Editor’s Note: Updated with notable restaurants on May 12
California’s shelter in place order has temporarily transformed restaurants used to dine-in customers into hubs for takeout. In light of these challenging times, the following notable East Bay restaurants are now available on DoorDash. Note that menus may be different from their dine-in counterparts, with family-style meal kits or a smaller, pared-down selection of delivery-only options. Hours are often scaled back. We’ll continue to update this story in real time as additional restaurants of note become available on DoorDash.
This waterfront seafood restaurant in the former Oakland Harbor lighthouse isn’t open for dine-in, sadly, but recently re-opened with a limited takeaway menu daily from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Quinn’s traditional-style jambalaya is packed with prawns, chicken, ham, and sausage.
Turn to this diner-esque Uptown Oakland spot for American classics with Japanese influences.
Case in point: Chef Kyle Itani’s pork belly served with shoyu eggs and brown rice fried in housemade kimchi.
Last year, chef-owner Brenda Buenviaje finally brought her Cajun and Creole sensibilities to the East Bay with an outpost in Oakland.
In our opinion, Brenda’s makes the best fish po’boys in the Bay; the catfish always tastes crispy, light, and fresh.
From pad Thai to khao soi, the menu at Pintoh has all of your takeout Thai favorites.
Never tried khao mun gai, or Southeast Asian-style chicken rice? Ask for it with your next order and you’ll see why it’s currently one of the country’s hottest comfort foods.
Nikko’s a good bet for reasonably priced sushi and other Japanese standbys near campus.
Nikko offers a solid take on the classic Rainbow Roll; it’s filled with crabmeat, avocado, and rice, then topped with slices of assorted fish.
Brace yourselves, spice lovers: Momo is back with its fiery bowls of ramen.
Even if you can’t handle the heat, you can still get in on Momo’s popular shoyu black garlic ramen bowls; customize your order on DoorDash to be mild, medium, or spicy (which is legitimately spicy!).
Open daily 11:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., former Top Chef contestant Jennifer Biesty’s Mediterrean and Spanish Downtown Oakland eatery is now available on DoorDash. and is among the restaurants offering selections from the bar for delivery.
Can’t decide which cocktail to select? Try the Fairlane, made with habanero-infused tequila, lime, coconut, and cucumber.
Biesty’s wildly popular take on ham croquettes is served with a creamy poblano sauce and a shower of pimentón.
Finicky dishes such as paellas are rarely available to go, so take advantage and order Shakewell’s version, made with English peas, roasted peppers, and prawns.
Owned by the same team that operates Kitchen Story (see next restaurant) and Berkeley Social Club, U:Dessert Story in Berkeley is open daily from noon to 11:00 p.m. for your Instagram-worthy dessert needs.
A creamy-tart-sweet Korean shaved ice dessert that’s perfect for mango lovers, with sticky rice, homemade mango purée, organic coconut crumbles, and condensed milk.
You’ll want to Instagram the heck out of this dessert, made with buttered honey brick toast, fresh mango cubes and purée, sticky rice, whipped cream, and two sauces for dipping.
This popular Cal-Asian eatery located in Downtown Oakland is open daily for brunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and for dinner from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Meat lovers can’t order brunch from Kitchen Story or any of its sister restaurants without trying the Millionaire’s Bacon, half-inch slabs of center-cut bacon slathered in sugar and cayenne, then cooked low and slow.
Kitchen Story makes its own version of the dish made famous in the smash film Parasite. Its version of the movie’s “ram-don” (better known in Korea as jjapaguri) is topped with—you guessed it—that famous Millionaire’s Bacon.
This perennially packed Oakland brunch spot is now taking online orders so you don’t have to wait in line. It's now open from 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. weekends.
It can be tricky to find a breakfast place that caters to plant-based eaters, but Mama’s Tofu Scramble, with turmeric, onion, garlic, and carrot, is a vegan crowd pleaser.
Sweet breakfast lovers rave about the cinnamon- and almond-tinged orange French toast.
Oakland and Berkeley have no shortage of amazing Ethiopian restaurants, and Blue Nile, near Oakland’s Lake Merritt, is one of the best.
Order the Ethiopian Vegetarian Combo, which features a sampling of six different kinds of dishes.
The Doro Wot (chicken leg simmered in a berbere sauce) is an Ethiopian staple.
A roadhouse and Sears Roebuck catalog log cabin from 1930, Sam’s Log Cabin has been a longtime Albany favorite for brunch.
We’ve declared the fried chicken sandwich as the sandwich of the year. One of the best versions of it that you can get in the East Bay is on the menu at Sam’s.
Sam's cures its own meat in-house, so you know the House-Made Corned Beef Hash is the real deal.
As of this month, Alameda finally has a dedicated Japanese curry house to call its own: Urban Ka-re House in Southshore Shopping Center, which features a host of spicy, flavorful curry options.
For a meltingly tender version of beef curry, try the Ribeye Curry.
Not in the mood for a curry? The Chicken Katsu Sando won’t disappoint.
The Alameda and Berkeley outposts of California-founded chicken wing chain are now offering their wings on DoorDash. East Bay folks have discovered the comfort of wings with a whopping 21 sauce options—traditional, dry rub, and fusion including many creative Asian-inspired flavors.
Order a six, eight, or 10 wing combo, seasoned fries and a large fountain beverage.
If you need to satisfy your entire hungry family, consider the family packs, which are offered in 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 wing sizes.
Given the breadth of Asian-inspired wing flavors, it’s surprising but totally understandable to find the Vietnamese staple of Garlic Noodles on the menu. Take it from us: Wings and noodles are a real thing.
This spinoff from the folks at Umami Burger is a new delivery-only brand dedicated to the popular chicken sandwiches already on the Umami menu.
Try the signature “Sammy” with its fiery diablo sauce.
On this sandwich, which is made with bacon and maple syrup, the waffles are the sweet, delicious buns.
Founded and operated by three East Bay natives and women of color, Oeste, a stylish Old Oakland bar, cafe, and rooftop, is now available on DoorDash with limited delivery and pickup service, Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Try the plant-based “meat” of the moment on a bun with tomato, lettuce, onion, and a side of fries.
Fried catfish at Oeste is made the true Southern way: battered in cornmeal and fried. It comes with a choice of fries or the New Orleans staple red beans and rice.
This new East Bay Japanese “alley” restaurant features three food specialties—ramen, donburi, chirashi—and matcha tea. Located a block from the Cal campus on historic Telegraph Avenue, it’s open daily from noon to 9:30 p.m. for delivery or pickup.
The original tonkotsu soup is made from simmered pork marrow and pork bone. The white soup is mouthwateringly rich, creamy, and full of umami flavor. The perfect blend of fried garlic, chili oil and pepper in a rich tonkotsu broth, it's spicily good. Recommendation: Add a soft-boiled egg—it's doubly delicious!
A traditional Japanese beef and sweet onion rice bowl with red ginger and green onion.
Emeryville’s Hometown Heroes is the East Bay branch of the original South San Francisco location. Though lounging at bars isn’t possible, you can take home their sandwiches and fries.
Another great fried chicken sandwich option. This one has spicy aioli, house sauce, slaw, and pickles.
Your choice of three of the same or one of each: Bourbon BBQ Pulled Pork with slaw, a Chipotle Honey Aioli Beef Patty with cheddar and grilled onions, or crispy Chicken with slaw, spicy mayo, and pickles.
