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Takeout dumplings from New Dumpling
Dumpling takeout from New Dumpling
Luke Tsai

15 Great East Bay Restaurants Serving Up Comfort Food for Takeout and Delivery

Where to order when you’re craving noodle soups, hearty stews, and all the carbs — including several smaller restaurants you won’t find on the delivery apps

by Luke Tsai Updated
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Dumpling takeout from New Dumpling
| Luke Tsai
by Luke Tsai Updated

The Bay Area’s extended shelter-in-place order has everyone hunkered down at home for the long haul, which means that many restaurant-loving folks have already gotten sick of their own cooking. Now that takeout and delivery are the only options, some of the ritziest fine-dining establishments have even adapted tasting menu-worthy dishes to fit a to-go format, offering a welcome distraction.

But for many diners, these troubling, stressful times have left us craving not fancy foods but comfort foods: the heartiest stews, the most slurpable and soul-warming noodle soups, and, of course, all of the carbs. Thankfully, these 11 great East Bay restaurants, from soul food spots to Mexican barbacoa joints, are still open for takeout and delivery, offering a healthy dose of comfort to diners in Oakland, Berkeley, and beyond.

Note: The situation with local restaurants is changing day by day, so please call ahead or check a restaurant’s social media account to confirm that it’s still open.

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El Chaparro

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The neighborhood Hidalgo-style lamb barbacoa specialist is open for takeout during its regular hours (8 a.m.–9 p.m. and open at 7 a.m. on the weekends). What could be more satisfying, during this extended shelter-in-place period, than a big pile of slow-cooked meat? Order your barbacoa by the pound and build your own tacos with the salsas and the stack of tortillas that come with your meal.

1087 23rd St, Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 778-1723
(510) 778-1723
El Chaparro’s barbacoa, with tortillas, consomé, three salsas, onions, cilantro, and lime wedges Luke Tsai

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Larb Thai Food & Tapas

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This El Cerrito restaurant specializes in the cuisine of northeastern Thailand’s Isaan region, but it does a bang-up job with a whole range of Thai comfort food dishes. Try an offal-forward noodle soup like their Thai boat noodles, or get the crowd-pleasing slow-cooked pork leg, served over either noodles or rice. For curbside pickup, call 510-524-8988 upon arrival.

10166 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510) 524-8988
(510) 524-8988

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New Dumpling

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The East Bay’s premier destination for Chinese boiled dumplings, or shui jiao, recently reopened for takeout, selling fresh-cooked dumplings as well as frozen ones (at least for all the pork, beef, and chicken varieties). For extra comfort, snag an order of scallion pancakes too. Call in or get delivery via DoorDash.

10064 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510) 529-4161
(510) 529-4161
Takeout dumplings from New Dumpling Luke Tsai

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The Italian Homemade Company

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The Berkeley location of this Italian mini chain is doing takeout and delivery through apps like Caviar and Postmates, offering a menu fit to please any carb lover — big slabs of lasagna and hearty fresh pasta dishes served with the sauce of your choice. The restaurant is also offering a $55 meal box for two and a selection of Italian groceries, including dried pastas, canned beans and tuna, and big tubs of its housemade pasta sauces.

2905 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 649-1495
(510) 649-1495
A dinner box for two from Italian Homemade Company, which comes with pasta, salad, dessert, and wine Italian Homemade Company/Facebook

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Augie's Montreal Deli

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The Montreal-style smoke meat shop is open for takeout and delivery 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends for customers craving hefty smoke meat sandwiches and poutine — plus tubs of smoked meat pasta sauce and frozen matzo ball soup for at-home reheating. The restaurant is also offering free meals to health care workers and first responders. Call in or text orders to 510-984-0283 by texting the word “order” to start the process.

875 Potter St, Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 984-0283
(510) 984-0283
Caleb Pershan

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Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement

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One of the last remaining stalls still open in the Emeryville Public Market food hall, Minnie Bell’s is taking pre-orders for pickup and delivery (within Emeryville, Berkeley, and West Oakland) on Saturdays and Sundays only, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef Fernay McPherson’s rosemary fried chicken might be the finest in the entire Bay, and the rich oven-baked mac and cheese — with shards of the crisp brown top mixed in — and hefty squares of sweet, cake-y cornbread make for festive, celebratory eating even if you’re enjoying them as a party of one.

