Overall, fairly an "okay" experience. We had the fruit tart - which was good. Not bad, not mind-blowing orgasmic excellent, but good. We also had the fried chicken sandwich. Half the chicken sandwich was good, the other was eh. Why? The side with coleslaw/ salad/ mayonnaise wasn't my thing. For some reason, there was this sour-ish, bitter taste to the coleslaw - maybe the nuts or the house mayonnaise - that added a kind of acrid taste to the sandwich as a whole. It completely overwhelmed the taste of the entire sandwich, so I just took the bread with coleslaw off. The place was a nice environment; there weren't really enough tables for a large group of people because the place is rather small. I thought this was more of an "eh" shop. I won't say no to coming here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice. read more

I'm a big fan of this place. We love the Margherita pizza, and the chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting is among the best cupcakes I've ever had. I agree with the last reviewer about the egg salad sandwich--the recipe has changed and the new one is nothing special, no flavor. I probably won't buy it again. Hopefully they can bring back the old recipe, it was quite amazing before. read more

I went there last week and today. Food is very good, Today, I got fried chicken (2 pieces) , very tasty, and banana bread (2.75 each thick piece of bread). Very good food, and last week get sandwiches. Though the fried chicken is weighted per lbs. It is slightly expensive. It is worth. read more

I really love this spot, the ingredients are very fresh and seasonal and have excellent customer service. The kale caesar is one of my favorites and their baked good selection is excellent as well. My one and only (small) gripe is their planning - I do not understand why they consistently run out of the egg salad sandwich by noon. I can't count the number of times I've been in there to try to order it and then someone else comes behind me asking for the same thing. read more

I had to stop at lululemon yesterday to pick up a gift card for a friend's birthday, then decided on a whim to get some ice cream at Ici. Then, I saw these 3 people sitting on the bench outside of Ici eating fried chicken out of a brown take-out box. And it looked delicious. So I asked them where they got it from, and they pointed a couple stores down to Summer Kitchen. After a second of debating, I dragged the bf over there to get fried chicken instead of ice cream (savory always wins over sweet, for me). We got a drumstick and a breast, and a pulled pork sandwich to share. I also threw in a mojito fruit soda at the last minute because they reminded me of the frozen lemonades from Bakesale Betty's I love so much. Got the order to go and ate in the car because we couldn't wait to chow down. The chicken was GOOD - perfectly crispy and seasoned skin; juicy, fall-off-the-bone meat. Paired with the mojito soda, yum! The sandwich was decent - bread was really soft (I thought it would be hard by the way it looked) and there were pickles in the sandwich which gave each bite a nice kick. I would come back for the chicken only, I think - a pound is about 5 pieces of chicken, and costs $12.50, so it's a little pricey, but if you eat it fresh out of the box, sooo good. Bf said he likes the fried chicken sandwiches from Bakesale better though. I'm still deciding. They also have chicken tenders that looked really juicy and tasty. As for the sandwiches, I'll stick with Gregoire's (if you haven't tried, you must!). read more

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This is for an order placed through caviar. They completely missed one out of four items in our order (chicken tenders), and they forgot the gravy with the mashed potatoes. We called the restaurant, and they were not apologetic at all. They sounded annoyed. If I were to give them benefit of the doubt, I would guess this man was annoyed at his fellow employees. But don't take that out on your customer next time. They offered two options, a refund on the items or a second delivery. We chose second delivery, for which I got charged $20. Classy! We placed the order at 5pm, and the chicken tenders arrived at 6:30pm. Chicken arrived cold, the pieces were small, and the chicken was very dry. All in all, this was a pretty bad experience with this establishment, and I won't be back. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Chicken tenders were small, mostly breading, and dried out. Pretty gross. - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Awesome little bakery. Great value. Great prices. I must have ate literally 2 dozen wings. Typical California, sustainable, farm to table type of food. Great little location. Highly recommend read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - To die for wings - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've been coming to Summer Kitchen fairly regularly since they open and I love this spot.....the egg salad sandwich is amazing but our favorite is the pasta with marinara. When my daughter wasn't vegetarian, we'd get it with the meatballs and now that she is, we get it with just the sauce. This review isn't about the place which is really great or the chefs who always produce consistently AMAZING food. Some of the young counter staff who take the orders tend to have a little attitude but whatever. Came here for some comfort food this evening. Ordered the spaghetti without meatballs and another dish to go. We got meatballs on our order. No problem, we live literally around the corner so it only takes a second to walk back. Walked up to the counter........Asian girl at at counter who took our order. My daughter let's her know that we got meatballs on the order that should have been vegetarian. You'd think she'd have the courtesy to admit her mistake and replace the order. Should not be a big deal. This girl wants to argue with my daughter that she never told her. Excuse me, I was standing right there and SHE ABSOLUTELY TOLD YOU! She wants to stand there and argue about how we didn't tell her. Why? She's a vegetarian. Why would she NOT tell the counter staff she wants it vegetarian. So rude! How about accept that you didn't hear the order correctly, APOLOGIZE and make another order. Why all the attitude? read more

