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A photo of sufganiyot.
Donut Savant has provided the East Bay with sufganiyot for more than a decade.
Donut Savant

Where to Nosh on Jewish Food in San Francisco and the East Bay

From meaty reubens and bagels and lox to creamy hummus and crispy falafel

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Donut Savant has provided the East Bay with sufganiyot for more than a decade.
| Donut Savant

There are as many ways to interpret the idea of “Jewish food” as there are different items to eat on a kosher menu. Sure, there are wonderful places to order bagels all throughout the Bay Area. But there are tons of different items to explore throughout the Jewish diaspora: spicy kibbeh, the stew melokheya, the unleavened matzo, and even a cold fish and potato salad called anjuli. While not all of those dishes might be available at all these restaurants, there is everything from hummus to sufganiyot to burekas to pastrami. So here are 11 destinations for all those ways to enjoy Jewish food in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Hummus Bodega

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Hummus Bodega’s housemade hummus only lasts a few days after purchase, something that dismayed purchasers until they learned that a tiny consumption window means it’s fresh. The all-kosher spot also serves Frena’s fantastic pita, and a selection of falafel sandwiches and bowls.

Wise Sons Bagel & Bakery

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Evan Bloom’s new-school 24th Street Jewish delicatessen has spawned a growing bagel empire that’s now operating in the Fillmore, Hayes Valley, and the East Bay. Would these bagels compete with New York’s finest? Probably not, but in these parts, they don’t have to — and a dozen with schmear or a bodega egg and cheese will do just fine, thanks.

There are lots to choose from on both the sweet and savory sides at this kosher bakery in San Francisco. There’s various challah, pita, buns, sambusak (pockets), flavored focaccias, bagels, and burekas (puff pastry), plus babka, rugelach, sufganiyot (doughnuts), and more. Israeli owners Isaac Yosef and head chef/baker Yanni (no last name given) use recipes from Yanni’s great-grandfather, who owned a bakery in Jerusalem.

Mark 'n Mike's NY Style Deli at One Market Restaurant

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Mark ’n Mike’s first launched as a New York deli–inspired pop-up during the pandemic, serving 12-hour smoked brisket, pastrami reubens, lox, and matzo ball soup. And fortunately, even when One Market reopened for full service in spring of 2021, the team decided to keep the meaty menu available for takeout, delivery, and on-site dining at the restaurant.

Mark ‘n Mikes at One Market Hardy Wilson

Saul's Restaurant & Deli

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Saul's is your classic Jewish delicatessen. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick nosh, or just want to pick up some chopped liver by the pound, Saul’s has what you need. Pastrami, corned beef on rye, matzoh ball soup, and pickles, lots of pickles, are the stars of the show, though breakfast does have the allure of challah French toast.

Poppy Bagels

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Reesa Kashuk opened her New York-style bagelry in February, bringing tuna and egg salad sandwiches to Telegraph Avenue. Kashuk’s bagels are proofed for 36-40 hours, boiled in malt and lye, coated in toppings, then baked en masse.

Bagels in a basket Patricia Chang

Pomella

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Chef Mica Talmor previously owned the popular Ba-Bite, before opening the new Pomella in March of 2020, no less. The Cal-Israeli restaurant celebrates many different Middle Eastern flavors in dreamy hummus, cheese-stuffed falafel, salads and wraps, and chicken and veggie tagines. And she often sets out special seasonal menus for the Jewish holidays.

photo by Lydia Daniller

Boichik Bagels

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Boichik opened its highly anticipated storefront bakery on College Ave in 2019, and immediately drew long lines for Emily Winston’s puffed, chewy, serious bagels. The bakery is all about East Coast style, right down to kosher certification for its menu of bagels, bialys, and smoked fish.

Oakland Kosher Foods

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Longtime supermarket Oakland Kosher Foods has recently expanded, and with that expansion comes a New York–style deli with a menu of sandwiches, shawarma, and a truly epic schnitzel situation.

