The Bay Area Restaurants We Loved in June

To the old neighborhood hangout that still feels like home…

Years ago, I used to live two blocks from Rich Table. It was my neighborhood hangout until I moved out of the city, and it’d been way too long since I’d dined there. But as soon as I walked in, it felt like home. The dining room was vibrant and buzzing, the smells coming from the kitchen were making us salivate, and we already knew we were ordering the infamous porcini doughnuts with raclette (you may need a second order). Always order at least one pasta dish — we settled on a linguine with spring peas and Calabrian chile that was, quite literally, spring in pasta form. I’ve never had a dessert I didn’t love here, and the streak continues: buttermilk cake with roasted strawberries and vanilla cream. What a subtle way to end the meal.

Pro tip: If you can’t score a reservation, get there at 5 p.m. when they open and try to snag a seat at the bar (I prefer the two seats closest to the kitchen, so that you get to see all the live cooking). Otherwise, set a Notify; that’s how we landed our reservation.

— Daniel Stephan, Implementation Specialist

Still thinking about a feast…

… we had at Daytrip, featuring fresh focaccia with basil oil and orange vinegar; celery salad with lemon verbena, habanero, and sheep cheese (cel sal forever); cucumbers with shatta and labneh balls (bonus: $3 of every dish sold goes to the PCRF); miso butter pasta; parsnip gnocchi; and a bottle of delicious chilled red wine.

Biggest piece advice is to never, ever skip the celery salad. Even if you think you don’t like celery. She’s imperative to the experience.

— Randi Wenig, Restaurant Success Manager, Bay Area

Celebrated Mother’s Day at…

… Penny Roma, which was packed, with servers circling tables with glasses of wine and platters in the bright atrium. We ordered the ramp arancini to start, a couple of pastas to share (get the cacio e pepe, always), and the grilled hangar steak. Dessert was a slice of their olive oil cake with whipped cream and strawberries — a perfectly sweet last bite.

— Kimia Azimi, Implementation Manager

Perhaps the idyll of an all-day restaurant…

Mattina is the kind of place where you’ll want to live out your dreams of being a regular somewhere. You’ll get used to seeing chef-owner Matthew Accarrino walking around the corner from his flagship SPQR. You’ll get lots of handmade pasta; maybe you’ll even be able to make your way through all of them before the seasons shuffle out new iterations. You’ll get some grilled things. You’ll get pristine ingredients. You’ll have a good time.

— Paolo Lucchesi, Editorial Director

Always obsessed with…

… the She Wolf pizza at Rose Pizzeria in Berkeley. It has roasted garlic, sun-kissed tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives, and burrata — what’s not to love about a burrata pizza? We always insist on ordering that and the spicy Caesar. And definitely get the chocolate budino for dessert.

— Randi Wenig, Restaurant Success Manager, Bay Area

The sidewalk was buzzing…

… in front of Picco and Pizzeria Picco, packed with diners waiting to get their dishes or to-go orders from the side door. We started with their classic little gem salad and pizza margherita, though the “Son of Yeti” pie with hen-of-the-woods mushroom is a close second favorite.

Pro tip: If you dine at the pizzeria, you can still order the risotto of the night from the restaurant, which is cranked out every hour — the set changes frequently, but we loved this summery version with Brentwood sweet corn, shishito peppers, and Calabrian chile butter. Save room for their soft serve with a long list of toppings.

— Kimia Azimi, Implementation Manager