As has been true for every holiday since the start of the pandemic, Hanukkah will look different this year. To help maintain some traditions and satisfy the seasonal cravings for latkes, sufganiyot and other holiday foods, leave the cooking to others and do a mitzvah by supporting local food businesses at the same time. Here is a list of East Bay restaurants and caterers offering Hanukkah eats. We’ve included as many as we could find, but there surely are more; check individual websites for updates.
Arizmendi Lakeshore is baking up sufganiyot with raspberry and strawberry jam and a hint of orange, Hanukkah cookies, chocolate babka, rugelach for pickup on Dec. 10. Order online for pickup at the window. Arizmendi Lakeshore, 3265 Lakeshore Ave. (between Trestle Glen Road and Lake Park Avenue), OaklandAugie’s Montreal Deli in Berkeley is selling parbaked latkes for Hanukkah. The last day to order is Dec. 6 at 5 pm. for pickup Dec. 9, 12-13 and 16-18. Augie’s Montreal Deli, 875 Potter St., (near Seventh Street) Berkeley Boichik Bagels has Hanukkah treats, like the Nosher Gift Basket, filled with bagels, cream cheese and lox and rugelach. Order online for pickup. Boichik Bagels, 3170 College Ave. (near Alcatraz Avenue), Berkeley
East Bay-based kosher caterer Epic Bites has a Hanukkah menu featuring Chinese dishes and sufganiyot. Order online by Dec. 8 for Dec. 10 delivery or Dec. 11 Oakland pickup. $100 order minimum.
Communitē Table in Oakland’s Laurel neighborhood offers a Hanukkah dinner for two featuring matzo ball soup, braised Niman Ranch brisket with olives, latkes with house applesauce and sour cream and chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons. Some items can also be ordered a la carte. Order online for pickup between Dec. 10-16. Communitē Table, 4171 MacArthur Blvd. (near Maybelle Avenue), Oakland
Oakland’s Grand Bakery has your sufganiyot and Hanukkah needs covered. Delivery available. Grand Bakery, 3033 MacArthur Blvd. (between Maple and Laurel avenues), Oakland Grand Lake Kitchen will serve takeout Hanukkah platters that serve two on Dec. 10. The meals feature matzo ball soup, latkes, braised beef brisket and sufganiyot. Order by Dec. 6 for pickup at GLK’s Dimond location, delivery also available. Grand Lake Kitchen, 2042 MacArthur Blvd. (at Excelsior Avenue), Oakland Hugh Groman, a popular Berkeley caterer, is offering a Hanukkah meal with his barbecue brisket, ultra-crisp latkes, other sides and desserts. Order online for delivery on Dec. 10 and 11.
Chef Mihaela Schiffer at Julia’s Kosher Kitchen will be making kosher latkes, both regular and sweet potato. She’s in Walnut Creek and will deliver throughout the East Bay. Contact her at mihasch@yahoo.com.
Market Hall has been a perennial go-to for many East Bay Jews. The specialty food store in Oakland and Berkeley will have latkes and “Scott’s Famous Chopped Liver,” plus entrées such as chicken with preserved lemon and olives, chickpea and butternut tagine or salmon with za’atar. Pre-order by noon, Dec. 7 for pickup or delivery between Dec. 9-13. Rockridge Market Hall, 5655 College Ave., Ste. 201 (at Keith Avenue), Oakland; Market Hall on Fourth Street, 1786 4th St. (between Hearst Avenue and Virginia Street), Berkeley
The upscale Oakland restaurant Mago will be offering family Hanukkah meals from Dec. 10-18. The menu features a sweet potato muhammara and chicken liver spread, celery salad, matzo ball soup, latke casserole, short rib pastrami with buckwheat kasha and prune and ricotta and Meyer lemon cheesecake for dessert. Orders must be placed one day before pickup. Delivery available. Mago, 3762 Piedmont Ave. (near MacArthur Boulevard) OaklandOakland Kosher Foods has two sizes of latkes, sufganiyot and more. Oakland Kosher Foods, 3419 Lakeshore Ave. (near Mandana Boulevard), Oakland Olive is a caterer based in the East Bay and run by an Israeli couple. They deliver to most locations in the Bay Area, and will have latkes as part of their Hanukkah offerings. Call 510-974-3086 or contact Olive online to order.
Pomella, serving California-Israeli cuisine in Oakland, will have latkes, matzo ball soup and brisket tagine or a kabocha squash, and sprouted-oats casserole with dry figs and preserved lemons. For dessert, there are ricotta fritters with cranberry quince, chocolate or caramel sauce. The Hanukkah menu is available Dec. 9-18. Delivery available. Pomella, 3770 Piedmont Ave. (at Yosemite Avenue), suite B, OaklandRevival Bar & Kitchen can’t do its annual Latkepalooza fundraiser this year, but chef-owner Amy Murray will still be offering latkes for her Berkeley restaurant’s Hanukkah takeout dinner. The meal includes organic potato latkes; matzo ball soup; beet, walnut, apple and goat cheese salad; and slow-roasted brisket with roasted parsnips, carrots and greens. Vegetarian main option and gluten-free latkes available. Meals for one, two or four people available to pre-order online for pickup. Revival Bar & Kitchen, 2102 Shattuck Ave. (at Addison Street), Berkeley
Rick & Ann’s Hannukah menu features a la carte items like matzo ball soup, latkes and a smoked salmon entree served with noodle kugel and sauteed lemon garlic spinach. Dishes are available for pickup on Dec. 10. Pre-order by calling 510-649-0869. Rick & Ann’s, 2922 Domingo Ave. (between Ashby Avenue and Russell Street), BerkeleyRocky’s Market Brooklyn Basin offers Hanukkah specials in its grab-and-go case like braised caramelized onion brisket with mashed potatoes, as well as latkes served with toppings like housemade applesauce and creme fraiche, housemade gravlax and creme fraiche, paddlefish caviar or Ossetra caviar. Available through Dec. 18. Rocky’s Market Brooklyn Basin, 288 Ninth Ave. (near Clifton Lane), Oakland Saul’s Restaurant and Deli has been a longtime Berkeley go-to for latkes during Hanukkah, and this year that tradition continues. It will have other offerings, too, like brisket, for pickup. Saul’s Hanukkah menu is available Dec. 10-18 — advance orders should be placed at least 48 hours in advance. Delivery available. Saul’s Restaurant and Delicatessen, 1475 Shattuck Ave. (at Vine Street), BerkeleyWise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, which recently expanded to the East Bay with the acquisition of Beauty’s Bagel Shop, has a full Hanukkah menu package that can be ordered for pickup at its downtown Oakland location or at Beauty’s Bagels, or for delivery, from Dec. 9-18. Wise Sons is also doing pop-ups all over the Bay Area, including one at JCC East Bay in Berkeley from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Dec. 14. Wise Son’s Jewish Delicatessen, 1700 Franklin St. (at 17th Street), Oakland;Beauty’s Bagel Shop, 3838 Telegraph Ave. (between 38th and 40th streets), OaklandA version of this story first appeared on J., the Jewish News of Northern California. Reprinted with permission.
