Rockridge in the News

It's no wonder many consider Rockridge to be the premier Oakland experience. Here are just a few rave reviews and articles!

BEST OF OAKLAND

Congratulations to all the Rockridge District businesses that won Best of Oakland in Oakland Magazine!

ROCK-N-STROLL
“Street Fair Puts the ‘Rock’ In Rockridge”
— Rockridge News, Sept. 4, 2021

History of the RDA in the June 2021 edition of the Rockridge News (page 5).

Foodies

A16 Rockridge, 5356 College Avenue
"The Rockridge outpost of San Francisco's A16 is a neighborhood hit. The space...bustles with patrons sipping cocktails and wine and dining on southern Italian dishes." - Michael Bauer, SF Chronicle

A Côté, 5478 College Avenue
"For a small-plates restaurant the portions are humongous, and so are the flavors. Except when it comes to the French fries. There are never enough French fries." - East Bay Express

Beer Baron, 5900 College Avenue
"Offering a place with high-end pub food, a drink menu with some of the best craft beers from the Bay Area and beyond, and a lineup of whiskeys from around the world." - Daniel M. Jimenez, The Mercury News

Belloti Restorante e Bottega, 5403 College Avenue
"Belotti Ristorante serves the best pasta in Oakland" - Luke Tsai, East Bay Express
"You’ll find traditional, lovingly prepared, and hearty food, and you’ll want to order a big red wine to go with it, no matter the temperature outside. And then you’ll want a nap." - KQED Bay Area Bites

Cactus Taqueria, 5642 College Avenue
"Cactus has taken the standard-issue taqueria menu and subtly stripped out the guilt: Expect lard-free refried beans, Niman Ranch meat, chips fried in canola oil. Funny thing is, the cooks have kept all the flavor. Don't just stop at the burritos — try the crispy tacos and the moist tamales, too. Vegetarians have tons of options, all of them tasty." - East Bay Express

Highwire Coffee Roasters, 5655 College Avenue
"The Five Best Cups of Coffee Right Now" - Molly Gore, East Bay Express

Khana Peena, 5316 College Avenue
"Visitors to the sleekest Indian restaurant in the East Bay will find all the standards on the revolving menu along with new delights." - East Bay Express

Millennium, 5912 College Avenue
Millennium Restaurant has been awarded with a 2016 Michelin Bib Gourmand, has been featured as one of "The Top 25 Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in the World" by the Huffington Post and Food & Wine Magazine, and has been named "#1 Vegetarian Restaurant in the World" by The Daily Meal.

Oliveto, 5655 College Avenue
"This airy, earth-toned restaurant and cafe continues to earn national kudos for the simplicity and elegance of its Northern-Italian-based menu." - East Bay Express

Pucquio, 5337 College Avenue
"Oakland’s first high-end Peruvian restaurant serves elegant, labor-intensive cuisine.... But any conversation about Pucquio needs to begin and end with its cebiches, especially the spicy, multi-textured, perfectly balanced Mixto: raw shrimp, tender cubes of California sea bass, whole squid, soft yams, and, to top it all off, a fried shrimp head. It’s the cebiche we’ll use to judge all future cebiches." - Luke Tsai, East Bay Express

Ramen Shop, 5812 College Avenue
"...what you find in every dish is the precision and obsessive attention to detail that I think is the hallmark of Japanese cooking." - Luke Tsai, East Bay Express

Soi 4, 5421 College Avenue
"The flavors were fairly hardcore Thai, the kitchen's not shy with the fish sauce or chiles... Very reasonable prices given the quality of the ingredients and cooking, good service, and pleasant atmosphere." - Robert Lauriston, Chowhound.com

Southie, 6311 College Avenue
"Holy crap Southie sandwiches are amazing. They are huge, so completely share-able, and stuffed with such goodies as inch-thick bacon (the BLT), juicy meatballs (the Balls), or, on the lighter side, perfectly seared ahi." - Amy Westervelt, 7x7.com

Wood Tavern, 6317 College Avenue
"Consistently so good, for so long. Wood Tavern, the owners of which also own Southie, just never misses a beat, from the impeccable service to the pork belly to the warm chocolate cake." - Amy Westervelt, 7x7.com

Shoppers

Atomic Garden, 5453 College Avenue
"Have you ever walked into a shop and thought you would like to make it your home?" ... Reclaimed materials and vintage pieces are at the heart of the interior decor in this store where artisanal objects and sustainable items of kitchenalia work well on shelves of reclaimed wood." - Caroline Rowland, TheShopKeepers.com

Hawthorn, 5854 College Avenue
"...a chic women’s boutique; head there for upscale but very wearable pieces from indie designers." - Flora Tsapovsky, Racked.com
"For well-made basics with a mix of flowy silhouettes and structured lines, head to Hawthorn in Rockridge, where simple driftwood accents, scattered succulents, and brass clothing racks give the store a casual yet elegant tone." - Celine Mactaggart, 7x7.com

Lesley Evers, 5501 College Avenue
"Walking into Lesley Evers is like entering a Slim Aarons photo, but her graphic, colorful pieces, which give a playful wink to the 1960s and ’70s, are all designed and made in Oakland." - Jody Brettkelly, SFGate.com

 Maison d'Étre, 5640 College Avenue
"...keeps the gift vibes going, but with a slightly less tongue-in-cheek approach. The offerings here are more home-focused, with colorful doormats, artisanal soaps, and expertly designed serving trays and glassware that you'd be hard-pressed to find at big box stores." - Kristen Haney, 7x7.com

Nathan & Co., 5636 College Avenue
"The only stop necessary for last-minute baby showers, weddings, housewarmings, or birthday parties. Stocked to the gills with whimsical and practical goods, there's no way you will leave without finding something guaranteed to delight." - East Bay Express

Pegasus Books, 5560 College Avenue
"Pop into Pegasus Books to browse its selection of new and used books. The bookstore has every mark of a well-loved neighborhood spot – books of local interest, a knowledgeable staff and loyal customers who keep coming back." - BARTable

Phoenix Optical, 5519 College Avenue
"One could spend hours combing through Phoenix's new and used frame selection, which runs the gamut from imported vintage frames to more sleek, contemporary styles." - East Bay Express

SOBU, 5451 College Avenue
"Covet-worthy items include the custom-made stone tripod stools and an assortment of brass and copper lighting fixtures." - Celine Mactaggart, 7x7.com

Services

Rockridge Day Spa, 5413 College Avenue
"Best Place to Get a Facial" - Readers' Choice, Oakland Magazine

77 Salon, 5358 College Avenue
"Best Adult Haircuts, Best Hair Salon, Best Place for a Facial, Best Kid's Haircuts" - Readers' Choice, Oakland Magazine