The Best Food & Drink Services in Alameda (Reader’s Choice 2025)
If there’s one thing Alameda does exceptionally well, it’s eating and drinking. From cozy coffeehouses and classic bakeries to inventive restaurants, lively bars, and destination-worthy breweries, the island’s food scene reflects its personality—creative, community-driven, and deeply local. Each year, readers of Alameda Magazine weigh in on their favorite spots, shining a spotlight on the businesses that make everyday meals and special nights out truly memorable.
Here are the Best of Alameda 2025 Food & Drink winners and top contenders, as chosen by the community.
Best Bagel Shop
Winner: Levy’s Bagels & Co.
- Alameda Bagels and Donuts
- Bagel Street Cafe
- Beanery of Alameda
- House of Bagels
- Levy’s Bagels & Co.
Best Bakery
Winner: Crispian Bakery
- Crispian Bakery
- Feel Good Bakery
- Firebrand Artisan Breads
- Night Heron Bread
- Whisk Cake Creations
Best Barbecue
Winner: Fikscue Craft BBQ
- Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que
- Fikscue Craft BBQ
- Ohgane BBQ
- Smokin Woods BBQ
- Spinning Bones
Best Bar & Best Cocktails
Winner: Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge
- Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge
- Lucky 13
- Saltbreaker
- The Fireside Lounge
- Town Tavern
Best Breakfast & Brunch
Winner: Cafe Jolie
- Cafe Jolie
- Jim’s On the Course
- Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden
- Ole’s Waffle Shop
- Southshore Cafe
Best Burgers
Winner: Scolaris
- Director’s Cut (Project Burger)
- Saltbreaker
- Scolaris
- Spinning Bones
- The Bureau 510
Best Butcher Shop
Winner: Encinal Market
- Baron’s Quality Meats & Seafood
- Encinal Market
- Island Market Meat Department
- Taylor’s Sausage
Best Caterer
Winner: C’era Una Volta
- Asena
- C’era Una Volta
- Cafe Jolie
- Cholita Linda
- The Park Street Tavern
Best Central & South American Restaurant
Winner: Cholita Linda
- Calafia Taqueria
- Cholita Linda
- Island Taqueria
- La Penca Azul
- Taqueria Mi Burrito
Best Cheese Shop
Winner: Farmstead Cheeses & Wines
- Chestnut Encinal Market
- Farmstead Cheeses & Wines
- Graze + Gather
- Market Hall Foods
- Trader Joe’s
Best Chef
Winner: Giuseppe Naccarelli – Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails
- Giuseppe Naccarelli – Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails
- John Thiel – Pizzeria Pappo
- Justin Davis – Saltbreaker
- Mustafa Yildirim – Asena
- Rudy Duran – C’era Una Volta
Best Coffeehouse
Winner: Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden
- Beanery of Alameda
- Blue Dot Cafe & Coffee Bar
- Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden
- Lazybird Coffee
- Wescafe
Best Desserts & Ice Cream
Winner: Tucker’s Ice Cream
- Baskin-Robbins
- Cookie Bar and Scoop
- Fentons Creamery
- Loard’s Ice Cream
- Tucker’s Ice Cream
Best Italian Restaurant
Winner: Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails
- C’era Una Volta
- East End
- Pizzeria Pappo
- Tomatina
- Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails
Best Pizza
Winner: Pappo Pizzeria
- East End Pizza
- Marley G’s Pizzeria
- Pappo Pizzeria
- The Star on Park
Best Restaurants (Overall)
Winner: Saltbreaker
- Asena Restaurant
- Burma Superstar
- Saltbreaker
- The Park Street Tavern
- Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails
Best Places to Drink Beer
Winner: Almanac Beer Co.
- Alameda Island Brewing Company
- Almanac Beer Co.
- Faction Brewing
- Lucky 13
- The Rake at Admiral Maltings
Best Wine Bars & Wine Stores
Wine Bar Winner: Saltbreaker
Wine Store Winner: CRAFT Beer & Wine
- Dashe Cellars
- Park Street Tavern
- Saltbreaker
- Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails
- Urban Legend Cellars
About the Best of Alameda Food & Drink
Alameda Magazine’s Best of Alameda was created to give readers throughout Alameda and the East Bay a voice in celebrating their personal “family favorite” Food & Drink spots and everyday local businesses. Over the years, the program has grown and evolved with the help of passionate community input…