It’s All About Grits

The Star

➤ 3425 Grand AvenueCA 94610, Oakland, United States

Pizza • Italian • Pizzeria • Bar-Lounge

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"The food here is consistently good and we order much of it to take home. We had cauliflower, a mixed salad, wings, garlic bread and two pizzas. I always give it a 4, but remember that it's a pizza place; it's not the same as a 4 at a Michelin restaurant. Service is almost always superb."

Burma Superstar

➤ 4721 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, 94609, United States Of America

Tea • Soup • Salads • Seafood

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"It 's hard for me to decide for sure how I felt about Burma Superstar. We went on suggestion from a few friends, some of which are vegan and some not. Be warned you 'll have to wait a long time to sit, and there isn 't really a good area to wait unless it 's nice outside. The seating situation isn 't great if, like us, you 're stuck right next to the bar in front of the area where the servers are walking the whole time--like trying to eat in the middle of a crowded sidewalk or something. We made sure to tell the server we were vegan, and didn 't explain in as full detail as normal since he jumped in and said he understood perfectly. The Peashoots were really really good... honestly I still think about them fondly and this was two months ago. Oh, and the coconut rice is also really yummy. But I 'm 99% positive our spicy tofu dish had fish sauce or something similar. It smelled like fish and had that too-slick feeling in my mouth. We asked the server and he said there was no fish sauce, but his expression read more along the lines of tell them what will involve the least fixing on my part. We ate some of it, but seriously... when I opened the leftovers the smell of fish just wafted out. My suggestion would be go for the peashoots, and be extremely precise with your server. And don 't take no for an answer if your food tastes fishy."

Pho Huong Que

➤ 200 International Blvd, Oakland, California, USA, 94606, United States

Tea • Soup • Asian • Seafood

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"The grilled chicken is my go to here. It has a slightly sweet smoky taste that is fairly addicting. I think in general they do meat well. They also give a decent portion for a decent price. Chicken vermicelli bowl : really good Chicken over rice: also very good. The rice reminds me of couscous Pork chop over rice: tasty Imperial rolls: this was a miss for us. The filling was too mushy and bland Chicken pho: wasn't a fan, but I'm very particular about my pho broth. I don't like it when its sweet. I think for most people tho this would taste fine. They have a tiny parking lot and its within walking distance from lake merritt. Its a local neighborhood place that I wouldn't go out of my way for, but if you're around the lake, would suggest giving it a try. I've only ordered takeout from here, but will say that they don't always answer their phone especially on Sundays when they are very busy. Hasn't stopped me from coming here."

Monkey King At The Brewery

➤ 1708 Park St, Alameda I-94501-1997, United States

Cafés • Lunch • Casual • Brewery

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"I rely on high octane to get my motor started. Getting consistently good brew can be a tricky business. The Beanery's espresso roast made it into the finals at this year's national coffee convention in Portland. Next time you're on Park St, stop by the Beanery order their 12 ounce, double wet cappuccino...it's the best on the island!"

Burma Bites

➤ 4911 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, United States Of America, 94609

Asian • Burmese • Opens daily • Asian Food

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"Came in hearing that Burma Superstar was super popular in the area so wanted to try it myself. I got the Superstar fries because it was the cheapest thing on the menu and the description sounded pretty delicious, describing it as a spicy, savoury, umamibomb with a condiment called balachaung. Once I started eating though, it tasted horrendous. I tossed most of it. I laterlearned after looking online that balachaung is made with shrimp, and I do not eat seafood. It would have been greatly helpfulif the description explained what balachaung was, especially for people with allergies."