We (Angel & Angelica, both!) truly do live to eat. We love any excuse to go out and visit new restaurants and taste new dishes. Lucky for us in the Bay Area, we don’t have to travel very far to catch some delicious eats and renowned restaurants.
As part of Beautiful Brown Adventure’s (BBA) mission to highlight and support Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities, and to make it easier for you to identify and support BIPOC-owned restaurants, we’ve put together lists of spots that are owned/operated by BIPOC chefs and restauranteurs, and which you can enjoy with your family (or without :)).
We didn’t identify any Black- or Indigenous-owned restaurants on the most recent Alameda Restaurant Week list (*asterisked below), which hopefully will be remedied in future Restaurant Weeks. We did find quite a few participating restaurants owned by other People of Color (POC), and, in particular, Women of Color (WOC).
Let us know your favorite BIPOC-owned Alameda eateries in the comments below!
When we say “family-friendly,” we’re expecting that
1) our kids can eat food off their menu, even if they don’t offer a kid’s menu,
2) they offer high chairs and bathroom changing tables,
3) spacious outdoor seating is available, and
4) there is ample space for toddlers on-the-move to roam about.
Before you go
- Make reservations, if possible!
Family-Friendly Restaurants with Outdoor Seating
*Abigail's Moroccan Cuisine
~$15-45/person
Angel: Located on Ballena Bay, Abigail’s Moroccan Cuisine—a WOC-owned restaurant—serves up delicious Moroccan food with an incredible view of the San Francisco Bay. Sit on their front patio to enjoy windswept views of boats and the San Francisco skyline as you drink delicious mint iced tea ($1.50) and eat kefta (a Moroccan-style meat patty) and saffron rice ($13.25). I loved the kefta sandwich served on crispy bread with caramelized onions ($10.25), too.
The service can be slow, so order ahead. Also, the place is BYOB (bring your own booze), so no corkage fees if you’re so inclined!
*Bowl'd Alameda
~$20-$40/person
Jelly: When I was pregnant I didn’t notice any real food cravings, but I did often default to Korean food and Bowl’d always satisfied! Located conveniently in the Southshore shopping center, Bowl’d has plenty of indoor and patio seating. This is an off-shoot of their original Albany location and also sister-restaurant to Spoon in Berkeley (and other locations).
Get the stone-hot-bowl bibimbap ($14.99), soft tofu stew (soondooboo, $13.99), and jhap chae ($13.99). I’m usually a fan of the savory pancakes, but the kimchi pancake at this location was much too salty, unfortunately.
Burma Superstar
~$20-$40/person
Jelly: Another of our favorite restaurants! Their covered parklet is a saving grace when we want to sit outside and nosh on some crave-worthy tea leaf salad, samusa soup, mohinga soup, and platha (our kid’s fave).
*Cafe Jolie
~$15-$25/person
Angel: Located on Webster Street in Alameda’s West End neighborhood, WOC-owned Cafe Jolie serves up some of the best breakfasts in town. I always order the same thing: a cooked-to-perfection Monte Cristo ($15) served with breakfast potatoes and fruit, and a mocha ($5.50). My kiddos love the beignets ($13) with chocolate ganache for dipping ($1.50).
Although indoor seating is available, our family prefers to sit outside in the heated parklet to let the kids move around a little bit. The servers are very kid-friendly, providing coloring pages and Wiki Sticks for the kids’ entertainment, as well as a kid’s menu with pancakes and French toast ranging from $8-$10 an order.
On some weekends there is even musical entertainment outside along the street! You may have seen me there? You know, the one with the two little girls dancing in front of the piano player the whole time instead of eating their pancakes?
*East Ocean Seafood Restaurant
~$20-$30/person
Jelly: One of the things we miss most about the before-times was having dim sum together with a table full of friends and family. We would go at least once a month! It was loud, raucous, and full of delicious smells and eats. It’s the perfect group outing because you can share a greater variety of dishes, and at the same time, folks are free to order what works best for them without having to order a whole plate of one dish.