5959 Shellmound St, Emeryville, CA 94608
510-879-7199
510-879-7199
Fried chicken, cornbread, and mac and cheese to go, from Minnie Bell’s Luke Tsai

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Marufuku Ramen

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The Oakland location of this popular Hakata-style ramen shop is open for takeout as well as delivery through Grubhub and Uber Eats. Marufuku is known for its rich, creamy broths, whether you opt for the tonkotsu or the chicken paitan ramen.

4828 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 823-2416
(510) 823-2416

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Geta

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Best known as one of Oakland’s top destinations for inexpensive, reasonably high-quality sushi, Geta is also the king of convenient Japanese comfort foods — namely, rice bowls like oyakodon, katsudon, or katsu curry rice. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–8 p.m. Call in for takeout only.

165 41st St, Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 653-4643
(510) 653-4643

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Kingston 11 Cuisine

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The Uptown Oakland Jamaican mainstay isn’t on any of the delivery apps, but the restaurant is open for takeout and limited delivery (for larger orders) for all your beef patty, sweet plantain, and rice and peas needs, Thursday to Saturday from 2–7 p.m. Perhaps most comforting of all is the oxtail stew, soupy and slightly sweet, the meat slow-cooked to such tenderness that it comes clean off the bone with the slightest nudge.

2270 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 465-2558
(510) 465-2558
Kingston 11/Facebook

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Brown Sugar Kitchen

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Tanya Holland’s Uptown Oakland Southern-inspired spot is serving a streamlined takeout menu, Wednesday through Saturday noon–5 p.m., with online orders due by 4 p.m. each day. The fried chicken is probably the headliner, but there’s also gumbo, buttermilk biscuits, and sweet potato pie.

2295 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 839-7685
(510) 839-7685
Gumbo at Brown Sugar Kitchen Albert Law

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New Gold Medal Restaurant

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The Oakland Chinatown standby is no longer a destination for 2 a.m. jook runs — its new hours during the coronavirus shelter-in-place order are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily — but New Gold Medal is still the go-to spot for classic Cantonese cooking: for barbecue rice plates, pork-and-century-egg jook, and big plates of dry-cooked beef chow fun. Call in your order (510-465-1940) or get delivery via DoorDash or Postmates.

389 8th St, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 465-1940
(510) 465-1940

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Lucky Three Seven

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This cash-only Filipino takeout window remains open, Wednesday through Monday 10 a.m.–9 p.m., with its usual rotating menu of home-style Filipino dishes — with an emphasis on meaty, bold-flavored stews. Don’t hesitate to get the oxtail kare kare if it’s available, along with a few of the restaurant’s jumbo-sized lumpia. Check the Facebook page each morning for the day’s specials.

2868 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland, CA 94602
(510) 866-2023
(510) 866-2023
Janelle Bitker

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Lena's Soul Food Restaurant

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The stellar quick-service soul food spot is open for takeout Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Everyone goes wild for the bargain-priced $0.99-a-piece fried chicken, but for maximum comfort, home in on side dishes like the candied yams or anything that comes soaked in the restaurant’s rich brown gray: oxtails, smothered pork chops or turkey wings, or even just a simple side of rice and gravy — a struggle food fit for kings. Call 510-957-5663, or if you aren’t able to swing by the East Oakland restaurant, you can get delivery via apps like Doordash and Grubhub.

6403 Foothill Blvd, Oakland, CA 94547
(510) 957-5663
(510) 957-5663
A spread of meals at Lena’s, each packed in a plastic container, with cornbread wrapped in foil Lena’s Soul Food

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Noodles Pho Me

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The Lao-style pho shop — a designation that makes Noodles Pho Me fairly unique in the Bay — is open for takeout and delivery Thursday through Tuesday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. This is your spot if you’re craving soupy noodles, whether it be the more intensely seasoned Lao-style beef pho or the funk-infused, eminently slurpable khao soy. Call 510-850-5080 for takeout; for delivery, use Grubhub or Postmates.