Usually go to Sweetgreen's for salads but Summer Kitchen is my favorite salad spot. I get the caesar or the house salad with the crispy chicken. Their fried chicken might be the best I have had in Berkeley. Prices are reasonable. Not a fan of the pizza but the salads and sandwiches are delicious. read more

Love this place! I've been here before, during, and now after college (9 years wow) and the fried chicken sandwich is always amazing. I end up finishing all the side pickles every time and the chicken is fried to perfection. Gotta love the acme bread and coleslaw in the sandwich as well. For dessert, the cream cheese chocolate cupcake is the best! Chocolate cake is moist and the cream cheese frosting is just soo good. I tried their other cupcake, think it was a coffee caramel, but I like the original cream cheese frosting more. I was glad to see they're open during coronavirus, and ordered online a month ago. read more

3/5 stars. Went with a friend for lunch and got a pizza to share. We got the pepperoni pizza and it came out pretty quickly after ordering. The pizza was hot and fresh, but def a bit on the $$$ side for what we got. This was also the second time I had come to this restaurant to try their pizza. Last time I came, they weren't sure if they could get our pizza order in time before closing so we chose to go somewhere else. While their pizza is good and fresh, not sure I would make the trek out here for it again. Good if you're just in the area and want a quick bite if you don't mind splurging a little. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Pepperoni pizza! So fresh and hot! - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Staff was very accommodating to vegan needs. Very friendly. The sandwich I got was delicious the bread was fluffy and is from acme bakery. 10/10 recommend! read more

If you have never been to Summer Kitchen, go there now and thank me later. Their fried chicken wings and the picnic salad with fresh Cucumber, Cherry Tomato, Yellow Peppers and some kinda secret seasoning is prepared to perfection. I'm telling everyone I know and I will be back next week. Highly recommended! read more

I catered a work lunch from here and when I went in to pick it up, I just had to also treat myself to some pastries. Totally recommend the crispy chicken sandwich, egg salad sandwich, and kale caesar. The homemade pop-tart thing is such a treat. Wish I lived closer! read more

The flavors in the spicy chicken were fantastic, slaw gave a great different dynamic. Giving 3 stars because I was pretty disappointed with the ratio, felt like it was 85% bread and the whole bottom of the sandwich was soggy. For $15, I was surprised that it didn't come with a small side salad or something. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - Mary's Organic Crispy Chicken - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

stopped through at lunch before a movie. It was good, not busy...cafe vibe. I had the chicken sandwich and it was good...very good even, but not great...and I got it spicey- I can handle inferno but whatever spice they used had an unpleasant lip numbing for half an hour effect.....overall, I would say it is good- very good even but to get a sandwich at that price without anything on the plate but the sandwich (a little dollop of the salads they display in the window or some slaw, kettle chips- something. I would say you can get as good if not better with more to commend it. read more

Amazing little sandwich shop. The crispy chicken sandwich was delicious- especially the homemade pickles! The bakery case looked amazing, we couldn't pick just one thing. Perfect picnic food for a nice day. read more

There are a lot of places that offer similar menus to summer kitchen ; nice picnic food , wood oven pizza , etc. but most do not taste nearly as fresh and delicious as the food at summer kitchen does. ImFollowing in the footsteps of the California food revolution it offers simple, delicious, seasonal local food. Can't say enough good things about this spot ! Every time I come to Berkeley I want to stop here and try something new. read more

Summer Kitchen +bakeshop - New American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Felt a bad vibe walking into this place. No friendly hello, no how can I help you. All we heard was, "are you ready to order." Damn!! I guess not. I'll take my money elsewhere. Management may want to talk to their workers. I can't spend money in a place where I do not feel welcomed. Unfortunately I can't give 0 stars so they are receiving 1 star. Evening shift on 04/11/2019. read more