Thankfully for us, East Ocean is a great option for sit-down dim sum both indoors and out, having served up Hong Kong-style dishes for more than 30 years! Our family’s fave dumplings are shrimp har gow, pan-fried shrimp and chives, and pork and shrimp siu mai. Don’t forget to grab some baos, plus sesame balls, egg custard tarts, or pineapple buns to finish off your meal!
Malaya Tea Room
~$35+/person
Jelly: Hands-down one of our favorite dining experiences on the island–we find every excuse for a family outing to WOC-owned Malaya! Make a reservation for their morning or afternoon tea time, complete with your personal pot of tea (for the littles, get the caffeine-free pea flower and add lemon for a special color-changing effect), Malaysian-inspired tea sandwiches (the pork floss, sardines, and kaya butter are our faves), and sweets. The kids’ portion is smaller and comes with some extra cute fixins. You can enjoy your tea in either their old-world style indoor space, or out in their beautifully adorned garden sidewalk.
*Ohgane BBQ x Vons Chicken
~$15-$25/person
Jelly: Ohgane BBQ is the place I think of whenever people mention Korean BBQ: grills in the middle of each table, restaurant goers cooking their own self-selected meats and seafood, various pickled and marinated banchan sides.
Angel: At Vons (located in the same restaurant) you can order either crispy chicken or crunchy chicken—both are delicious but can be difficult for little mouths.
Check out the menu for both Ohgane and Vons here.
*The Preacher's Daughter
$15-$25/person
Angel: Cafe, wine bar, bistro, you name it! This cute little WOC-owned spot was new to the Park Street scene as of 2021. Try their Mexican Mocha, goat cheese crostini, and salads. They will even bring a cute little coloring book and crayon set for the littles.
Enjoy sitting on the parklet or in one of the indoor nooks by the windows to people-watch. I love coming here with my family for brunch or for one of their live music events.
Jelly and I also like to enjoy afternoon tea, coffee, or a glass of happy hour wine while we blog. Say “hi” if you see us in the window!
*Spinning Bones
~$20-$40/person
Angel: Spinning Bones is one of my favorite restaurants in Alameda. Did you know it is also on the Michelin Guide? Their slow-cooked meats are cooked to perfection and served with their Asian-fusion sides. Everything we order is delicious, every-single-time.
Our kids love the mochiko fried chicken (chicken-licken’ $14), while we usually order a Trip’s Tripple (¼ chicken, tri-tip, and pork shoulder $34) to share. Don’t forget to add a roti ($2) to your meal! Seating inside or in the parklet on Park Street. Check out the menu here or follow them on Instagram for their secret menu!
Family-Friendly Restaurants with Indoor-Only Seating
*Bucket O'Crawfish
~$20-$40/person
Jelly: Seafood-lovers rejoice! Get your fill of Louisiana seafood doused in a homemade recipe of garlicky cajun sauce that is inspired by both Louisiana and West Coast Asian styles. Mai Nguyen and Hanh Ngo opened this second location of their Salt Lake City crawfish restaurant in 2014. Come prepared to eat with your hands and revel in all the flavors. Don’t forget to order the garlic noodles!
*Bhan Mae Vane
~$20-$40/person
Angel: Bhan Mae Vane opened on Webster Street in Alameda’s West End in 2019 right before the pandemic hit, and have thankfully weathered the storm. They serve the most delicious modern Lao and Thai cuisine inspired by the food of the sister-owners’ mother.
My family has ordered the pad see ew and pad thai ($14 each) for my toddler and preschooler. If you’re curious to try something not typically found on restaurant menus, order the sakoo (steamed savory tapioca balls stuffed with ground pork, peanuts, sweet radishes and shallots served with lettuce, fried chili peppers and fresh herbs for $12).
*Hang-Ten Boiler
~$20-$35/person
Angel: Specializing in cajun-style seafood with some Hawaiian-inspired dishes, Hang-Ten offers fried shrimp, fish, and oysters with sides (get broccoli and corn for a healthy side!), and the standard southern crab boil-style meal with various seafood options. Our kiddos love the musubi ($6) and garlic noodles ($14).
