Vanished Berkeley Restaurants

Illustration “Berkeley Cuisine,” by Madeline Rohner (painted for the Berkeley Historical Society, 2020).
Exhibit Intro and Contents

Picture of a tombstone R.I.P.

Ay Caramba • 1903 University • 1979-2000

Bacheeso’s • 2501 San Pablo, 2650 Telegraph • 1986-2019

Black Sheep • 2510 Durant, 2243 Telegraph, 2550 Bancroft • 1931-1967

Brennan’s • 720 University 1958-2008, 700 University 2008-2018

Buttercup Bakery (later Buttercup Cocina) • 3201 College • 1958-2005

Caffé Espresso • 2481 Hearst • 1967-1984

Caffé Mediterraneum (“the Med”) • 2475 Telegraph • 1958 (as Il Piccolo)-2017

Caffe Venezia • 1799 University • 1980-2013

Casa de Eva • 2826 Telegraph • 1966-1989

Corso • 1788 Shattuck • 2008-2020

Cruchon’s • 1926 Shattuck • 1950-1972

Edy’s • 2201 Shattuck • 1921-1996

El Dumpo • 2081 Allston • 1944-1954

Fat Slice Pizza • 1985-2019

Fondue Fred’s • 2556 Telegraph • 1978-2020 

Giovanni’s • 2420 & 2468 Shattuck • 1963-2009

Ground Cow • 1974 Shattuck • 1948-1964 

Hs Lordships • 199 Seawall • 1970-2018

Jule’s • 2238 Telegraph • 1940-1958

King Tsin • 1699 Solano • 1969-2015

La China Poblana • 1004 University, 937 San Pablo • 1959-1984

La Fiesta • 2444 Telegraph • 1959-2011

La Tolteca • 1732 University • 1947-1989

Larry Blake’s • 2367 Telegraph • 1943-2008

Mel’s Drive In • 2399 Shattuck; also other locations • 1954-1972

Oscar’s • 2626 Bancroft, 1890 Shattuck • 1950-2015

Ozzie’s Soda Fountain at Elmwood Pharmacy • 2900 College • 1950-1989

Pizza Haven • 2440 Bancroft • 1962-1981

Pot Luck • 712 University 1956-58, 2400 San Pablo • 1959-1975

Red Barn • 1742 Solano • 1951-1964

Robbie’s Cafeteria • 2379 Telegraph • 1956-1975

Salerno • 2468 Shattuck • 1974-2001

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto • 1919 Fourth St. • established 1894, full-service restaurant in 1930s, closed 2018

True Blue Cafeteria • 2128-30 Center • 1934-1966

Wing Kong • 2005 Shattuck • 1949-1977


(Criteria for inclusion: opened before 1980, lasted at least a decade. Dates may be off by one year; many are based on phone directories. The ones with yellow backgrounds have been added to our original list, and other suggestions have been received since, but we haven’t been able to research them all.)

By Ann Harlow