Berkeley

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OAK - Berkeley, CA

An April 2005 trip to Berkeley by panda1

Steam WorksMore Photos

  • 13 reviews
  • 8 photos

OAK - Berkeley, CABest of IgoUgo

Overview

Berkeley, CA, is a college town with a large under-25 population of students from different parts of the world attending UC-Berkeley, with the vibrant energy of sharp young minds. Telegraph Avenue is busy with restaurants, head shops, bookstores, street vendors, and homeless people as it approaches the UC campus. Shattuck Avenue near the university is another busy corridor with businesses and cinemas. The Visiting Berkeley website provides information. There are performing arts, museums, libraries, cinemas, restaurants, and farmers’ markets.

Quick Tips:

Local media publications provides resources of what's happening, such as Eastbay Express and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The Berkeley Flea Market is every weekend at Ashby BART parking lots.

Best Way To Get Around:

Oakland airport is the closest airport. You can also use the San Francisco International Airport, though parking is very difficult to find. Other options are bicycling, AC Transit, BART, walking, or taxi. 511.org provides public transportation in the region and information on traffic driving conditions.

Ben & Jerry's Ice CreamBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream"

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream has over 50 great ice creams, frozen yogurts, and sorbets. Look over the menu and select what you want. Shakes take a few minutes to prepare. The quality of the products are right up there along with Dreyer's. There's seating to eat in or take away.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on May 17, 2003

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
2128 Oxford St. Berkeley, California 94704
510.845.9445

Sun Hong KongBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Sun Hong Kong has a fairly extensive menu, and the food is pretty good. Stay away from their deep-fried fish though. They don't offer fresh steamed fish, which would be the way to go. See what they offer on their white board specials. Ask for no MSG. This place can get very crowded, and you may need to share a table.

Open daily 11am-2am, delivery 5pm-10:30pm in select areas.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on May 8, 2003

Sun Hong Kong
91 Shuttuck Sq Berkeley, California
(510) 841-2288

High Tech BurritoBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

High Tech Burrito doesn't live up to its name. What's so high tech about a burrito (they do claim to offer a health plan to their employees, which is nice for the people working there)? The burrito itself wasn't that good, nor was it large. I've gotten much better quality and larger size with El Farolito at 2779 Mission St/24th St of San Francisco, next to BART, or Taqueria El Farolito on International Bl/37th Av in Oakland.
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by panda1 on May 8, 2003

High Tech Burrito
3204 College Ave Berkeley, California 94618
+1 510 652 2262

King Dong RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

King Dong Restaurant is a modest place. The food was acceptable but not great. Perhaps I didn't order what I smelled when a colleague at work was eating their food. I don't remember what it was, perhaps Mongolian beef. It permeated my senses, and I had to ask where he had gotten the food that was producing the wonderful aroma filling my nostrils.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by panda1 on May 8, 2003

King Dong Restaurant
2429 Shattuck Av Berkeley, California
(510) 841-6196

Blondie'sBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Blondie's Pizza"

Blondie's Pizza
Blondie's Pizza is a very popular, low-cost pizza. There's a daily special with pink lemonade for $3.75. Their barbecue chicken daily special was quite good. After ordering and paying, take a receipt with your number on it and wait for your number to be called. The napkin dispenser is next to the cashier, and the condiments to add on top of your pizza are on the right side of the wall as you enter. There is nothing fancy about this place. They have a fast turnover of seating and it is crowded and popular. Be prepared to stand when it is crowded. Also, it may sometimes be cold, since the large entrance is open to sidewalk.

Sunday-Monday 11am-12am
Tuesday-Thursday 11am-1am
Friday-Saturday 11am-2am

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by panda1 on June 20, 2004

Blondie's
2340 Telegraph Ave Berkeley, California 94704
+1 510 548 1129

Cafe IntermezzoBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Cafe Intermezzo

Cafe Intermezzo is another very popular place, with a line out the door and a crowded restaurant serving oversized, generous servings of salads and sandwiches. Consider splitting a single salad or sandwich or packaging it to go if you're not very hungry.

Daily 8:45am-10pm

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by panda1 on June 20, 2004

Cafe Intermezzo
2442 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley, California 94704
(510) 849-4592

Venus RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Venus Restaurant
Venus Restaurant, established 1999 with chef Amy Murray, serves meals with fresh ingredients available locally.

The food presented is visually appealing, with bright, vibrant colors, and healthy, low in fat, tasty, and fresh. The interior walls are lined with local artists' paintings, but the noise level was quite high.

Breakfast is Monday to Friday 8:30am to 2:30pm; weekend brunch is Saturday to Sunday 8:15am to 2:15pm.

Lunch is daily 11:30am to 2:15/2:30pm.

Dinner is Tuesday to Sunday 5 to 9:30pm.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on September 25, 2004

Venus Restaurant
2327 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, California
(510) 540-5950

Steam WorksBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Steam Works
Steam Works is a gay steam bath where men gather to cruise each other. I mainly just walk around and around and get generally bored at this facility. A six-month membership is $6, VIP six-month membership $150, locker $12, and rooms start at $20 and are billed in six-hour time increments.

Phone: (510) 845-8992.

Email: berkeley@steamworksonline.com

BART Berkeley station, then transfer to AC Transit 51. 511 Take Transit Trip Planner or 511.org also have more information.

  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by panda1 on May 8, 2003

Steam Works
2107 4th Street Berkeley, California 94710
(510) 845-8992

Julia Morgan Center for the ArtsBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Julia Morgan is a community-based theatre providing low-cost entertainment. This place has movie-theatre seating with a large front stage. There's a small concession stand inside the front entrance. The performance I went to see was "Say It: Talking About Race", and it had several performers—some better than others.

AC Transit 51 stops right by the center; BART Berkeley or Rockridge are each two miles away, which the AC Transit 51 stops at also. Highly recommended to travel by public transit, as parking is very difficult.

Phone: (510) 845-8542, fax: (510) 845-3133

Email contacts for more information.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on September 6, 2003

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts
2640 College Avenue Berkeley, California 94704
(510) 845-8542

AnnapurnaBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Annapurna is probably the best head shop on Telegraph Av since 1969, with pipes, vaporizers, and smoking supplies. They had the screens in the size I was looking for at a reasonable price, and the place doesn't feel sleazy.

Phone: (510) 841-6187

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on June 20, 2004

Annapurna
2416 Telegraph Ave Berkeley, California 94704
+1 510 841 6187

Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF)Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) is sponsored by National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) and takes place in March playing in Berkeley, San Francisco, and San Jose, with films from around the world.

Festival general information: (415) 865-1588

email festival@naatanet.org

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on March 27, 2005

Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF)
133 West 19th Street Berkeley, California 10011
(212) 989-1422

Bekeley Flea MarketBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Berkeley Flea Market"

The Berkeley Flea Market takes over the parking lot of the BART Ashby station on the weekends with a distinctly African offering of antiques, art, body oils, books, handmade crafts and jewelry, household goods, incense, international collectibles, international food, music, new and used clothing, shoes, and tools.

Sat-Sun 7am-7pm.

Telephone (510) 644-0744

email: findme@berkeleyfleamarket.com

BART Ashby station

Transit 511.org or 511 TakeTransit Trip Planner

  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by panda1 on April 16, 2007

Bekeley Flea Market
1937 Ashby Ave. Berkeley, California 94703
(510) 644-0744

About the Writer

panda1
panda1
., California

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