Visit Oakland has announced the return of its popular Oakland Restaurant Week (ORW), which this year will take place March 16 to March 26. Featuring specially-designed dining experiences, great deals, and a range of options from Michelin-starred restaurants to food trucks to newly opened eateries—it will be 10 days of lunch and dinner specials, and infinite possibilities of deliciousness.
Diners are invited to support local restaurants, many of which are owned and operated by members of our LGBTQ community and people of color. The San Francisco Bay Times is proud to serve as a media partner, particularly during a year when numerous small businesses are striving to stay afloat and financially recover after the tremendous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the restaurant sector hard.
Here in the Bay Area, we have also experienced an unusually wet and inclement winter. A lot of us have been staying home more and ordering takeout or delivery as a result. With spring starting on March 20, though, the days continue to grow longer, helping to fuel pent up desire to enjoy a meal out with friends, family, and colleagues. It seems like this year’s ORW could not be coming at a better time.
Launched in 2010, ORW is an annual dining promotion presented by Visit Oakland, a nonprofit organization marketing Oakland, California, as a travel destination. The 10-day celebration highlights the flavors of Oakland and is designed to support local establishments, enticing diners with menu offerings and experiences made available only during ORW.
“Oakland Restaurant Week is about celebrating our diverse collection of restaurants and the talented chefs that give our culinary scene its vibrancy,” said Peter Gamez, President & CEO of Visit Oakland. “With more than 100 restaurants participating, it’s a great opportunity to come to Oakland and stay for a day or two. There is so much to see and do in Oakland and we look forward to welcoming everyone to The Town.”
ORW is offered at no cost for any and all Oakland restaurants to participate. Participating restaurants create new and unique offerings from family-style dinners, special menu items, prix fixe menus, ingredient-driven tastings, and more. It’s an invitation for the community, locals, and visitors alike to eat, drink, and repeat!
The community and fabric of Oakland are made up of culturally-distinct neighborhoods, inspiring an incredibly creative food scene of unexpected pairings and fusion-style flavors. Favorite foodie hot-spots include Jack London Square, Temescal, Uptown, and Fruitvale, to name just a few.
All Oakland Restaurant Week participants will feature lunch and/or dinner menus at six different price points:
As of this writing, the ORW participants include:
À Côté
ABURAYA Japanese Fried Chicken
ACRE Kitchen & Bar
Agave Uptown
alaMar
Asmara Restaurant
Bar César
Barcote Ethiopian Restaurant
Bardo Lounge & Supper Club
Beauty’s Bagel Shop
Bellanico Restaurant & Wine Bar
Bird & Buffalo
Brotzeit Lokal
Buck Wild Brewing Co.
Burma Superstar
Cactus Taqueria
Café Colucci
Calavera Mexican Kitchen & Bar
Chef Smelly at AU Lounge
Chop Bar
CoCo Noir Wine Shop
Cocobreeze
Communitē Table
Daughter Thai
District Oakland
Duende
Earheart’s Tavern at Hilton Oakland Airport
El Huarache Azteca
El Malecon
Ethnic Ties
Farmhouse
Forge
Graffiti Pizza
Grand Lake Kitchen – Dimond
Grand Lake Kitchen – Lake Merritt
Grand Lake Social Club
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
High 5IVE
Home of the Chicken and Waffles
Horn BBQ
Hornitos Cafe
Ikaros Greek Restaurant
Iron & Oak Restaurant and Bar
Italian Colors Restaurant
Jo’s Modern Thai
Jollof Kitchen
Kitava
Kitchen Story
La Frontera Mexican Restaurant
La Mexicana Restaurant
Left Bank
Lion Dance Cafe
Los Cocos Salvadoran Restaurant
MAMA Oakland
Mägo
Mela Ethiopian Bistro
Millennium
Mockingbird
Mua
Nido’s Backyard
Noka Ramen and Bar
Obelisco
Odin Mezcalería
Oeste Bar and Cafe
Otaez Mexican Restaurant
Otto’s Uptown Kitchen
Parche
Parras Restaurant
Perle Fine Wines & Cocktails
Persian Nights Restaurant
Petit Cafe
PinToh Thai Street Food
Pizzaiolo
Plank
Pomella
RBG Grill
Saucy Oakland
Seabreeze on the Dock
Shakewell
Sidebar
Smokin Woods BBQ
Sobre Mesa
Soi4
Sovula’s Kitchen – Taste of Sierra Leone
Spinning Dough
Square Pie Guys
Taava Kitchen
Taquería El Paisa
Taqueria El Tio Juan
Taqueria La Gran Chiquita
Taqueria Reynoso
The Cook and Her Farmer
The Melt
Town Fare Café
Vegan Mob
Viridian
Wahpepah’s Kitchen
Yimm
Some of the restaurants have already posted the specials that they will be offering, so we encourage you to check out the ORW website to see them and for updates: https://tinyurl.com/m8h4kxs4
Cover Story
Published on March 9, 2023
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