Restaurants in Albany

“Friends here visiting and found this gem of a place! Best thing is we didn’t have to go far! Food was delicious!”

“What a delicious and delightful and beautiful treasure. The food is absolutely tantalizing. I mean everything is oh so good. I can’t wait to eat here again. Definitely gonna take home some loaded lamb fries. The platters…the sparkling lemonade…the lentil soup…I could go on and on. Just a pleasant surprise. Mmm mm m.”

“great spot! come and taste the flavors of Taste Ethiopia”

“Sushi bar runs by Chinese? Why not?
The origin of sushi has to trace the sushi’s roots back to China—and even further, to Southeast Asia. The earliest form of sushi, called narezushi, was a method of preserving fish by fermenting it with rice. This technique likely developed in the Mekong and Irrawaddy River basins and was adopted by the Baiyue people of southern China. The Han Chinese documented it as early as the 4th century BCE.
So yes, Chi ese gave sushi the practice beginning.

Twice we dined here, savoring sushi not from a Japanese bar, but from a Chinese family’s hands—gentle, precise, and quietly proud. The flavors whispered of history: from riverbanks in southern China to the bustling streets of Edo. Sushi, reborn and reimagined.”

“I order the pumpkin curry. It was delicious. I also ordered the Tom Ka chicken soup. It was too tart, the chicken over cooked. A disappointment for a soup I usually love”

“Great spot and deliscious food! Really enjoyed a perfectly balanced veggie salmon bagel. Thinly sliced salmon, capers, lovely layer of cream cheese and fixings. Warm and welcoming, part of the community! 🥙🫶”

“Good food, I always like to eat over here because food are soo good and tasty, momo is best and chowmein too”

“This place is truly such a gem. Such cozy foods that will nourish you from the inside out. Feels home cooked with love. My only wish for them is to use olive oil and avocado oils only! Seed oils like canola oil and sunflower oil are highly inflammatory and hard on the digestive system. Once in awhile I don’t mind, but I would definitely eat here more often if they used good oils exclusively as I know my body could tolerate it much better! All in all, grateful for an organic vegan spot to have locally!”

“Atmosphere, customer service, prices and the freaking food is amazing 😍. Highest rated casual dining from Hayward to Vallejo! For good reason! This is a must if in the area. We will be back!”

“todo delicioso 😋 y fresco y muy limpio”

“Beyond thrilled that this location has opened in Albany! Fish quality is great, house made soy sauce is delicious, and everyone who works here is warm, friendly and helpful. Note that rolls are intentionally spaced ~5 minutes apart to make sure you have time to enjoy and appreciate each one! If all of them were brought at the same time, your seaweed would be soggy/chewy so time your dining and plan accordingly. Drinks are wonderful! The lunch set is a great value at $20/$27 depending on your selections. Easily one of the best restaurants in Albany! 🍣🍣🍣”

“This is the best Thai restaurant I’ve been to in the East Bay. So I and my friends keep coming back. The dishes are really well done, and the portions are quite good too. While, it can get a little noisy when it’s full, most of the time it’s OK. I particularly love the corn cheese fritters, the jumbo garlic, shrimp, the exquisite, coconut soup, and the ginger dish. The wait staff have been universally considerate and excellent.”

“Best saag I’ve ever had! Wonderful salmon tandoori. Amazing chai 👏🏻!”

“Try the newest special the Cajun Tropical Wet Burrito! It’s so yummy and amazing! 😋I highly recommend this restaurant. Also, great customer service and quick service. Great quality with great prices! 😉”

“The best pork bun in the Bay Area, no joke, great value!”

“Absolutely the best French pasteries I’ve had on this continent!”

“Our first visit but absolutely not our last! What delicious flavors! Everyone loved their desserts, the toppings are incredible (vegan hot fudge, vegan caramel, toasted almonds,) and we all left full and happy! Definitely stop in when you’re in the neighborhood!”

“Best espresso of any of the highwire locations I have been too. It is a darker roast than I like, but they have a great recipe so it doesn't get sour or bitter. My only complaint, not enough seats, then again it is in a plant store, not a standalone shop, which leads to some amusing scenarios with entitled people like the scene I saw. So don't wonder far from the stand even if there is a line.

An upper middle class woman took a drink, sipped from it AND THEN ASKED "is this the oat latte for Sarah?" They called out the name of the drink and the person who it was for, CAPPUCCINO FOR JOYCE. Who takes a sip from a drink and then ask if it is yours. They did not apologize, making excuses, and saying oops is not an apology. This after having taken a sip from it. I would have charged her for it if I worked in that stand.
But the baristas there are super nice and friendly, even answering my questions about their espresso ratio etc. would”

“Low key, relaxed vibe, cool tunes, best drinks. And a stellar taco truck in the parking lot. Very friendly staff. 5 stars all day, every day.”

“Berkeley students need to come here !!! so many options and so affordable. I’ll be bringing friends here 🔥🔥🔥

Wheelchair accessibility: Close to bus stop”

“This is a nice family-owned shop. The pizza was made with fresh, flavorful ingredients, and the dough was crispy and perfectly golden. If you have any special requests with your pizza, they will be happy to accommodate you. They are super friendly if you want a good chat. I'm already looking forward to my next visit. Recommended.”

