Features

Starting college is adventure enough without the added complications that come from mastering the ins and outs of a strange new community. We just don’t know the spots: where to get the best slice of pizza, who’s got the best vinyl selection, or where to find the best three-dollar breakfast. 

Since I’m something of a newcomer myself, the powers that be at the Daily Planet teamed me up with a Berkeley veteran, photographer Erik Olsen, who gave me an insider’s look at some favorite hangouts and resources. 

Call it an insider’s guide of sorts. 

Food of course is usually the main concern. And, like any good college town, Berkeley has a variety of good, cheap places to eat. 

For breakfast try Café Durant. Open since 1987, Café Durant is the regular’s spot. Many Café Durant habitues have been coming for years, drawn to the incredible variety on the menu and the price. Besides the traditional egg-and-toast breakfasts, the cafe also offers things like fresh strawberry and honey crepes, and a plate called the Breakfast Deluxe, which comes with fruit salad, two banana and chocolate chip pancakes, a strawberry banana crepe and a veggie omelet, all for $5.25. Readers of the UC’s Daily Californian have voted Durant’s the city’s leading breakfast spot for eight straight years.  

Across the street from Café Durant, La Val’s Pizza holds the unofficial title as Berkeley’s prime Game Day spot. With a large screen TV, lots of space, some of the best pizza in town and beer on tap, the place is packed for Cal football and basketball away games. Besides pizza, the menu offers an encyclopedic array of sandwiches, Italian food, burgers, fries, barbeque and salads that serve between 10 and 20 people. Packed with video games and toy dispensers, La Val’s begs people to be loud and rowdy.  

When it comes to pizza however, nobody beats Zachary’s deep dish Chicago style pizza, with one restaurant on Solano and the other on College. Zagat’s, the well-known restaurant review guide, tells its readers: “Dishing up the best stuffed pizza this side of Chicago (some argue, in the universe), the widely popular Italian twins inspire fierce loyalty from pie partisans.” To say that they’ve won their share of awards is an understatement. The walls are covered from floor to ceiling with plaques and rave reviews from some of the Daily Planet’s lesser rivals like the San Francisco Chronicle and the Wall Street Journal, all attesting to Zachary’s undeniable dominance. The pizza takes a while to cook, and the place is packed on Friday and Saturday nights but management encourages you not to get discouraged. They’ve devised a system where you can order your pizza, go next door and peruse through one of two well-stocked used bookstores, and by the time you get a table, your pizza is ready, fresh and hot. And to add the perfect Berkeley touch, the owners have deeded the restaurant to their employees, making Berkeley’s best pie a truly cooperative offering. 

If you’re into healthier eats, but still on a budget, try Café Intermezzo on Telegraph. The menu itself isn’t very big but you can’t go wrong. Everything is fresh including the thick, dense homemade bread, and their claim to fame are salads so big you usually can’t finish them. 

Time is always something a student never has enough of, so if you want something quick, good and affordable, the new sandwich shop Grub n’ Go is the place. Located just south of campus on Allston, Grub n’ Go has a variety of hot sandwiches including the turkey and cranberry, made with turkey they roast themselves in the back of the shop. Started by Cal Alumni, Grub ‘n Go is the easy, healthy and smart alternative to the conventional quick lunch. 

Late night food spots are like cult classics in college towns. The number one late night eatery in Berkeley is the Smokehouse on Telegraph. Open until 1:20 a.m. Monday through Saturday, they offer burgers, chill cheese fries and milkshakes tasty enough to attract lines of customers that last until closing time. They also offer a mean veggie burger.  

At some point you are going to have to study. Instead of locking yourself in the library, try a coffee shop. There are several around campus but one in particular stands out. Brewed Awakening on Euclid Street north of campus is one of the largest and offers all varieties of coffee, smoothies, fresh juices, and sandwiches. With exposed brick walls, a high ceiling, large tables that facilitate group meetings, and wireless internet, Brewed Awakening has inspired great work, including several books that list the cafe in their authors’ acknowledgments. There is no time limit and always an open table. Owners Samir and Georgette Nassar take pride in making the shop as comfortable as possible. The service is quick and the couches are soft, making the shop what Samir calls, “the student’s home away from home.” 

And for those of you who avoid eating so you can spend your money on vinyl and CDs, Berkeley has two premier record stores. Between Rasputin and Amoeba, both on Telegraph Avenue, you can find almost anything. Both have deep vinyl crates, great reggae sections and Amoeba has one of the best jazz collections around. Both promote local labels, and both have great used sections. Music lovers, you’re in luck. 

And last but not least, a suggestion for all who appreciate good art. Instead of having blank, ugly walls in your dorm rooms, drop by Reprint Mint on Telegraph, the largest print and poster shop in the country. The selection is incredible and the prices are affordable, with stacks of larger prints and posters under $15.  

There are of course more places than can be listed, especially concerning Berkeley’s great selection of local bookstores. Check out Cody’s Books and Moe’s Books, both on Telegraph. Between the two you can’t go wrong. Should your tastes incline toward the New Age and mystical, there’s Shambala Books on the same block, while just across the street Shakespeare and Co. offers the best in used and rare volumes.  

Most of these places are within walking distance of campus. Zachary’s is a little farther away but worth the trip. Most restaurants have menus packed with items under $6 and many have items under $5. See below for a list of addresses.