Now on Resy: Sisterita, Small Change Oyster, and More Local Favorites

We think brunch should always look like custardy French toast topped with fresh berries, eggs Benedict with green curry Hollandaise, and bubbly French onion soup served with grilled cheese. Thankfully, Sisteria has you covered, alongside excellent passionfruit mimosas, and other non-alcoholic drinks to keep the day low-key.

Yes, there are a lot of oysters at this trendy Temescal seafood stop. But once you get past those fresh bivalves from Northern California and the Pacific Northwest (chilled or broiled), consider everything else: golden fish and chips, shrimp or crab Louie salad, excellent chowder, and low-intervention wines for sipping. Sitting at the raw bar is lovely, while the outside patio is a party.

Everything is bigger at this Brazilian steakhouse: The room is expansive and great for groups; the skewers brimming with grilled steaks, chicken, links, and seafood only stop coming when you tell them to; and the salad bar is piled high with way more than just salads. What more could you need?

Lively and convivial, Arcana is your new third space — a great place for an intimate night with a friend or to turn things up with a DJ-fueled event on the weekend (also, it’s a plant store!). The restaurant offers seasonal and vegetable-forward dishes like crispy potatoes with harissa aioli and kale-squash salad, plus charcuterie and flatbreads that are built to share and pair with wine.

Thomas Keller creates some of the country’s most sophisticated cuisine at The French Laundry just up the street, but he’s an ace with more casual fare, too, as is shown nightly with Ad Hoc’s ever-changing fixed-price menu. Get ready for dishes like Caesar salad and grilled flank steak, but if the famous buttermilk fried chicken is available, don’t miss it. 

Richmond locals have long been fans of this neighborhood staple, especially for its reliable burger, Old Bay chips and dip, and the “Big Ass chocolate chip cookie.” But it’s hard to pass up things like salmon tiradito, zippy ceviche, and a Latin-inspired cioppino.

Chef Gary Danko’s fine dining stalwart still impresses with its tasting menus, massive cheese cart, wine list, and suited servers. Signatures like glazed oysters and Osetra caviar, creamy lobster risotto, and lemon-pepper duck breast are never out of style.

This downtown Livermore spot has a laid-back vibe, with something for everyone — whether you’re looking for a casual drink or a full meal with friends.

This is the place to go to when you want youtiao — long, golden, deep-fried Taiwanese doughnuts — and spiked boba cocktails for brunch, or sesame peanut noodles or a smash burger at night.

The room is charming, and the service is friendly and accommodating — everything you’d want in a go-to Thai spot. The menu brings a coastal vibe, with dishes like fried calamari with tom yum aioli, jumbo prawns in red curry, and lobster tail smothered in yellow curry, alongside more familiar dishes like crab fried rice and noodles. 

Magic and fantasy are the themes at this grown-up wonderland beneath a towering dragon statue. Bewitching murals, Harry Potter references (you will see a Quidditch broom), and an eerie, light-streaked floor help set the scene for a menu of conjured-up libations (yes, there is Butterbeer) and a menu full of dishes like deviled dragon eggs and an enchanted burger.

The narrow, minimalist space belies the bright, aromatic, and flavor-packed dishes that come out of this kitchen. This is Thai food with a Michelin nod, after all, where the menu ranges from sweet scallops with shredded lemongrass and chili jam to beef cheek curry, spicy papaya salad with fried quail, and inky squid stir-fry. A glass or two of skin-contact wine, some mango sorbet and sticky rice, and you’re set.

Much like Kaiyo Cow Hollow and the rooftop restaurant just an elevator ride away, Nikkei cuisine is alive and well at this iteration on the hotel’s ground floor. Peruvian and Japanese flavors and ingredients abound, from individual oysters bathing in leche de tigre to super shareable plates of lomo saltado. The drink menu differs from the rooftop, so consider one here, one there, and call it a night.