“Excellent vibes, great local ice cold beers to enjoy while you wait on your pizza order. You can even watch live music or soccer at the bar. Great social atmosphere.”

“I went to Kim’s Cafe and Sandwiches for the first time yesterday and had their Turmeric Noodle Soup. It was one of the best soups I’ve ever had, and I can’t wait to go back. Customer service was great and there were many open tables available. Thank you!”

“1111 Solano is a new location for this restaurant. Previously near Craneway and before the pandemic in Point Richmond. Same chef, same staff, and same excellent food and service.”

“The employee we spoke with to decide what to order was very helpful and knew her stuff when it came to the available drinks. It was a lovely and quiet atmosphere which I wish was more widespread”

“China Village is a must-try!
If you’re craving real Chinese food, this place has it all. Their Spicy Boiled Fish blew my mind — spicy, flavorful, and addictive. The Sesame Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork were both crispy and packed with flavor.

I’m also obsessed with their shrimp dumplings and handmade noodles — fresh, tasty, and super satisfying.

And guess what? They have dim sum all day! That’s a game-changer.
Super clean, super tasty, and super friendly staff. Go check it out!”

“Delicious food! Great Bar and desserts! Super friendly staff and owners.”

“Un rendez-vous avec la bonne gastronomie le service rapide et l’endroit agréable merci 🙏”

“I definitely recommend wojia! I have come here multiple times, both with two other people. I believe it is authentic cuisine, and all the staff are fluent in Mandarin. 90% of the food is spicy, however depending on the dish you can ask the waiter to remove the spiciness. If you have spice intolerance, I don't recommend going here, but if you do, I hope you have a great time!”

“I only had 1 dish and it was good. Needed a bit more flavor. No one complained about anything.
Hot food served hot and cold food served cold. Service was pretty good.”

“I have been here about 3 times now. The bar tenders are friendly, and the general vibe is welcoming. Every time I have gone, I have enjoyed the music choices. There are 2 floors with a bar on each floor and a very nice patio. They have pool tables on both levels as well. My favorite part of the venue is the big stone fireplace. It's a cool feature.”

“One of our few enduring live music venues. Wonderful owners, great expanse of talent from all genres. Always good beer on tap, friendly bartenders, and they are helping the East Bay keeping live music alive.”

“Eunice Gourmet Café is a hidden gem! The coffee was amazing. I tried The Ash sandwich and was completely blown away fresh ingredients, perfect flavors, and honestly one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. I’m more than willing to drive the extra distance just to have it again!

The owner was incredibly friendly and welcoming, which made the experience even better. If you’re looking for amazing food and a warm, inviting atmosphere, don’t miss out on Eunice Gourmet Café. Highly recommend!!”

“Hal’s is IMO the best cafe in Albany - all the baristas not only serve beautiful, delicious oat cappuccinos but they also create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes u want to stick around. If you’re lucky they’ll be brewing a fresh batch of chai and your nose will wonder if you’ve died and gone to heaven.”

“The food is amazing! We had a great experience”

“Solid wonderful restaurant with friendly staff and delicious traditional American fare. Great location, unpretentious atmosphere, and covered outdoor seating. Never disappoints!”

“Delicious food and awesome service 😊”

“We were in the area, nice 👍 to be able to enjoy our yogurt plus close to coffee shop as well & lots of benches to relax👋🤙👋”

“They have food for land and sea food lovers alike. The smoked white fish paired amazingly with the pickled onions and pickles. The ham pannini was bomb. Will come back again.”

“this soft serve truck is so cute and serves the best soft serve by far, with housemade chocolate sauce that hardens to a nice crunch on the ice cream. the addition of salt on it makes the perfect balance. the red truck has such a personality and the folks who work it are always so fun to chat with. and it's local! they even have a teeny tiny cone for kids and the seal is hand painted :) the line can get long, but I promise it's worth it!”

“I love this pizza spot. Food, cocktails and atmosphere are all great.

The crust on their pizza really sets them apart. It is a corn meal crust and gives a great crunch.

I recommend coming here for date night or as a casual catch-up with friends. They also have a wonderful lunch and happy hour menu.”

“The best beer ever and the best staff ever and super cute and I just love this place so much and everyone should go here right now.”

“Lots of options, all the things I’ve tried across multiple visits have been delicious! The sides are amazing, free refills. The staff are very friendly and attentive. My go to is the foot bibimbap. Love the tofu soup as well.”

“Everything I've brought home from Picnic was made with obvious exquisite quality and care! Their condiments are a boon to our meals, great rotisserie chickens, sandwiches, sides, everything! I get excited when my travels take me nearby and I've got time to go in!”

“Small chill spot tons of choices

Parking: The parking lot is tiny and surrounding area isn't really a place you want to leave your car unattended”

“So delicious and fresh! Great for Vegans and meat eaters. The food comes out pretty quickly and the staff are really nice and helpful.
LOVE the soft-serve! Would stop in just for that.”

