The Best Eats in Jack London Square

There is no shortage of things to eat around here.

Square Meals

An Oakland staple, Everett & Jones(126 Broadway) is the place to go for tender ribs, flavorful brisket, juicy chicken, and house-made hot links. But save room for sides and say yes to candied yams and cornbread muffins. // Head to Nido for farm-to-table Mexican food and drinks—think mushroom empanadas or grilled shrimp alambre tacos, waiting to be washed down with a Blanco y Negro (organic horchata topped with iced coffee). Look out for daily specials and happy hour deals. // Get breakfast, lunch or dinner at Chop Bar (247 4th St., Ste 111), an early pioneer in the neighborhood known for its hearty salads, oysters, oxtail poutine, and seasonal house cocktails. // Bomb vegan soul food is a real thing. At Souley Vegan(301 Broadway), you can, uh, pig out on sizable portions of Southern-style fried-tofu bowls and Creole-style spaghetti topped with falafel. // Forge Pizza(66 Franklin St., Ste 100), located on the waterfront, is the place to indulge in crispy cheese curds and pizzas topped with cauliflower or, for the more daring, pork sausage, potato, and chili flakes. // Back in 1972, Yoshie Akiba and her two best friends opened Yoshi's, then just a quaint sushi bar, in North Berkeley. In its Oakland home (510 Embarcadero W), the restaurant has grown to become an award-winning jazz club and performance venue. Before a show, try the tiger shrimp tempura with spicy aioli or oysters with apple-tonkatsu sauce. // Feast amongst the Victoriana at The Fat Lady (201 Washington St.), a former brothel now serving scandalously thick-cut pork chops and calamari steaks. // Tucked away in an office building you'll find Montse's Cafe(155 Filbert St.), a go-to for killer daily specials and agua frescas, as well as hearty breakfast plates and sandwiches. // Middle Eastern food is the focus at Dyafa(44 Webster St.), a collaboration between chefs Daniel Patterson and Reem Assill that spins out inventive, spice-forward dishes in a beguiling interior complete with mosaic tile backsplash, jewel-tone chairs, and a branch entwined trellis overhanging the dining room. Start with za'atar-spiked flatbread dipped in creamy hummus or the batata harra (fried potatoes); move on to the sumac-spiced chicken confit or spicy whole-roasted fish; and wash it all down with an adventurous cocktail capitalizing on flavors usually reserved for food (think Medjool dates, Greek yogurt, and cumin) from the well-stocked bar. // Carnivores rejoice! Belcampo Meat Co. (55 Webster St.) serves up a slew of meat-laden menu items that you can feel good about, since the company only serves high-quality meats sustainably and compassionately raised on its NorCal farm. The black garlic–laced lamb burger has been known to make a convert out of the lamb wary, skewers let more adventurous diners dabble in beef heart, and the calamansi lime and chicken salad serves as a nice common ground if you've got designs on something lighter. // The square was hurting for Asian-influenced fare until the opening of Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine(336 Water St.), and the colorful setting—an energetic mixture of floral-printed chairs, a 3-D flower wall sculpture, and a bamboo-bedecked patio—perfectly matches the vibrancy of the food in dishes such as the 24-hour beef noodle soup, hat yai fried chicken, and slow-braised bone-in short rib. // While JLS mainstays such as Scott's Seafood(2 Broadway) and Kincaid's(1 Franklin St.) are old-timers for a reason (solid seafood, solid service, stellar views), Lungomare(1 Broadway) is still our choice for squid-ink pasta or seasonal risotto; anchovy-topped pizza; or a brunch laden with poached eggs, smoked salmon, and more from the buffet.

Coffee + Snacks

Thanks to Blue Bottle, Oakland is basically the home of Third Wave coffee. There's no stopping in Jack London Square without visiting the roastery (300 Webster St.), which houses a coffee bar, cupping room and pastry kitchen. // Rather take it to go? Snag a mini growler at Bicycle Coffee(364 2nd St.)—then bring it back later for a refill on the cheap. // Satisfy your sweet tooth with macarons, perfectly iced cupcakes, and impossibly buttery cookies at Miette (85 Webster St.).

Click through for more on where to drink and play in the neighborhood.

Where to Drink Like a Sailor in Jack London Square

Jack London's Square's location on the waterfront and history as a stomping grounds for sailors continues to inform its more intoxicating offerings.

Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon(48 Webster St.). is a drink of JLS history. Built in 1883 from the timbers of an old whaling ship, the place was originally used as a bunkhouse by the men who worked the oyster beds. It was later transformed into a saloon for seafarers, and so it remains today as a place to sample local liquor and obscure absinthe or just for shots of fernet to chase with a wide selection of beers including Fort Point Kolsch and Racer 5. // Newcomer Sláinte(131 Broadway) has the warmth of an old Irish pub—you know, the kind where you stay for hours drinking, eating, playing darts and telling tales. Go for the traditional Irish breakfast (eggs, beans, black and white pudding, sausage, boxty, and soda bread) paired with a Spot of Tea (earl grey–steeped vodka with mint, lemon, honey, and soda). Time your visit for a night with live music and tip your hat to the lads playing traditional Irish tunes. // The divey-est of all the bars in Jack London might be Merchant's Saloon(401 2nd St.), where a gutter beneath the bar once provided a convenient place for drunken sailors to relieve themselves without giving up their stools. But there's also a jukebox,tons of attitude, cheap drinks, and an eclectic but inviting crowd. // The Jack London Square area is blossoming into its own little ale trail, now officially dubbed the Jack London Brewing District, with a number of breweries and within striking distance. BYO food and dog to the tasting room at Federation Brewing(420 3rd St.), where you can sample quality brews like their Behind You! Blonde Ale, seasonal After Hours chocolate stout, Low Boy oatmeal stout, and In the Weeds pale ale. // Beer Revolution(464 3rd St.) has one of the East Bay's best selection of beers—from IPAs to stouts—on draft, but we love it for the gluten-free options, such as Mission Trail's Gold Mine, a cider made from nectarines, and Tag and Jug's Deep Water dry cider co-fermented with zinfandel. This dog-friendly watering hall is also BYO eats. // A visit to Independent Brewing Company(444 Harrison St.) feels a bit like hanging out in your friend's living room, if your friend also brewed delicious beer, held daytime vinyl dance parties, and let your kids and dogs inside. // From the brewery formerly known as Linden Street sprang Oakland United Beer Works, which is planning on a two-tiered Jack London hybrid brewery and taproom space to open to the public soon. // Original Pattern Brewing Company(292 Fourth St.) melds a vintage-inspired aesthetic with old world–style beers for a refreshingly original (cue symbol crash) take on your typical taproom-brewery experience. Pop culture junkies will love beer names like "Are You Not Entertained?" and "You Down with OPB?" // Brand spanking new Tiger's Taproom(308 Jackson St. Ste. 4) brings the community together over a love of beer, with not just drafts of craft brew, but also frequent events ranging from food truck visits, to an information session on malts, to trivia night.

*If beer and shots aren't your thing, take a walking/tasting tour of Jack London Square's many wonderful urban wineries and tasting rooms.

Click through for activities, art galleries, and historic sites in Jack London Square.

Fun Stuff to Do in Jack London Square

Jack London Square literally has something for everyone.

Sporting types can go stand-up paddle boarding or kayaking in the estuary with rentals from California Canoe & Kayak(409 Water St.), or set sail with Captain Kirk's San Francisco Sailing, which offers charters from Jack London Square (as well as Pier 40 and Sausalito). // Choose between bocce ball, 18 bowling lanes, or enough arcade games to delight any kid at heart at Plank (98 Broadway), and pair them with a decidedly adult spiked lemonade or riff on a Moscow mule. // Studios Eleven(560 2nd St.) is home to, you guessed it, 11 artist spaces and regularly opens its doors for Open Studios and Art Murmur events. // On the first and third Sundays of every month, check out The Buck(11am to 4pm) to browse through a whirlwind of vendors selling everything from jewelry to unique clothing. And even better - The Buck runs concurrently with the Farmer's Market (10am to 3pm at Webster St. and Embarcadero West), where you can shop for fresh local produce and baked goods every Sunday. If you can't make it on a Sunday, Second Saturday(11am to 5pm) brings together nearly 60 vendors, local entrepreneurs, and business owners for a block party complete with shopping, live music, and food. // Take a ride around the bay on the U.S.S. Potomac(540 Water St.), aka FDR's "Floating White House." You can also take a tour while it's berthed. // Peek inside Jack London's log cabin, which was relocated here from Alaska. // For a hardcore metal show, head to the Oakland Metro Operahouse(522 2nd St.), which also hosts the underground spectacle that is the wildly popular monthly Hoodslam, where underground wrestlers battle in a makeshift ring for Spandex-clad glory. // If shopping is more your speed, find the perfect gift—local art, fashion, candles, cutting boards and more—at Oakland Supply(427 Water St.). // Score a killer antique at Something to Sell About(380 4th St), a hidden gem for estate shopping. // Narrative(560 2nd St.) stocks vintage treasures, from midcentury furniture to artsy decor. // And, stick with us here, it may be one of the best places to try your hand at the motorized scooters slowly invading the Bay Area, with an abundance of the suckers available and plenty of car-free space to get your bearings (and only semi-judgmental glares from pedestrians).