An amazing array of delicious and creative desserts! Came here on a warm Friday afternoon and enjoyed an apple passion fruit tart while sitting outside on one of their sidewalk tables. read more

In my opinion, this is hands down my favorite pizza in the Bay Area. We've tried all the (over) hyped pizza spots and we prefer Summer Kitchen 10 times out of 10. Also, those crispy chicken tenders are insanely good - perfectly crispy and seasoned every time. Love this place! read more

This small place is like mama's kitchen. You can relax and know that there will be your familiar dishes. After all I just ordered a crispy chicken and slaw sandwich, so why it felt so special and reminded you of home. Even the child who had a tantrum because mom said no more chicken wasn't as annoying as it would normally be. I had a satisfying lunch. I would like to try their pizza next time. read more

The employee who took my order was super nice, and the cupcake I got was delicious!! (It was chocolate with a pink - maybe raspberry - frosting and had berries on top). read more

Love this place so much! Egg salad sandwich is perfect. Pizza's are delish. Fried chicken is bangin'. Salads are just right. Atmosphere is cute, clean and relaxing. Staff are all friendly and fast. Wish there was one in San Leandro! ;) Jason, you and your team are doing it right my man. Great stuff all the way round. Baked goodies look absolutely amazing. Next time. See ya soon! read more

Picked up an egg salad sandwich today. It's been a bit since I've had one but so disappointed. Not only is it more expensive but it doesn't taste the same or as good. Change in ingredients? So bummed as it was a fave. read more

What a darling of a place to eat after shopping small business shops in the Elmwood District. The pre-made sandwich options can be made fresh to your likening. I preferred my Diestel Turkey sandwich warm with cold cranberry sauce. They accommodate without question. The pastries are so tempting, your likely to take some home for later. The soup of the day is ever changing, and easily an option for Take out. They pack up all the little sides that come with it when eating in. The noise level is high, but a good conversation with others at a communal table Was fun, and a distraction from noise. Tables for 2 fill up fast. But counter seating is a fun place to sit too. These are some of the dishes that are likely to tempt you in December. Dailey Method Salad with Star Route Farm Baby Greens, Roasted Chicken, Garbanzo Beans, Morrocan Carrots, Cucumbers, Champagne Vinaigrette Kale Caesar Salad with Acme Sourdough Croutons, Grana Padano Cheese Chicken can be added Wild Arugula, Mandarin Orange, Shaved Fennel, Pecorino, Candied Pumpkin Seeds, Pomegranate, Citrus Vinaigrette Star Route Greens Pickled Red Onions and Balsamic Vinaigrette SOUP They offer one soup each day based on locally available seasonal ingredients. SANDWICHES (all sandwiches made with Organic Acme Bread, House Made Mayonnaise) Apple Smoked Bacon, Avocado, Piquillo Pepper, Wild Arugula, Mustard-Mayo Crispy Chicken, Caraway-Mustard Slaw, House Made Pickles, Aioli $9.25 Becker Lane Organic Pulled Pork, Carolina Slaw, House Made Pickle Diestel Turkey, Onion-Cranberry Marmalade, Provolone, Lemon Aioli, Poppy Seed Kaiser Bun Sicilian Tuna Salad, Olives, Capers, Fennel, Lemon Mayonnaise Hearst Ranch Burger, Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onions, House Made Pickles, Wild Arugula Organic Egg Salad with Chives And so much more. You will savor the freshness of all the ingredients The Dinner specials are tasty as well. Vegetarians will enjoy the many options Parking lot in back makes for easy parking. Not dog friendly-they like them, they just can't accommodate at this time. read more

I've walked by this place a million times while hunting for dinner. I'm not sure if its the 'bake shop' portion of the name, or the lack of seating that kept me from coming in before but..... MY MISTAKE Holy hell. I've been searching for the perfect burger in the east bay(yup tried them all). The burger here is fantastic. Simple and well seasoned, with great meat. The combination of the blue cheese, house made pickles, arugula, and some secret sauce made my head go 'boom'. Really appreciate that it is reasonably priced, and reasonably sized. I don't want a 16 dollar burger that is a gut bomb. This was perfect. My wife ordered a mushroom, leek, truffle, burrata, and 5 other things when combined into a single pizza, make the best damn pizza I've had in the bay. I haven't tried the others yet. But this particular pizza was hands down better than anything I've had at Pizza Aioli, Zachary's, Boot and Shoe, Little Star, you name it. Really just a great combo of flavors without any one of them going overboard. Amazing chewy and lightly salty crust as well. Overall it seems Summer Kitchen sticks with great ingredients, used with restraint. AND(maybe this is why it was so good tonight) one of the owners was on hand, providing great service, and upping my happiness up a notch(what no 6 stars??). Glad I finally discovered this spot. I'll be back OVER AND OVER again. read more

