest. For all three flavors, I found them to be overly sweet for my taste, and while the texture w... (read more) 2.5/5.0
icecream berkeley fruit lushgelato mango sorbet ricotta lemon zest gelato 2.5
Miaow Miaow Cuttlefish Flavoured Crackers: From a wall of tempting Asian snacks at Tokyo Fish Bowl in Berkeley, this particular bag caught my attention, first from the cute cat-accented logo and then its intriguing seafood flavor. I am a huge fan of Asian seafood snacks, and this particular one is from Malaysia. Unlike more familiar shrimp crackers, the chips are thicker and curl almost onto themselves like curly fries. The tentacle-like indentations mean that more seasoning is caught in the crevices, and there is a ton of sweet a... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended berkeley tokyofishbowl seafood squid miaowmiaow cuttlefish flavoured crackers 4.0
Monterey Market Fresh-squeezed blood orange juice: I’ve always been curious about the fresh squeezed juice at Monterey Market in Berkeley and decided to take advantage of potentially my last opportunity to try it. Unsurprisingly, the blood orange juice has a wonderfully refreshing sweet citrus flavor. Most of the pulp has been taken out, but it has just enough to remind you of just how fresh it is. A bit pricy, at $5 for a 32oz container, but you definitely get what you pay for! 4.0/5.0
berkeley bloodorange citrus drinks montereymarket fresh-squeezed blood orange juice 4.0 recommended
Pomo Tierra Farms Hot Apple Cider: When I stopped at Cheeseboard this morning to pick up some breakfast, I saw a handwritten sign for seasonal hot apple cider from Pomo Tierra farms. I purchased the drink, then saw a man pour apple cider from a bottle of Bernie’s, a local apple cider brand they sell at various East Bay shops. I asked to clarify-was it Pomo Tierra Farms or Bernie’s? They told me they were the same thing. Then I had a sinking feeling that I had become That Berkeley Person, challenging exactly which organic app... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks cheeseboard berkeley pomotierrafarms hot apple cider 3.5
Purple Kow Roasted Oolong milk tea with boba: Originally from San Francisco, Purple Kow is a bubble tea shop that also has a location in downtown Berkeley directly adjacent to Top Dog. It serves its drinks in distinctly short and stout containers that are more like buckets than cups. Many of their milk teas are made using organic milk products. I ordered my roasted oolong milk tea with soymilk and 20% sugar and ice. The drink was very mild, tasting mostly of faintly sweetened milk and less so of tea. Their boba are miniature compar... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks boba bubbletea pearls oolong milktea asian berkeley purplekow roasted milk tea 3.0