I’m a creature of habit. I have a habit of going to a new restaurant or bar every time I go out. At least, if I’m the one picking the place. There’s one place, however, that I’d go to any night of the week. That place is Honor Bar in Emeryville.
There’s a number of things my wife and I love about this place – the first is that it’s close: we can walk there in less than 15 minutes.
The second: great food. From bone marrow to fried chicken, beet burgers to lobster sausage – this place seems to have it all. And it’s all delicious.
The third: drink selection. They’ve got a few beers that are custom made for the bar, a wide variety of excellent whiskeys, cocktails and wines. If you’re in the mood for something easy and “honorable”, you can grab a beer from the ice bucket in the center of the room and just let your waiter know you did.
The fourth, and perhaps the most important: for a busy restaurant/bar, it’s very quiet. My wife and I end up here on many date nights because we can still hear each other. It’s a place we can enjoy all of the things I listed above and catch up on how life is going without walking away with ringing in our ears.
So, next time you’re thinking of a place to go out, Honor Bar is the place.
-Jeff Stone
Also check out a few other ‘hot spot’ recommendations from Richard and Joy Ahn!
Name of restaurant? Royal Cafe
What do you love about it? The hot, fresh baked scones and homemade lemon curd that come on the side. Also, love that you can call in to put your name on list which shortens your wait time. Also, love that there is a parking lot. So many also’s!
Describe the place. A cute cafe with a campy diner vibe featuring old school ads (including cigarette ads!), jukeboxes, typewriters, and even 80s era lunch boxes (think Knight Rider and GI-JOE).
What’s your favorite dish/dishes? Huevos Rancheros are always good, especially if you’re not up for a heavy meat breakfast. On the other hand, the bacon avocado cheddar omelette fits the bill if you need the protein and want a lot of it. The Naughty Charlie benedict is amazing! A benedict with bacon – what’s not to love! For a sweeter breakfast their cinnamon french toast is a good choice. It’s slightly crunchy on the outside and oh so soft and cinnamon-y on the inside. Comes with fresh fruit too, and the good fruit like strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi. And don’t forget to douse everything with their homemade verde salsa!
What’s the price range? $10-15 per dish
Name of restaurant? China Village
What do you love about it? A place we go when we want some comfort food – Szechuan style
Describe the place. They crank the a/c so great place to go on a hot bay area day.
What’s your favorite dish/dishes? dry cooked green beans – for real veggies never tasted so good. We also like their chow mein with hand-cut noodles – the chewiness of the home made noodles keep us coming back again and again.
What’s the price range? $8-20 per dish
Name of restaurant? Hong Kong Lounge II (Inner Richmond district, SF, off Geary)
What do you love about it? One of the best places in the Bay for Hong Kong style dim sum.
Describe the place. Right off Geary as you enter the Inner Richmond, the main dining hall is cozy, with an extension in the back for large parties.
What’s your favorite dish/dishes? Xiao long bao (soup dumplings–gotta be careful because that shot of savory goodness can be scalding hot!), baked pork buns (way better than just plain ol’ steamed pork buns), salt and pepper soft shell crab.
What’s the price range? $4-$10 per dish, expect to spend about $15/person on average
Name of restaurant? Manna (Inner Sunset district, SF, off Irving)
What do you love about it? Legit home-style Korean cooking WITHOUT the out-of-this-world pricing
Describe the place. Very small–there’s room for maybe 20-25 people so there’s usually a line out the door but thankfully tables turn over quickly.
What’s your favorite dish/dishes? duk bok ki (rice cakes in a super spicy sauce), dol sut bibimbap (rice and veges with beef, served in a super hot stone pot), yukgaejang (shredded beef with noodles and veges, served in a very spicy beef broth)
What’s the price range? $8-$10 per dish
Name of restaurant? Kim’s Sandwich (off Solano Ave)
What do you love about it? One of the few places nearby that serves legit Vietnamese food and has reasonable pricing (not as good as Little Saigon district in the Tenderloin but hey, it’s closer!) Also, they use Acme bread for their sandwiches and they take orders directly through Yelp.
Describe the place. Entrance is very small and narrow, a little bit stuffy. Once you get past the counter, the whole place opens up with plenty of seating space and even a small patio area with some well weathered wood tables for two.
What’s your favorite dish/dishes? Banh mi (BBQ pork/chicken) and the lemongrass chicken noodle soup
What’s the price range? $5-10
Name of restaurant? Highwire Coffee Roasters inside Flowerland
What do you love about it? They do a cappuccino right <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72x72/1f642.png" alt="