I adore this place. It is slightly pricey, but I find that it's worth it. Their chicken tenders are light and crispy but not oily, their buttermilk fried chicken is amazing (crispy crunchy and the chicken was extremely juicy). Their watermelon salad with feta and sherry vinegarette is really delicious, and I'm fond of their side dishes as well. I'm mainly fond of the curried chicken salad, farro salad, orzo pasta, and beet salad, and their cauliflower salad. But the main thing that absolutely keeps me going back is their crispy chicken sandwich. It's not greasy at all, the caraway seeds adds a little something extra to it, and I love their homemade sweet pickles in there. Honestly, I like their chicken sandwich better than bakesale betty's because you can actually taste the different ingredients in there instead of just chicken and cabbage in the bakesale betty's sandwich. read more

Lovely bake shop and eatery in the heart of the Elmwood with good food and nice ambiance. This particular review will focus on the cupcakes because in Spring 2012, I accepted a quest to find the most amazing cupcakes. SK&BS ranks high on the list for amazing cupcakes, although I find them to be somewhat unusual. My addiction to the Valrhona chocolate is a result of wonderfully moist chocolate cake, light cream cheese frosting, and delectable dark chocolate mini-balls on top. But for some of the other flavors, SK&BS seems to create a hollow in the top of the cupcake into which they pour additional flavors. For example, the peanut butter chocolate seems to have a scoop of peanut butter in the hollow between the cake and frosting. Similarly, the summer berry hosts a little berry compote in the hollow. It's unusual, but it works. During this cupcake quest, I found out I'm not a big fan of buttercream. While this has limited my tastings, SK&BS has enough other options to keep me happy. Did I mention I'm addicted to the Valrhona chocolate cupcake? read more

Love Summer Kitchen! Adorable decor, from the screen door to the bench seating. Great friendly service. The owner and staff are laid back and professional. But the best part is the food: Favorites: - Fried chicken -chicken strips - pizza- all kinds, but butternut squash is the best - salads - love the kale caesar - crispy chicken sandwich, the pickles alone are great - pulled pork sandwich -cupcakes, especially choc w/cream cheese icing. So fresh and delicious! -marble cake -order ahead for pickup! read more

Egg salad sandwich is what I live for. Pricey if you have a big appetite, but it's a perfect meal for me :) Their other sandwiches are good as well! Fresh ingredients = refreshing foods. I'm always down for a meal that doesn't make me feel gross and oily afterwards :) read more

This place makes my favorite sandwich in all of Berkeley: The apple smoked bacon sandwich with avocado, piquillo pepper, arugula, and their housemade mayo. It is served on Acme bread. Everything about this sandwich is perfect. The bacon is cooked perfectly and nicely seasoned. The avocado is cool and refreshing. The peppers and arugula add some zest to the dish, and the mayo is rich and creamy. There are other things on the menu that look appetizing as well, but I can never bring myself to order them, because this sandwich is so amazing. The interior of the Summer Kitchen is light, airy, and spacious. It's how you would picture a place called Summer Kitchen would look. This is the perfect place to get an awesome sandwich for lunch on a sunny weekend day in Berkeley. read more

On a gorgeous Friday afternoon while I had the day off work, my friend Michael and I decided to go for lunch in the Elmwood area. We stumbled into summer kitchen bakeshop, liking the looks of the menu and the interior. The menu, prices and protions were great with a great selection of picnic type foods as well as regular lunch items. We ordered the spinach salad and the grilled chicken and frisee sandwich to split. We also ordered 2 chicken strips, which are sold by the pound in their picnic section, because they looked particularly delicious. The sandwich was grilled perfectly but the chicken breast slice was a bit too thick and too meaty. The salad, on the other hand, was absolutely perfect with a fantastic bacon dressing. The chicken strips had a nice flavor, but lacked the crispiness I liked. Oh well. As to service, it was friendly, prompt and helpful. They even gave us sparkling water at no extra charge (I was actually quite impressed by this fact). In all, our lunch came to about $20 for sizable portions of delicious food. I will be back to try their cupcakes in the future. read more

