Originally published on alameduh.com.
From March 20-29, we enjoyed our first-ever Alameda Restaurant Week (ARW). This year, the event turns 9, making us very late to the party. (Fashionably, of course.)
Inspired by the current state of soccer fever, this year’s Restaurant Week put a new twist on the occasion, gamifying it with an ARW Championship Bracket. For 10 days, foodies flocked to special prix-fixe menus, off-menu drinks, and exclusive dishes from 60+ participating restaurants, bars, breweries, and bakeries. Players ranked the businesses they patronized for entries into the Grand Giveaway, with prizes totaling more than $1,000.
We were more about the food. Mega thanks to Calafia Taqueria, Hobnob, Marianne’s Pavlovas, Pizzeria Pappo, Shaka Shack, and Treats by Mrs. T for so kindly offering us seats at their tables and boxes of their delicacies. Here are our mini reviews of each.
Calafia Taquería
1445 Webster Street, (510) 522-2996
calafiataqueria.com
Came for the free fish taco, stayed for a meal. The taco steal was enough to pull us in, and since we never got a taco at our own launch party, catered by Calafia, we simply had to try the taco bar. The fresh food, cold beer, laid-back back patio, and social atmosphere on a hot Taco Tuesday delivered. Bonus win: it’s next door to Webster Park that features local art.
Hobnob
1313 Park Street, (510) 769-1011
hobnobalameda.com
By far our fanciest meal of the week. From a thoughtfully curated three-course pre-fixe menu,
we chose the Falafel Salad, Quinoa “Fried Rice,” and Citrus Tiramisu. The vegan and nonalcoholic options impressed us right away, and one of them ended up being the favorite of the meal: the Falafel Salad, with its crispy, tostone-like falafel patties. Will absolutely be back for hangs and Friday night karaoke.
Marianne’s Pavlovas
1821 Elm Street, (510) 629-1123
mariannespavlovas.com
Little cups of clouds. An at-home bakery perfecting a family recipe, Marianne’s Pavlovas
offered a sampler box of three of their most popular flavors (strawberry, kiwi-topped, and
s’mores). We’re suckers for meringue, so it was no surprise we loved them. What was surprising was my clear favorite: kiwi-topped, which gave the treat a light key lime-like twist.
Pizzeria Pappo
709 Santa Clara Avenue, (510) 473-0613
pizzeriapappo.com
Chef John got creative with this one. In honor of their first ARW, Pizzeria Pappo offered an exclusive off-menu pie topped with rosemary-ricotta cream, asparagus, green garlic, spring onions, and Meyer lemon on their house-made dough. And wow…it surprised us in the best way. It tasted incredibly fresh, with each ingredient shining on its own and somehow even more together. Fingers crossed it makes a comeback.
Shaka Shack
2300 Blanding Avenue, (510) 305-8754
shaka-shack.square.site
When someone leaving a restaurant shouts, “Hey man, this food is amazing. Thank you!” you know it’s going to be good. And Shaka delivered. Their ARW special, Lau Lau Loco Moco, was already sold out by noon, but the Taro French Toast and Ube Pistachio Latte were rich and delicious. The real standout? The regular-menu Shaved Ice with Ice Cream—bigger than our heads and gone in minutes.
Treats by Mrs. T
2400 Monarch Street, (510) 396-2267
treatsbymrst.com
We love us some Treats by Mrs. T. They were our launch party sweets vendor, but of course, and sold out by the time we stopped by—so we’ve been tracking them down ever since. ARW gave us the perfect excuse to reach out and try both the Brown Butter Peach Cobbler special and their famed and FOMO-worthy Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll. The word that came to mind for the latter: “sinful.” Next time, we’ll bring a friend to share.
Our biggest takeaway from Alameda Restaurant Week is that we live in a secret foodie treasure trove with endless places to try—and we fully intend to try it all.
Follow @alameduhzine on Instagram to see more ARW pics and to keep up with their
Alameda antics. Visit alameduh.com and subscribe to their Substack for exclusive content.
