A relative newcomer to the downtown dining scene, Florence opened in 2021 and features a wide array of popular Italian dishes including sumptuous pasta (seafood enthusiasts will appreciate the Spaghetti di Mare) and innovative pizzas (the Crudo option mixes prosciutto, pears, and gorgonzola cheese). Gather around one of the sleek wooden tables inside Florence’s cozy dining room or choose to eat outdoors on the restaurant’s intimate garden patio. Finish off the meal with a slice of homemade cheesecake, chocolate ganache, or decadent tiramisu.

Since 2009, this sleek, modern family-owned restaurant has served contemporary Southeast Asian fusion dishes in an inviting space designed by local art students. With an expansive menu influenced by Thai and Laotian cuisine, Lemongrass serves a variety of stir-fry, noodle, and curry entrees with captivating variations on classic dishes. Try the sampler platter, featuring grilled chicken skewers, avocado rolls, crispy shrimp rolls, and lumpia, served with a side of peanut sauce and citrus plum sauce, or warm up with a bowl of their salmon coconut soup.

On the outside, Firehouse Brew and Grill looks like a carefully restored historic home, but inside the restaurant’s high ceilings and decor offer a modern sports bar vibe. In addition to an extensive menu, Firehouse offers karaoke and trivia nights, live music, and more, to ensure customers are both well-fed and entertained. Try the lobster roll, featuring Maine lobster tossed in warm spicy garlic butter, served on a New England grilled bun, or enjoy an order of their Drunken Sticky Wings, caramelized in a Peking-style wine sauce. Their extensive tap list features the best selections from local breweries.

This new indoor public market has something for everyone. Step inside the front door and feast your eyes upon breads, pasta, muffins, and desserts at East Bay Artisan, an Italian pastry and bake shop. Walk further into the urban-style food hall and visit Shuck It, an oyster bar and restaurant, where diners can enjoy clam chowder served in a fresh bread bowl, or try Shuck It’s signature seafood michelada, a huge beer-based cocktail garnished with a crab claw, shrimp, and a raw oyster. For a taste of Morocco, visit Mamounia, a casual café serving a variety of couscous dishes, pizzas, and more. Try their date pizza, featuring a flatbread crust, topped with goat cheese, honey, dates, and olive tapenade, or their classic Moroccan baklava dessert, with its nutty almond-pistachio filling sandwiched between layers of paper-thin pastry.

Tucked away in a long, deep building with rustic brick walls, this upscale wine bar is the place to enjoy exclusive wines, local craft beers, and signature cocktails. Although Bar Cava began as a Spanish wine bar with tapas, they now feature an extensive wine collection with offerings from Europe and the Mediterranean, as well as pizzas, burgers, and paninis. Sip one of their award-winning signature cocktails or craft beers in the cozy bar and lounge area or relax and listen to live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.

This taco shop serves up delicious Mexican cuisine with a California flare. Try the noteworthy California Daddy burrito, featuring your choice of meat or veggie filling, or the equally tasty Surf and Turf tostada with blackened shrimp. Enjoy a side of crispy tater tot nachos (totchos), while sipping a Dirty-Chata (Horchata and coffee), or an agua fresca, on Taco Daddy’s outdoor patio. While this dining venue is small, the dishes are big on flavor. In the coming months, look for a new, larger, Taco Daddy’s, to open in January 2023, just around the corner from its current location.