Check out the menu here.
*Toomies Thai Cuisine
~$15-$35/person
Angel: Located on Park Street, Toomies Thai Cuisine by Thai Golden Rice offers standard Thai fare in a long and dark restaurant. I enjoyed their pad thai ($13.99) and pumpkin curry ($14.99) but felt the ambiance lacking. Click here to see the menu or order take-out.
*Up 2U Thai Eatery
~$15-$35/person
Temporarily closed due to a change in ownership
Angel: Located on Webster Street in Alameda’s West End, Up 2U Thai serves delicious Thai food for reasonable prices. Most of the seating indoors are along the perimeter of the restaurant and lined with colorful pillows—which may or may not be a distraction to your kids (it was for mine). Our kiddos like the noodle dishes here, like pad see ew ($14) and pad thai ($14), while I’m a fan of the pumpkin curry with rice ($17).
Something Sweet
*Donut Petit
~$1-$5/person
Angel: I love Donut Petit (owned by the same WOC who owns Cafe Jolie!). The shop is decorated with adorable stuffed donuts and 1950s sweet shoppe design. Looking through the window at the “handcrafted artisanal donuts made with love” is like looking at an art display, each donut beautifully crafted with bright colors and attention to detail. It is so hard to choose which donut to get that I always end up buying more than we need.
Although the menu changes daily, our go-to donuts are usually the fruity pebbles ($2.50) and the buttermilk ($1). My preschooler just orders whatever is pink. Make sure to get there early because they close when they sell out (and they often do!).
*Tucker's Ice Cream
~$3-$10/person
Angel: Tucker’s Ice Cream’s motto is “Life is uncertain. Eat Dessert First” and I couldn’t agree more. This ice cream shop has been serving up delicious, homemade, super-creamed ice cream scoops since 1941 along the historic Park Street in Alameda’s East End.
Our kids love lining up to see all of the delicious flavors through the glass but always end up ordering the same thing: a scoop of mango or ube (single scoop $4.25) on a waffle cone ($1). You can also place an order to go and get a half-gallon of your favorite flavor ($12) or a chocolate-covered frozen banana (another kid favorite, $4). Enjoy sitting indoors, outdoors on the back patio, or on a Park Street bench.
*Whisk Cake Creations
~$5-$15/person
Jelly: Whisk Cake Creations offers cakes by the slice, cupcakes, cookies, and coffee at their newly opened Cake Cafe, along with your customized cake needs ($32 for a 6′ cake, $54 for an 8′ cake).
Also, fun fact: owner Henry Awayan was featured on Season 1 of Food Network’s Bakers vs. Fakers, Marshmallow Meltdown episode.
For a Kid-Free Night Out
Cause some restaurants are best left for a night out on The Island
*Alley & Vine
~$20-$55/person
Angel: For a fancy dinner or brunch outing, check out Alley & Vine, located in an alleyway east of Park Street that is lined with string lights. The menu is constantly changing with the season, but always has a good vegetarian, fish, and red meat option ($35-45).
I visited Alley & Vine on a date night without kids but found that many families were there with their children at the 5 pm dinner hour. The kids’ menu looks delicious too.
We originally wrote this post in anticipation of Alameda Restaurant Week (March 25-April 3, 2022).
Restaurant Week is an annual event hosted by numerous cities, including Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco, during off-peak times of the year to entice diners with special menu items at discounted prices. It’s a great time to visit those restaurants that are on your bucket list since you’ll get more bang for your buck.
How else can we support BIPOC-owned restaurants and business in Alameda? Would love to hear more suggestions in the comments below.
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
Angelica (she/her) is of Cebuano(Pilipinx)-descent and was born and raised in Huchiun Ohlone territory (the East Bay Area--pay your Shuumi Land Tax!), where she also now resides with her partner and their toddler. She loves to spend her time sipping on boba and dirty chai lattes (sometimes together), and eating pescetarian goodies at BIPOC-owned cafes and restaurants.