377 Bancroft Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 850-5080
(510) 850-5080

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Kendejah Restaurant

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What could be more comforting than a plate of slow-cooked oxtail stew or a heaping mound of flavorful jollof rice? The Bay Area’s only Liberian restaurant continues to serve takeout during the shelter in place. Call in, or order delivery via Grubhub or DoorDash.

197 Pelton Center Way, San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 756-6049
(510) 756-6049

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El Chaparro

1087 23rd St, Richmond, CA 94804

The neighborhood Hidalgo-style lamb barbacoa specialist is open for takeout during its regular hours (8 a.m.–9 p.m. and open at 7 a.m. on the weekends). What could be more satisfying, during this extended shelter-in-place period, than a big pile of slow-cooked meat? Order your barbacoa by the pound and build your own tacos with the salsas and the stack of tortillas that come with your meal.

1087 23rd St, Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 778-1723
(510) 778-1723
El Chaparro’s barbacoa, with tortillas, consomé, three salsas, onions, cilantro, and lime wedges Luke Tsai

Larb Thai Food & Tapas

10166 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530

This El Cerrito restaurant specializes in the cuisine of northeastern Thailand’s Isaan region, but it does a bang-up job with a whole range of Thai comfort food dishes. Try an offal-forward noodle soup like their Thai boat noodles, or get the crowd-pleasing slow-cooked pork leg, served over either noodles or rice. For curbside pickup, call 510-524-8988 upon arrival.

10166 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510) 524-8988
(510) 524-8988

New Dumpling

10064 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530

The East Bay’s premier destination for Chinese boiled dumplings, or shui jiao, recently reopened for takeout, selling fresh-cooked dumplings as well as frozen ones (at least for all the pork, beef, and chicken varieties). For extra comfort, snag an order of scallion pancakes too. Call in or get delivery via DoorDash.

10064 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510) 529-4161
(510) 529-4161
Takeout dumplings from New Dumpling Luke Tsai

The Italian Homemade Company

2905 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705

The Berkeley location of this Italian mini chain is doing takeout and delivery through apps like Caviar and Postmates, offering a menu fit to please any carb lover — big slabs of lasagna and hearty fresh pasta dishes served with the sauce of your choice. The restaurant is also offering a $55 meal box for two and a selection of Italian groceries, including dried pastas, canned beans and tuna, and big tubs of its housemade pasta sauces.

2905 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 649-1495
(510) 649-1495
A dinner box for two from Italian Homemade Company, which comes with pasta, salad, dessert, and wine Italian Homemade Company/Facebook

Augie's Montreal Deli

875 Potter St, Berkeley, CA 94710

The Montreal-style smoke meat shop is open for takeout and delivery 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends for customers craving hefty smoke meat sandwiches and poutine — plus tubs of smoked meat pasta sauce and frozen matzo ball soup for at-home reheating. The restaurant is also offering free meals to health care workers and first responders. Call in or text orders to 510-984-0283 by texting the word “order” to start the process.

875 Potter St, Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 984-0283
(510) 984-0283
Caleb Pershan

Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement

5959 Shellmound St, Emeryville, CA 94608

One of the last remaining stalls still open in the Emeryville Public Market food hall, Minnie Bell’s is taking pre-orders for pickup and delivery (within Emeryville, Berkeley, and West Oakland) on Saturdays and Sundays only, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef Fernay McPherson’s rosemary fried chicken might be the finest in the entire Bay, and the rich oven-baked mac and cheese — with shards of the crisp brown top mixed in — and hefty squares of sweet, cake-y cornbread make for festive, celebratory eating even if you’re enjoying them as a party of one.

5959 Shellmound St, Emeryville, CA 94608
510-879-7199
510-879-7199
Fried chicken, cornbread, and mac and cheese to go, from Minnie Bell’s Luke Tsai

Marufuku Ramen

4828 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

The Oakland location of this popular Hakata-style ramen shop is open for takeout as well as delivery through Grubhub and Uber Eats. Marufuku is known for its rich, creamy broths, whether you opt for the tonkotsu or the chicken paitan ramen.

