Oakland Specialty

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anybody who’s more passionate about ice cream than the folks behind Smitten, who actually built and patented a completely new technology to make what they claim to be the smoothest ice cream in the world. They started in San Francisco, selling ice cream out of a little red wagon (seriously), and while they’re beloved in their hometown—there are locations in Pacific Heights, Oakland, Hayes Valley, and more—they’ve just expanded to LA with a shop in El Segundo (Silver Lake is opening soon).

There are now ten locations strong in the bay area, with cafés in the Ferry Building, Hayes Valley, Heath Ceramics, Market Square, Mint Plaza, and on Sansome. There are two locations in Oakland, on Broadway and Webster St. Perhaps the most groundbreaking of their brews is the chicory-spiked New Orleans cold brew, which comes in a handy single-serving carton. They also make a pretty great granola in-house while the SFMOMA rooftop location is home to Chef Caitlin Freeman’s modern art desserts. Think: a loaf cake made to look like a Mondrian painting and cookies inspired by Richard Serra’s sculptures.

There are now ten locations strong in the bay area, with cafés in the Ferry Building, Hayes Valley, Heath Ceramics, Market Square, Mint Plaza, and on Sansome. There are two locations in Oakland, on Broadway and Webster St. Perhaps the most groundbreaking of their brews is the chicory-spiked New Orleans cold brew, which comes in a handy single-serving carton. They also make a pretty great granola in-house while the SFMOMA rooftop location is home to Chef Caitlin Freeman’s modern art desserts. Think: a loaf cake made to look like a Mondrian painting and cookies inspired by Richard Serra’s sculptures.

Australian baker Alson Barakat's teeny shop is a go-to when it comes to fresh-baked, ingredient-driven pastries (the strawberry shortcake is outstanding), but the pièce de résistance is undoubtedly the fried chicken sandwich. The perfectly crispy chicken and piles of from-scratch coleslaw make it well worth the inevitable wait in line.

Australian baker Alson Barakat's teeny shop is a go-to when it comes to fresh-baked, ingredient-driven pastries (the strawberry shortcake is outstanding), but the pièce de résistance is undoubtedly the fried chicken sandwich. The perfectly crispy chicken and piles of from-scratch coleslaw make it well worth the inevitable wait in line.

It doesn't feel right to call this gem of a shop a liquor store, because while they do in fact sell booze, it's really so much more than just that. First and foremost, it's beautiful—with white shelves stacked with bottles of artisanal bitters, mixers, liqueurs, and wines, in addition to a vintage-looking barware selection. They also host regular tequila tastings, mixology classes, and super informative workshops.

It doesn't feel right to call this gem of a shop a liquor store, because while they do in fact sell booze, it's really so much more than just that. First and foremost, it's beautiful—with white shelves stacked with bottles of artisanal bitters, mixers, liqueurs, and wines, in addition to a vintage-looking barware selection. They also host regular tequila tastings, mixology classes, and super informative workshops.

As soon as they realized that San Francisco was in dire need of a dedicated spice shop, John Beaver and Erica Perez got to work scouting spaces and planning. The result is a treasure trove of all the cupboard basics and every obscure extract and spice you could possibly want. What's more, the knowledgeable staff loves turning customers onto their newest discoveries.

As soon as they realized that San Francisco was in dire need of a dedicated spice shop, John Beaver and Erica Perez got to work scouting spaces and planning. The result is a treasure trove of all the cupboard basics and every obscure extract and spice you could possibly want. What's more, the knowledgeable staff loves turning customers onto their newest discoveries.

It's important to note that this weird little shop's full name is actually Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club. And yes, they do actually serve fresh coconut juice, which along with a small coffee (the only size available here) and fat slice of cinnamon toast constitutes the $8 "Build Your Own Damn House" combo. There's also the option to order a shot of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice a.k.a., "Yoko." The original Trouble is tiny and has a tree trunk in lieu of outdoor seating while the new one in Oakland, is done almost exclusively in white.