COMFORT FOOD WITH UNCOMFORTABLE SANITATION! I went here in the first week in October. The interior has a very appealing design and it was quite busy. However, for a facility offering restaurant seating, 'to go" service, pizza and deli, the size of the space is quite inadequate. Incredibly, they insist on maintaining old fashioned food handling methods. Is there no one with a food handlers permit here? While, modern health department codes do make it difficult to use some traditional techniques, there is a reason for these codes. On my visit, I observed the following violations of the health codes; *Several pounds of fried chicken was sitting on the counter at room temperature in uncovered baskets. BTW, when the hell did room temperature fried chicken become a desirable dish? *Nice looking quiche, rich in eggs, left uncovered at room temperature. A lot of prepared food sits up on a glass plate a few inches from the public. *The sandwich station is too small and without adequate holding pans for meats. First the cook makes a pork sandwich and then wipes the cutting board with a cloth, then he makes a beef sandwich and wipes it with the same towel. So when I got home, I reviewed their record at the Berkeley Health Department. On their previous inspection on 1/27/2010 they were cited for; *Improper Holding Temperature Holding food at an unsafe temperature that may cause a food-borne illness. In general, food should be kept out of the Temperature Danger Zone (41°F - 135°F). *Contaminated Equipment Using unclean utensils or equipment in the preparation of food may cause a food-borne illness. Food contact surfaces must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized after each use. So they were notified of these problem practices in January and decided to continue using them anyway. ONE STAR for intent to distribute diarrhea! Note to business owner, the food handlers class is being offered in November. Be there. read more

Exceptional quality and great service. This place is loved by kids, parents and grandparents. The crispy chicken sandwich is moist and flavorful and beats any other local version. The Kale Caesar is delicious. The pizzas are made to order and are simple and authentic. When in a pinch for time, this is a great place for a quick bite or to get something to go. read more

Kind of a dumb name, but another great thin-crust pizza to be had here. Super-good quality tomatoes - sweet as a kid the day before Christmas - and an almost cracker-crispy pie. Also had the kind of salad you think about later, with terrific fresh ingredients that nearly leap out of the bowl and sing. I have to get back over there and try the other 30 things on the menu...It's calling to me with Summer's Song. ;-P read more

Have you ever walked in and wanted one of everything! All freshly made and delicious! Sandwiches, salads, tarts, cupcakes, oh! and SO GOOD! Not a lot of room with seating, but charming spot for perfection and taste straight from their case. read more

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Summer Kitchen has been my goto lunch place the last few months. I'm a tad obsessed with the mojito drink they have on the counter (no alcohol) and the turkey sandwich. I love how they have a selection of pre-made sandwiches and salads that you can grab quickly during lunch time. This is a perk for me because I'm normally in a hurry or overly hungry during my lunch break. I've had a few of their baked goods and they are yummy. You'll often find me ordering the chocolate chip cookie with my lunch. A great place to grab a quick fresh lunch in Berkeley. read more

It is an act of sheer willpower that I don't eat here every single day. I've been happy with pretty much everything I've had to eat at Summer Kitchen, but the standouts: Mushroom pizza - truffle paste! burrata! that perfect blistered crust! Sausage pizza - the perfect sausage to go with the fennel pollen Crispy chicken sandwich - that slaw! those pickles! the crunch! Winter vegetable spelt pasta - earthy and delicious They do a brisk takeout business, but there's some seating. The seats up front fill up quick though, and no one seems to realize there's a counter to sit at. The only aspect I've ever really had a problem with is that the space is so narrow it's hard to maneuver around to get in line or pick up your food. I've also had them completely forget to call my name while waiting for my takeout order. read more

We've had takeout from here many times, and went Friday night to eat at the counter. Sometimes not having to clean up dishes is worth dragging two whiny kids away from the TV. We really like the pizza here. Thin crust, nice toppings. Sausage with fennel pollen is really flavorful. As for the comments about the cooks using their hands on the food, get real. ALL chefs use their hands in the kitchen. You may not see it, but it's happening, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Staff was really friendly too. They even topped off our wine glasses part way through the meal. Yes, it was near closing and they might have just thrown it out. Nice touch anyway. read more