4828 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 823-2416
(510) 823-2416

Geta

165 41st St, Oakland, CA 94611

Best known as one of Oakland’s top destinations for inexpensive, reasonably high-quality sushi, Geta is also the king of convenient Japanese comfort foods — namely, rice bowls like oyakodon, katsudon, or katsu curry rice. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–8 p.m. Call in for takeout only.

165 41st St, Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 653-4643
(510) 653-4643

Kingston 11 Cuisine

2270 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612

The Uptown Oakland Jamaican mainstay isn’t on any of the delivery apps, but the restaurant is open for takeout and limited delivery (for larger orders) for all your beef patty, sweet plantain, and rice and peas needs, Thursday to Saturday from 2–7 p.m. Perhaps most comforting of all is the oxtail stew, soupy and slightly sweet, the meat slow-cooked to such tenderness that it comes clean off the bone with the slightest nudge.

2270 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 465-2558
(510) 465-2558
Kingston 11/Facebook

Brown Sugar Kitchen

2295 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

Tanya Holland’s Uptown Oakland Southern-inspired spot is serving a streamlined takeout menu, Wednesday through Saturday noon–5 p.m., with online orders due by 4 p.m. each day. The fried chicken is probably the headliner, but there’s also gumbo, buttermilk biscuits, and sweet potato pie.

2295 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 839-7685
(510) 839-7685
Gumbo at Brown Sugar Kitchen Albert Law

New Gold Medal Restaurant

389 8th St, Oakland, CA 94607

The Oakland Chinatown standby is no longer a destination for 2 a.m. jook runs — its new hours during the coronavirus shelter-in-place order are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily — but New Gold Medal is still the go-to spot for classic Cantonese cooking: for barbecue rice plates, pork-and-century-egg jook, and big plates of dry-cooked beef chow fun. Call in your order (510-465-1940) or get delivery via DoorDash or Postmates.

389 8th St, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 465-1940
(510) 465-1940

Lucky Three Seven

2868 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland, CA 94602

This cash-only Filipino takeout window remains open, Wednesday through Monday 10 a.m.–9 p.m., with its usual rotating menu of home-style Filipino dishes — with an emphasis on meaty, bold-flavored stews. Don’t hesitate to get the oxtail kare kare if it’s available, along with a few of the restaurant’s jumbo-sized lumpia. Check the Facebook page each morning for the day’s specials.

2868 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland, CA 94602
(510) 866-2023
(510) 866-2023
Janelle Bitker

Lena's Soul Food Restaurant

6403 Foothill Blvd, Oakland, CA 94547

The stellar quick-service soul food spot is open for takeout Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Everyone goes wild for the bargain-priced $0.99-a-piece fried chicken, but for maximum comfort, home in on side dishes like the candied yams or anything that comes soaked in the restaurant’s rich brown gray: oxtails, smothered pork chops or turkey wings, or even just a simple side of rice and gravy — a struggle food fit for kings. Call 510-957-5663, or if you aren’t able to swing by the East Oakland restaurant, you can get delivery via apps like Doordash and Grubhub.

6403 Foothill Blvd, Oakland, CA 94547
(510) 957-5663
(510) 957-5663
A spread of meals at Lena’s, each packed in a plastic container, with cornbread wrapped in foil Lena’s Soul Food

Noodles Pho Me

377 Bancroft Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577

The Lao-style pho shop — a designation that makes Noodles Pho Me fairly unique in the Bay — is open for takeout and delivery Thursday through Tuesday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. This is your spot if you’re craving soupy noodles, whether it be the more intensely seasoned Lao-style beef pho or the funk-infused, eminently slurpable khao soy. Call 510-850-5080 for takeout; for delivery, use Grubhub or Postmates.

377 Bancroft Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 850-5080
(510) 850-5080

Kendejah Restaurant

197 Pelton Center Way, San Leandro, CA 94577

What could be more comforting than a plate of slow-cooked oxtail stew or a heaping mound of flavorful jollof rice? The Bay Area’s only Liberian restaurant continues to serve takeout during the shelter in place. Call in, or order delivery via Grubhub or DoorDash.

197 Pelton Center Way, San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 756-6049
(510) 756-6049

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