Thriving 30, Volume 27: Amazing Black-Owned Establishments that Need Our Support
I’ve been meaning to write a post about amazing restaurants and businesses in Oakland that need our support. Being from Oakland, it pains me to see how many restaurants are going out of business or currently suffering due to COVID-19. Prior to covid, I selfishly wanted to keep all these gems to myself due to fear of gentrification, possible long lines or even worse, when my favorite items are sold out! However, these businesses need our support more than ever! It is time to amplify their talent and craft in the business. Here are my top picks! (You already know this, but I don’t share yelp links on here, I share the actual website! Go and support them!)
Gregory’s Gourmet Dessert (Lake Merritt, by Fairyland) -- Where do I even start? Breakfast items: The best fruit danish you’ll ever have in your life. Bet! Greg makes ~4 strawberry danishes and ~4 blueberry danishes every day and that’s it. You snooze you lose! I am serious. And it will sell out before lunch. Holy heck, the cream cheese, the fruit, it is so warm when you eat it! I prefer the blueberry danish, but I’ll gladly accept the strawberry one any day. Another breakfast item: Savory stuffed croissants: The chorizo avocado is great. Definitely something I would split with a friend, cus this is a big boy. Too bad they got rid of the pastrami and dijon mustard one, that was my favorite. They also have really really good coconut, lemon, and sweet potato pies that rotate seasonally. I haven’t had the opportunity yet since it is always gone, but the peach cobbler is amazing! It is owned by Greg (duh!) and his wife. I have to say, they are the sweetest couple. They remember the faces of their loyal customers and have so much passion for desserts. They offer early hours for construction workers prior to covid. Just awesome people trying to serve their community. I told Greg that I am going to feature him in my blog, so Greg, thank you for always making my Tuesday mornings the best day of the week!
Rush Bowls (Downtown Oakland, by Fox Theatre) – Rush Bowls offer smoothies and you guessed it, acai bowls! Acai bowls are on the rise to health and hipster packed on to one delicious bowl! Downtown Oakland is growing into a hot spot for new, upcoming, businesses that are not a part of a franchise. Here are my picks: Paradise Bowl, which contains all the tropical fruits from mango, guava and pineapple. I love how they offer such unique mixes to their bowls. If you are basic, and just want acai, the Beach Bowl has all the basic ingredients. If you have a pup, they have something for your furry friend too! Fruits are fresh, portions are the perfect, enough to carve your cravings in something sweet and healthy!
Alamar Kitchen (Uptown Oakland) – Alamar offers seafood boils, Cajun and southern food. My top pics are the raw oysters, creating your own mix of the seafood boil (shrimp, rosemary steph curry, add sausages). I’ve always enjoyed shrimp more than crab or crawfish. Seafood is always market price, so you know they got some fresh items coming in. If you can’t decide, you can always opt for the packs that have set seafood and spices. They also have small bites/plates such as calamari and jambalaya if you would like appetizers. I remember this being a great spot to do a quick happy hour before going to a show at the Fox. But now everything is dine-out, seafood boils are different experience aka you don’t have someone else cleaning up after the mess you’ve created.
Check them out! Let me know if you liked it and what have been your spots in these crazy times. What other businesses should I check! Stay safe friends!