Traditional Irish food — including breakfast served until 3 p.m. — meets classic cocktails and a cozy, warm atmosphere at Sláinte. This is a contemporary yet charmingly old-school Irish pub with brick walls, a fireplace, darts, and Guinness always on tap.

Before vegan diets swept the Bay Area, Souley Vegan was introducing plant-based versions of soul food staples to Oakland in 2006. Now, the restaurant’s Southern-fried tofu burger feels like a Town classic. First-time visitors can’t go wrong with the sampler plate, piled high with greens, yams, barbecued tofu, mac n cheese, cornbread, and more.

An Oakland institution since 1973, Everett & Jones is still serving ribs, brisket, and most famously, beef links. Sadly, the restaurant’s matriarch and owner, Dorothy King, died in March 2021, but granddaughter Dorcia White is maintaining her legacy with the family’s three locations across Oakland and Berkeley.

Customers have come to know Hesher’s Pizza through its time at Crooked City Cider Tap House throughout 2022, but with the news that the tap house was sold comes the announcement that Hesher’s is fully taking over the space at 206 Broadway. The menu — and sense of humor — is eccentric and music-themed; order the Canadian Tuxedo with blueberries, bleu cheese, and bacon, or try the Zorba, with feta cheese, garlic, tomato, kalamata olives, pine nuts, and basil.

Understory opened in early 2021 as a worker-led restaurant and bar serving food inspired by the backgrounds of the workers running the kitchen, leading to a win for the Emerging Leadership award from the James Beard Foundation in 2022. Moroccan, Filipino, and Mexican influences can be found in the form of snacks like ukoy fritters, small plates like breakfast tacos, and sliders with fillings like kefta beef. There are a few cocktails on offer, as well as dessert.

The Oakland location of the popular Mission district restaurant is full of flowers, pink, and festive fun. The attractively designed restaurant also dishes out excellent Thai dishes, including Volcano Cup Noodles, mammoth beef short rib with Panang curry, or a spicy papaya salad. Fair warning: The spicy dishes truly pack a punch.

This adorable wine shop focuses on natural wines produced by independent small producers. Folks can drink any bottle at the shop’s long communal table. Minimo also offers thematic wine tastings and wine flight specials, bottle service in the courtyard, and a reasonably-priced wine club.

Chef Roland Passot brings the latest outpost of his Left Bank Brasserie mini-chain to Jack London Square, with some new dishes to set apart this waterfront location. For the seafood-inclined, there’s the Petite Plateau with a selection of raw and prepared seafood items; there’s even a fried chicken option that’s special to this location, an ode to Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in New York.

Belladi Kitchen opened in July 2022, serving Yemen-inspired bowls, pitas, and salads on Embarcadero West. Try the halal lamb bowl, which comes over a serving of basmati rice, ginger carrot lentils, eggplant, and cauliflower. Or, go for the falafel pita, which is split in half and stuffed with falafel, cucumber salad, tahini, and a touch of hot sauce.

Oakland’s oldest bar, Heinold’s was built in 1883 and has remained a historic landmark in Jack London Square. The tiny, single-story shack is made of remnants of an old whaling ship, and the flooring remains steeply slanted after the 1906 earthquake. Most of the seating is outside, surrounded by palm trees.

Bicycle Coffee can now be found in a few locations in Oakland, including the Grand Lake Farmers Market, but this is the company’s first stand-alone cafe. It’s funky and warehouse-y with a real family-friendly, community vibe, amplified by the fact that a portion of sales go to World Bicycle Relief.

This neighborhood is urban winery central. Try Brooklyn West Winery for an ever-changing portfolio of small-batch, award-winning wines from Barbera to Zinfandel to Riesling. The industrial tasting room is a sleek, attractive place to sample a few wines — tastings are a reasonable $20 per person for a flight of four wines.