Grand Bakery

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Oakland’s oldest kosher bakery goes back more than 60 years in Grand Lake, but Sam Tobis stepped in as a young and hungry UC Berkeley grad in 2017, firing up the ovens as a wholesale operation. There’s no official storefront, but you can order the challah and honey cake for pickup and delivery, or find them at the Food Mill or other markets

Bagels and cream cheese at Grand Bakery Oakland Grand Bakery

Donut Savant

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Sufganiyot is a delicacy for diners the world over, and Oakland’s Donut Savant knows how to make the sugary treats so as to keep its legions of fans returning time after time. The shop has over 30 types of doughnuts and has dished them out for more than a decade.

A photo of doughnuts.
Donut Savant has more than 30 kinds of doughnuts.
Donut Savant

Hummus Bodega

Hummus Bodega’s housemade hummus only lasts a few days after purchase, something that dismayed purchasers until they learned that a tiny consumption window means it’s fresh. The all-kosher spot also serves Frena’s fantastic pita, and a selection of falafel sandwiches and bowls.

Wise Sons Bagel & Bakery

Evan Bloom’s new-school 24th Street Jewish delicatessen has spawned a growing bagel empire that’s now operating in the Fillmore, Hayes Valley, and the East Bay. Would these bagels compete with New York’s finest? Probably not, but in these parts, they don’t have to — and a dozen with schmear or a bodega egg and cheese will do just fine, thanks.

Frena

There are lots to choose from on both the sweet and savory sides at this kosher bakery in San Francisco. There’s various challah, pita, buns, sambusak (pockets), flavored focaccias, bagels, and burekas (puff pastry), plus babka, rugelach, sufganiyot (doughnuts), and more. Israeli owners Isaac Yosef and head chef/baker Yanni (no last name given) use recipes from Yanni’s great-grandfather, who owned a bakery in Jerusalem.

Mark 'n Mike's NY Style Deli at One Market Restaurant

Mark ’n Mike’s first launched as a New York deli–inspired pop-up during the pandemic, serving 12-hour smoked brisket, pastrami reubens, lox, and matzo ball soup. And fortunately, even when One Market reopened for full service in spring of 2021, the team decided to keep the meaty menu available for takeout, delivery, and on-site dining at the restaurant.

Mark ‘n Mikes at One Market Hardy Wilson

Saul's Restaurant & Deli

Saul's is your classic Jewish delicatessen. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick nosh, or just want to pick up some chopped liver by the pound, Saul’s has what you need. Pastrami, corned beef on rye, matzoh ball soup, and pickles, lots of pickles, are the stars of the show, though breakfast does have the allure of challah French toast.

Poppy Bagels

Reesa Kashuk opened her New York-style bagelry in February, bringing tuna and egg salad sandwiches to Telegraph Avenue. Kashuk’s bagels are proofed for 36-40 hours, boiled in malt and lye, coated in toppings, then baked en masse.

Bagels in a basket Patricia Chang

Pomella

Chef Mica Talmor previously owned the popular Ba-Bite, before opening the new Pomella in March of 2020, no less. The Cal-Israeli restaurant celebrates many different Middle Eastern flavors in dreamy hummus, cheese-stuffed falafel, salads and wraps, and chicken and veggie tagines. And she often sets out special seasonal menus for the Jewish holidays.

photo by Lydia Daniller

Boichik Bagels

Boichik opened its highly anticipated storefront bakery on College Ave in 2019, and immediately drew long lines for Emily Winston’s puffed, chewy, serious bagels. The bakery is all about East Coast style, right down to kosher certification for its menu of bagels, bialys, and smoked fish.

Oakland Kosher Foods

Longtime supermarket Oakland Kosher Foods has recently expanded, and with that expansion comes a New York–style deli with a menu of sandwiches, shawarma, and a truly epic schnitzel situation.

Grand Bakery

Oakland’s oldest kosher bakery goes back more than 60 years in Grand Lake, but Sam Tobis stepped in as a young and hungry UC Berkeley grad in 2017, firing up the ovens as a wholesale operation. There’s no official storefront, but you can order the challah and honey cake for pickup and delivery, or find them at the Food Mill or other markets

Bagels and cream cheese at Grand Bakery Oakland Grand Bakery

Donut Savant

Sufganiyot is a delicacy for diners the world over, and Oakland’s Donut Savant knows how to make the sugary treats so as to keep its legions of fans returning time after time. The shop has over 30 types of doughnuts and has dished them out for more than a decade.

A photo of doughnuts.
Donut Savant has more than 30 kinds of doughnuts.
Donut Savant

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