Category: Client

For almost seven years, Lilia Vizcaino handled janitor duty at a coffee shop near UC Berkeley, cleaning up at closing time. But Vizcaino, who came to the U.S. from Mexico and now lives in Albany, wanted something better for her family.

“I wanted stability, and I needed to do something else for the future,” she said.

Today Vizcaino no longer mops floors at a coffee shop. She owns her own, El Tiny Cafe in Berkeley. It’s a cute neighborhood joint that offers Americanos and iced horchata lattes, made with coffee beans sourced from women-owned farms in Mexico. The kitchen serves sandwiches, overnight oats and avocado toast with eggs and salsa macha — and boasts five stars on Yelp.

The 1½-year-old club/surf shop founded by couple Rel Lavizzo-Mourey and Julie Cox, markets itself as a kind of base camp for out-of-town day visitors looking for a place to shower and clean up post-beach, and then linger to enjoy the funky, low-key atmosphere of the club’s enclosed patio.

Located in a strip mall just a five-minute walk from Linda Mar Beach, Traveler’s California coastal boho decor is a little Big Sur in the ’70s with a dash of cool Mexican folk art. Among the items for sale in the shop are Oaxacan painted skulls, handcrafted dream catchers, locally produced surf and beach items, and men’s and women’s apparel from Uroko, Of Earth and Salt as well as Lavizzo-Mourey’s clothing label Silver Lining Bespoke.

SURF, SAND — AND SUN?

3. Brenda’s Meat & Three

Unlike most closely guarded fried chicken recipes, you can actually get your hands on the secret recipe at Brenda’s French Soul Food. While the crispy chicken is always served with the famous cream biscuit and collard greens, sister spot Brenda’s Meat & Three sets itself apart with a choice of three glorious sides. Whichever location you choose, you’ll be getting legit Southern buttermilk fried chicken that tastes exactly like what you’re imagining right now.

12. Rusty’s Southern

Sweat tea brined fried chicken is always a good choice at chef Rusty Olson’s clean, cozy, dependable Southern joint. Don’t bother telling the folks waiting in line for the (really great!) brunch at Brenda’s down the block a ways — just head over to Rusty’s Southern and get a chicken biscuit brunch for yourself.

19. Little Skillet

If there’s something wrong about eating fried chicken and waffles on a loading dock in an alleyway, then you don’t want to be right. Just follow the smell of sweet waffles to the small window at Little Skillet where there’s bound to be a line of fried chicken fanatics waiting to get their fix.

20. Frisco Fried

The motto of this Bayview Hunter’s Point soul food joint is “fried with pride” and once you bite into their mouthwatering fried chicken, you’ll taste that it’s true. Every piece at Frisco Fried is fried to order, so if you’re in a rush, call ahead. Get ’em by the piece (up to 20 pieces) or make it a dinner pack with sides and muffins.

21. Auntie April’s Chicken & Waffles

Open every day of the week, Auntie April’s is dedicated to serving up some of SF’s best fried chicken. The chicken and waffles is a signature move, offering choice of original, cinnamon or buckwheat waffles, and chicken (leg, thigh, wing, breast). Also available sans waffle, and in sandwich form, don’t forget to snag a side.

Where to find everyone’s favorite comfort food

[The chefs] devoured cookbooks from the 1950s and 1960s, acknowledging that most of the dishes don’t immediately excite but finding inspiration in how home cooks were beginning to embrace the idea of global cuisine.

The mid-century dinner party might seem like an odd source of inspiration for a restaurant, what with the era’s famously gravity-defying Jell-O salads and oh-so-American tuna casseroles.

Owners Seth and Jenni Bregman bought Michelin-approved Michel Bistro last year with the intention of eventually transforming the neighborhood French restaurant into Bardo Lounge & Supper Club, a 1960s living room-esque lounge.

The [bar] menu emphasizes spirit-forward cocktails using house-made tinctures and syrups as well as foraged garnishes, all served from eclectic — often gold-embellished — vintage glassware.

Reina knew that she had great party-organizing skills but had never taken the leap to turn her hobby into a career.

“A friend from the neighborhood where I grew up (in Bayview) told me about a Women’s Entrepreneurship program starting up at the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, and that with my talent it would be a great idea for me to come check it out,” Reina explains.

She enrolled in the classes in hopes of making her dream a reality. Now, two years later, Reina is founder and CEO of PartyHapps.

Brenda’s Soul Food

Voted Best Soul Food in the Bay Area 2018

652 Polk, SF
frenchsoulfood.com

Black Jet Baking Co

Voted Best Bakery in the Bay Area 2018

833 Cortland, SF
blackjetbakingco.com

Your picks for Best Burrito, Best Sushi, Best Breakfast, Best Happy Hour, Best Bartender, and more

Julie Cox, a professional surfer and former director of the California Surf Museum, launched Traveler in 2017 out of necessity. Even though surfers from around the world have long flocked to the breaks at Linda Mar state beach in Pacifica, the amenities are seriously lacking. Aside from the world’s most scenic Taco Bell and a couple of shops, there was no where for surfers to hang, get dry, get warm and chat.

“It was partly out of a need to get warm after surfing in the cold waters of the Pacific ocean,” Cox said. “Buying a home steps from the beach was not in the cards, so we started to brainstorm on how to create a ‘shareable beach shack’ experience that could work for other city surfers.  The idea for a place to clean up, grab a hot shower and get on to the next activity while connecting with others  was the seed for Traveler Surf Club.”