Berkeley Visitor's Guide

I think any visit to the Bay Area warrants at least a day to visit my alma mater, UC Berkeley and the surrounding area. Berkeley is a college town, but it's also an urban center and a foodie heaven. The school and the city also have a history and culture that I think is unmatched by any other school in America! I know I am biased, probably because I had a great experience there and even get all teary eyed when I see those UC Berkeley commercials during football games.

Getting there / around

  • From San Francisco, Berkeley is an easy 20 minute BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) ride away (Take a train to Downtown Berkeley station, shown as just Berkeley station inside the station)
  • If you're driving there, I'd recommend parking in a lot a few blocks away from campus and walk around the rest of the time. You can get your ticket validated if you park in certain lots and buy food in the same structure. Street parking is also an option on Sundays since you don't have to keep feeding the meter, but not recommended on other days (they are SUPER strict about giving parking tickets)
  • All the ride sharing apps (Lyft/Uber/Sidecar) also run out in Berkeley now, so calling one of those is always an option! I think w/o primetime/surcharges it's around $30-40 to get to/from Berkeley from SF
  • Wear comfortable shoes! Berkeley is full of hills and the campus isn't flat -- students don't get to strut around in heels like they do in a lot of Southern California campuses =P
 

Things to See on Campus

The Free Speech Movement had many protests on Sproul Plaza

  • Telegraph Ave: it's a very lively and colorful place with lots of street vendors and (friendly) homeless people. It gets a little boring past Dwight Ave though. Also be careful at night -- this is an urban campus so be aware of your surroundings!
  • Sather Tower / "The Campanile" (pronounced camp-ah-nee-lee): You can go up the bell tower for $2  for beautiful views of Berkeley, the Bay and San Francisco. If you go at the right time, you might hear them playing the bells too.
  • Memorial Glade: Memorial Glade is like the Central Park for the campus. It's a nice grassy area surrounded by the Libraries (the library actually extends to underneath the grass), Campanile, and the Northside campus buildings. A lot of students come here to picnic, tan, play frisbee/football or just hang out. Maybe get some food and picnic out here!

Memorial Glade is a grassy area perfect for picnicking/hanging out/frisbee, etc. The Campanile (bell tower) is pictured in the back.

  • Doe Library: The Doe Library is the prettiest library building in the Berkeley Library System -- the 4th largest by volume in the U.S.! The library goes underground for 4 stories and extends underneath Memorial Glade to connect to Moffitt Library (the shorter brown building at the bottom of the hill of Memorial Glade). Definitely stop by the Doe Library to see the antique filled Morrison Reading Room (I used to go here to nap) and the other big reading room. I think you can't get past a certain point without a student ID though, for security reasons. 
  • NL Parking Spaces: If you walk around campus, take notice of the parking spaces designated for "NL" Nobel Laureates! 
  • Shopping: There's some random shopping opportunities around Telgraph like American Apparel and various street vendors, but nothing too special. If you want some of the quintessential Californian Rainbow sandals though, stop by Bancroft Clothing on Bancroft and Telegraph.

Things to Eat

Around Campus

  • Top Dog: Get a hot dog / gourmet sausage at Top Dog - on Durant between Telegraph and Bowditch. I LOVE this place. They also have really cool sarcastic comics/sayings posted everywhere that reflect Berkeley culture too (like "believe what you're told. there'd be chaos if everyone thought for themselves"). My favorites are the kielbasa and hot links -- the menu has tons of other choices too!
  • Caffé Strada: One of the best cafes in the world right at UC Berkeley. No fancy sandwiches or food, but the best coffee, italian sodas, croissants, etc. I just LOVE the feeling you get here sitting with all the intellectual types and their laptops / books engaged in deep though, or students just chatting away. I used to come here every morning to enjoy a green tea and croissant before heading off for the day, and still go here when I visit. This writer captures the essence of Caffe Strada perfectly.

College Ave -- "Rockridge"

This part of Berkeley is more quiet and quaint -- for New Yorkers, think the quieter parts of West Village (ie no rowdy NYU kids around =P)

  • La Farine French Bakery: Awesome French bakery -- I used to drive here and spend 10 minutes finding parking just so I can buy a baguette and some butter (they provide) and eat the whole thing while walking around window shopping on College Ave.
  • Ici Ice Cream: Gourmet ice cream shop -- super cute (but muy expensive)
  • Cole Coffee: Delicious drip coffee -- you pick the beans (from all over the world) and they freshly grind and pour hot water through a filter.. Once it finishes dripping you just pick it up and add your own milk/sugar
  • Trattoria La Siciliana: My favorite Italian restaurant in Berkeley!
  • Noodle Theory: New trendy Asian fusion tiny noodle bar that opened up my senior year. Super delicious and great alternative to all the other places! Small though, so may have to wait a while.

Photos from Gastronomy Blog

Northside Berkeley -- "Gourmet Ghetto"

"Northside" Berkeley is another nicer neighborhoody area -- this one in particular has a ton of great restaurants and eateries, which is why it's nicknamed the "Gourmet Ghetto" (in comparison with the Asian Ghetto on Southside where students get korean bbq, pearl tea, thai food, etc from mom and pop hole in the wall shops)

  • Chez Panisse: A really great restaurant that ppl rave about in Berkeley is Chez Panisse. I think Clinton stopped by when he visited! It's famous for using farm fresh ingredients, etc. Also the menu is cheapest on Mondays and goes up from there! Great deal. I think a ton of my friends and I all had our family graduation dinners here.
  • Cheeseboard Pizza: WONDERFUL thin crust pizza. It's a really cute place you line up and there is a jazz band playing and it's all vegetarian and they only have one type per day that everyone buys. Grab half a pizza and eat it in the grassy street median where ppl hang out. Closed on sundays I think. Be prepared to wait in line for a bit though!
  • Gregoire's: Gourmet French takeout place. DELICIOUS as well. Get potato puffs. YUMMMM

Gregoire's is a french takeout restaurant located in North Berkeley. Photo by Buzz Anderson

Gregoire's potato puffs -- SO DELICIOUS! Photo from Kelseats

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Useful Resources

  • Campus map
  • Interactive map
  • Good parking garage is the one on Durant between Dana and Telegraph on the right side. Also an entrance on Channing. You can buy food at some places and get it validated.

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