Your Guide to Local Oakland
Our city guide to Oakland, California is here! Check it out.
If you're only in Oakland for a day, you'll want to start out with all the goodness in Temescal Alley. It's an alleyway full of local art, goods, and delectables! Stop by Doughnut Dolly's and pick the filling for your cream-filled doughnut, grab a coffee at Cro Cafe, and fall in love with the turquoise jewelry at Marisa Mason.
Book/Shop is a unique curation of art, books, and literary loves, and Ali Golden is a women's boutique for the modern California girl.
Now, let's talk brunch! Our two favorite places for brunch in Oakland are Boot and Shoe Service and Portal Restaurant. Boot and Shoe Service is a cafe during the day and pizza parlor at night, and Portal's bottomless mimosas make it a patio party every weekend.
Blue Bottle is beloved in the Bay Area, and the location in Oakland's W.C. Morse building is one of the prettiest! You'll also find an espresso machine repair shop, and some street-style Belgian waffles.
A few blocks down, you'll find Homeroom, which is home to tons and tons of mac and cheese varieties. The best part (besides the food)? It's both gluten-free and vegan friendly! Nearby you'll find Subrosa Coffee, which is attached to a bike shop, and we loved hanging on their chill patio.
Moving uptown, Coloso Coffee is a tiny coffee shop pulling delicious espresso from Heart Roasters.
Lost and Found is a laid back beer garden with yummy bites, and there's even some games to play to boot!
In Grand Lake, you'll find the gorgeous Lake Merritt, and the local shop Oak Common were you'll find men's and women's clothing by local California brands. Wander over to Alchemy Bottle Shop to find all the essentials for making the perfect hand-crafted cocktail.
Over in Old Oakland, you'll find two unique shops - one catering to American tastes, and the other Japanese. Marion and Rose's Workshop has all-American made goods, whereas Umami Mart's "conbini" in the back has all the Japanese goodies you could want!
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