“Went to dinner with a few of my lady friends after seeing a show in the city, this was the perfect ending to a phenomenal day. I had the crab cakes and they were delish, a couple of people in my group had the fried chicken/fried catfish combo and that looks delicious as well. I highly recommend Lizzy’s Cajun Cafe.”

“My new favorite coffee shop I go there almost every single day to get my iced coffee. Everyone is very nice and I enjoy getting my coffee here. Prices are great toooo!”

“Absolutely amazing experience! 🍣 I had my first uni (sea urchin) and hirame sushi here, and it was honestly life-changing. Huge thanks to Ren, our server , he recommended both, and they turned out to be the best sushi I’ve ever had.

Ren was super detailed, kind, and really knows his stuff. He made the whole experience so much better with his recommendations and explanations. The food was absolutely stellar, top-notch quality, and incredibly fresh.

I honestly can’t thank Ren enough. I’m definitely coming back on a regular basis , this is officially my #1 go-to sushi spot in the entire Bay Area for weekends. Highly, highly recommend!”

“Food is delicious! My server was welcoming and the food was served hot and neatly. I was offered GF and vegetarian options that were delicious! Definitely recommended.”

“Wow a Wine- Bar with 1920’s ambience!

A truly amazing discovery of the hidden jewel of boring Solano..

I got their special wine, not from the menu, and it was mind blowing.
They have live music and entertainment on weekends!
Local regulars are amazingly friendly folks, and don’t forget to ask what is chef special on Thursdays. We will be back !”

“New York style pizza. The other non-Dominos places on Solano are Chicago style. Nice folks. I like to sit in front of the window and watch people walk on Solano.”

“Loved it. Coming back with friends.

This is slow food at it's best. Don't come if you are in hurry, or hangey.

But worth the wait if you love seafood and plan a leasurly meal.

We went Friday night after 7. There were only 7 table, some pushed together to accomodate bigger parties. Was greeted and told when large party left, 7 people party plus our party of 2 would be seated at those table. When seated, we got menus, water, and then waited to order. We had already observed this timeline while waiting, and saw those seated earlier oprdering, and just receiving food. So it was as expected.

Food was excellent! Salad so crspy fresh, calamaries crispy, tender, not heavy batter or rubbery. Sauces and dressing creamy and fresh tssting.

Fish same crispy light coating. Lots of fries, neither tried. Next time may ask if can uptier with garlic fries. My shrip boil was more like prawns, 1 lb 19.95, headless plus $1. A bargain, garlic butter mild. I like that you can pick how spicy, and various flavoring.

We were too full to try dessert.
Will try some variety next time with a bigger crowd.”

“23 years a customer, only great meals! Looking forward to stopping by on my next visit to the area.”

“Great food and quick service! A must try place if you’re in the area!”

“Walk down San Pablo without smelling the burgers and going inside to order early lunch challenge level: impossible. My favorite diner style burger in the East Bay. If you're in the area and about to grab some fast food, do your taste buds a favor and pop in here to support a fantastic family owned restaurant instead! The price is the same but the quality will be a world apart.”

“Drunken noodles were amazing. Curry chicken was ok. Fried rice was ok. Slightly pricey (almost $3 for a small bowl of white rice). Soup was not very good.

They have a limited and pricey alcohol menu, but the servers know almost nothing about drinks.

If you find the right dish, and aren't looking for drinks, it is an ok place to eat. Servers are friendly.”

“Always delicious Indian food! My family and I always come here when we are in the neighborhood. Maude and Rosemarie are very gracious hosts. I highly recommend this restaurant seven days a week. :)”

“AMAZING HOSPITALITY! I was experiencing an emergency, and the baristas helped me charge my phone and gave me a glass of water while I waited in the cafe. They turned this terrible morning into a positive memory. 🩷 GOD BLESS!”

“It’s the best Restaurant in town came with Family and we had a great time! Food was great and drinks 🍹 we all loved the dessert as well! Just amazing service and food! My Favorite for sure! 2914 College Ave Berkeley Ca”

“This is the only coffee shop in Albany that’s open before 8am. For that reason, I really appreciate them and will come back. Don’t expect a craft latte here , however. The milk is over frothed, temperature brought up too high, and there’s simply too many choices on the menu for anything to be perfected here. However, for a quick coffee before an early morning job this place hits the spot. The service was friendly and they opened right on time. A great little neighborhood coffee spot.”

“The espresso was good and the pastry was decent for late morning arrival.
The coffee shop is small and all tables full. I did not have to wait to order but noticed the person behind me did wait to order during the prep of my coffee. I grabbed a stool at the window as I waited for my order and was pretty disappointed when my seat was taken by someone else when I went to get my coffee. Fortunately, there was a free stool. I did notice that this person who took my initial seat never ordered during my 5-10 minute visit just using free WiFi.”

“Scones are freshly baked, delicious, yams and eggs, my favorite, it’s healthy and yummy, hot mocha/chocolate taste great, not an ordinary….. love it 😍”