The Top 5 Haunts and Dives in the San Francisco Bay Area

Just about every major city has it’s big name gourmet restaurants that have been featured on the types of television shows that do in depth reporting on celebrity sightings. We all enjoy the idea of eating what a famed five star chef has created and possibly running into a celebrity or socialite while we use words like delicate, robust and earthy to describe what we are tasting.

However, sometimes the best food comes from the lesser known eateries. The places where somebody’s grandmother is still cooking in the kitchen, where three culinary students are going toe to toe about who has the best skills on the grill, the places where you seat yourself or your wait is at least 20 minutes for a table because they don’t take reservations and they really are just that good. The Bay Area in California has a a variety of hole in the wall eateries that give Chez Panis and French Laundry a run for their money.

Irish Bank – 10 Mark Lane, San Francisco CA

This dark and sexy eatery sits in an alley off of Pine Street just above the bustling financial district. Irish Bank is probably the most authentic Irish pub that the Bay Area has to offer. A very friendly and accommodating staff serves up tasty dishes and cold beer in a dining room that gives off the atmosphere of a medieval dining room with its heavy wooden tables and chairs and stone walls. Naturally this is the go-to place on St. Patrick’s day. Irish Bank probably has the best fish and chips in the Bay Area and also offer a hearty beef stew served with a scoop of mashed potatoes. Delicious burgers, sandwiches and a sampling of salads make this often missed eatery a Bay Area favorite. 

T-Rex – 1300 Tenth Street, Berkeley CA

If your mouth would salivate when Fred Flinstone picked up the huge barbeque rib during the opening credits of that show then T-Rex is the place for you. The short rib served with home made potato salad or the signature apple and cabbage slaw is reminiscent of the Flinstone favorite and it is cooked to a tasty and tender delicacy that falls off the bone and is so good my teeth ache slightly just thinking about it (gotta get my short rib fix). Not your bib, drippy sauce and paper plate type of barbeque joint, T-Rex is a fun and casual place for everyone from families to young people ready for a night on the town. They offer a full menu of signature cocktails, the ginger press is spicy and a great flavor to accompany just about any dish on the menu, daily specials and menu favorites all made with local fresh ingredients when possible. Do not overlook their fresh salads made with ingredients lke heirloom tomatoes, Point Reyes Blue cheese, fennel and asparagus. Their bright and open two level dining room and persimmon colored walls are as warm and welcoming as the menu. Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, T-Rex also has a fun happy hour with oysters for $1.25 each, $5 burgers and $4 Draft beers.

44 Sports Loungs – 848 Willow Ave, Hercules CA

Located in the corner of a convenience plaza with a couple of fast food drive throughs and a liquor store, this new establishment in the Bay Area is so small you might miss it if you are driving too fast or blink while walking by. There is a fair amount of bar seating and the entire restaurant is decorated with flat screen televisions and broadcasting the game of the season. The menu is appropriately filled with bar favorites that make great accompaniments to cocktails. Think grilled chicken quesadillas, crispy wings available in four different flavors and their famous sliders of which you can choose from kobe beef, barbeque pulled pork or southern fried catfish. They have a happy hour seven days a week with signature cocktails such as Hercules Sunset with pineapple infused vodka and a hint of chambord, Mr. October Long Island with sweet tea vodka an traditional long island ingredients and the Hammering Hank Gin Martini with muddled cucumbers and a splash of ginger.

The BoilerHouse Restaurant – 1414 Harbour Way South, Richmond CA

Driving down Harbor Way South I wasn't sure if I was more frightened by the dark industrial, mysterious atmosphere or excited by the prospect of the jewel of a restaurant hiding somewhere in the dark. Nestled, and I do mean tightly and neatly nestled, behind the main drag and sitting on the Richmond water front in the Craneway Pavilion is this kick ass pub style restaurant. Their menu offers mostly traditional pub fare, Niman Ranch burgers and a variety of sandwiches, house pizzas made from scratch, fish and chips. Owner Steve Mann did a great job of including familiar dishes that appeal to most everyone and adding a bit of local flavor and and style to each dish. The Apple, Danish Bleu and balsamic onion pizza, ranging from $7 for a small and $18 for a large, tantalizes the tongue with tartness from the fresh local paper thinly sliced apples that compliment and tame the flavor of the throaty Danish Bleu cheese and savory EVOO drizzled over the top. The crust was thin, crisp but still soft and chewy in the middle which amounts to the perfect texture to support the flavors of the toppings.
BoilerHouse offers daily specials like pastas, fresh fish or prime rib, an all you can drink mimosa brunch on Sundays and a plentiful assortment of beers and house cocktails for happy hour. Open Monday through Sunday for lunch and dinner but also occasionally offering an all you can eat Italian buffet and early bird specials.

The Hotel Mac – 50 Washington Ave., Point Richmond CA

I had heard many times that the restaurant & bar was a fun place to go for cocktails and appetizers during happy hour The Hotel Mac is tucked neatly tucked away on Washington Street in Point Richmond. The wood paneling, stocky furniture and suits and ties lunch time diners give the feel of a ‘good ole boys’ club. With appetizers like Oysters Rockefeller and Shrimp tostadas with wasabi cream, entrees ranging from braised beef short ribs with chili coffee sauce to a classic veggie lasagna, the menu and location qualifies Hotel Mac as a Bay Area dive. The lunch menu is not fru-fru California cuisine as I was expecting. Hotel Mac seems to stick to some basic favorites with a Mac unique twist. Menu items like a Chinese chicken salad or the southwest chicken salad don't really stand out on menus these days. But here they offer a Cesar Salad with a choice of chicken, shrimp or Calamari. If it is recognizable yet quality food you are looking for this is your destination when visiting the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Checkers – 1414 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga CA

 Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga has so many boutiques, shops and restaurants that it can be a little overwhelming if you are there for the weekend or only an afternoon. A long time favorite of mine is Checkers. In the last two years Checkers went through a décor change, once filled with over the top character sculptures hanging from the roof & over the bar reflecting the fun and fresh pizza & sandwich menu. It has become a little more upscale and the warm colors & bright sun streaming through the windows only aides in enjoying the adult vino and pasta faire that they also offer.The wait staff is usually quite friendly and accommodating. I held my daughter's third birthday party there and it was a blast for her to be offered a bucket of crayons to color on top of the paper topped table cloth. Their salads are incredible, with the fresh flavors that we have come to appreciate and expect from Napa Valley restaurants without the blown up prices Christina Aguilera brought to the area with her wedding. Most of the salads can be purchased in half or full portions ranging from $6-$11. The Greek salad with earthy pine nuts and honey mustard dressing flavorful and filling but light enough to leave lunch and head for a mud bath & massage. Trying the firecracker chicken pasta is a must, this sweet & spicy noodle dish offers Asian(ish) essence and makes Checkers selection stand from the traditional Italian favorites that you can find right down the street at Bosco's or just about any spot in North Beach. The pizzas range between $8.95 for a six inch and $16.94 for a fourteen inch pie. The Margarita or Thai chicken pizza are great to bring back to your room or much on pool side with a glass of local white wine. They offer a soup of the day and a couple of ever changing dessert choices and I cannot forget to mention the best freaking French Dip ever!!