For decades, the corner of Russell Street and Claremont Avenue in south Berkeley was known more for its constant four-way traffic than the intersection’s oddly positioned outdoor restaurant. Drivers coming off Highway 13 bound for Rockridge or taking side streets to UC Berkeley would never think to stop at the weird and often empty stand in the shadow of the Claremont Resort & Club.
Now, however, everyone’s paying attention. And that includes celebrities like Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele, who ate there in early February, according to an Instagram post from the restaurant, which is a reimagined version of the long-standing burger joint known as the Station. Eight months ago, veteran East Bay restaurateurs Donna Insalaco and Charlie Hallowell of Oakland’s Pizzaiolo breathed life into the historic site — a former gas station dating back to the 1930s.
Unlike the former Station and the other restaurants that have graced this bizarre island over the years, the food at the Station is very good, if not great, and the prices are reasonable — everything is under $14. The vibes are lovely, too. The new owners expanded the garden, added a fresh coat of paint, good music, a fire pit and a lot of seating. They need it: On warm days and weekends, the line to order food often reaches the sidewalk.
“It’s been exciting (and humbling) to see how the neighborhood has embraced The Station so quickly,” Insalaco told me via email when I reached out in January. In a phone interview, she and Hallowell said they had been eyeing the location for years to bring back their pandemic pop-up Back Alley Burgers…